"I was saying… scary": Diego Schwartzman names toughest opponent on tour

Argentina’s tennis player Diego Schwartzman believes that Italy’s Jannik Sinner has been the toughest opponent he has faced on the tour. The 32-year-old’s career is coming to an end as he is set to retire in front of the home crowd in February 2025.

Schwartzman has been recently quoted in a report by The Tennis Gazette where he named the reigning world number one in men’s tennis as the toughest opponent he has faced on the tour. The current world number 369 believes that it is ‘crazy’ to see what the likes of Sinner and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz are doing with their bodies.

“Let’s choose one of the new guys. I think Sinner,” he said. “I played him a few times. He was not even top 10 yet and I was saying ‘come on, what is this guy?’ Sliding, power, movements. Everything. I was saying… scary. It’s crazy. We played against Novak, Roger and Rafa. These guys are GOAT’s. But Sinner and Alcaraz, what they do with their body is crazy.”

Schwartzman has faced Sinner four times in professional tennis and on four occasions, he ended up on the losing side. The last time both met was during Wimbledon 2023 where the 23-year-old came out on top in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-1, 6-2. Sinner is already regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category along with the likes of Alcaraz and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic. The San Candido-born is going through a fabulous season where he has lifted two out of the four Grand Slams. He first won the Australian Open after beating Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in a five-set thriller with a score of 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. Most recently, he lifted the US Open after beating America’s Taylor Fritz in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.