"Today that smile is hard to find": Former World No.8 Diego Schwartzman set to retire in 2025

Former World No.8, Diego Schwartzman has confirmed his intention to retire in 2025 after a torrid 18 months and admitting that despite only being 31, his smile is hard to find at the moment on the tennis court.

He reached a career high of World No.8 in October 2020 and as a clay court specialist, he has been widely regarded as one of the biggest threats on this surface. But he has flattered to deceive for some time. He had success in particular at the 2020 French Open when he reached his maiden Grand Slam final and has set his stall out to end his career playing the tournaments he loves the most.

For most of the past year, Schwartzman has struggled to get out of qualifying for tournaments and has had a bit of a torrid time. So it is no shock that he has decided to call time on his career.

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"What a journey! How many moments I never imagined, how many anecdotes I never dreamed of, how many people I met who helped me grow, who taught me so much, who made me a much better player and person than anyone ever thought I would be including me," he wrote on Instagram translated.

"Every corner of the court, every second training, every point competing, every moment I was immensely happy. I lived it with such intensity that I find it hard to maintain today. All those beautiful moments have become something that today carries weight and I find it difficult to continue to enjoy them fully.

"On the one hand, leaving a life that gave me so much is too difficult a decision, but on the other hand, how happy I was playing tennis makes me want to keep smiling on and off the court as I always did. However, today that smile is hard to find at times. Inside me, a competitive animal prevents me from enjoying, playing and travelling as I used to. I want my last tournaments to be my own decision. May this 2024 be that way, hopefully having the opportunity to compete in the tournaments I enjoy the most. And in 2025, in Argentina, to be able to have my final moment, the most beautiful closure I can imagine."