Diego Schwartzman: "Federer makes you feel like you have no idea how to play this game"
Diego Schwartzman commented on his matches against Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Jan 02, 2022, 09:09 pm
Diego Schwartzman got his wraps up against the best in the game. Against Roger Federer he has a balance of 0: 4, with only one set win. Against Novak Djokovic it looks even bitter with 0: 6 in a direct comparison, even if he tormented Djoker over five sets at the French Open 2017. And against Nadal: With a 1:11 record, it was still a win, of all things in 2020 in Rome , when Schwartzman was in rather mediocre form up to then.
What makes the big ones so great? "Federer makes you feel like you have no idea how to play this game," Schwartzman told Filonews . "I've had moments in my matches with him when I felt I was playing well and had opportunities. And he looked like he was bored and would hit me whenever he wanted." Federer is the player who has the most variations and the largest repertoire of tennis in history, the Argentine further praised.
Nevertheless, he wishes that Federer would never retire. "Let him play in the suit if need be," he joked. "Roger is a gentleman, he's perfect on the pitch, but he's even more perfect off the pitch. When you see him in the players' lounge, joking with everyone, being close to everyone ... that's impressive."
"Djokovic drives you crazy"
When you see Djokovic play, "you get the feeling that he has a joystick," Schwartzman continued. How Djokovic moves and changes direction is incredible. "It's almost impossible to move like him and force the ball at such a high speed, and he makes it look easy," said "Pique", who is also considered to be one of the players with better footwork. The general public may not like it that much, but Djokovic is capable of winning most of the big titles. "And that makes sense, because he drives you crazy on the pitch." In terms of personality, he is more normal than the other two, he shows his emotions and you think: "If he has a bad day, you can beat him."
Against Nadal already behind in the match
With Rafael Nadal it is like "as if you started the game with a deficit on the scoreboard against him, you go out of the game half defeated," says Schwartzman. "What amazes me most is the intensity he shows. Every point he plays is like it is the last of his life. Maybe he has fewer hits than Roger and Novak, but he will be just as many or win more with them. "