Diego Schwartzman believes ‘this’ member of the Big 3 made him feel defeated while entering the court

Diego Schwartzmann won only one of his 23 games against the Big Three, with that game coming against Rafael Nadal

Diego Schwartzman believes ‘this’ member of the Big 3 made him feel defeated while entering the court

Diego Schwartzman (via Instagram)

Diego Schwartzman said to ESPN that Rafael Nadal is the Big Three member who “commanded the most respect” when entering the court. The Argentine explained that he felt “a little bit defeated” to face Nadal even before their match would start.

In all of his matches played against the Big Three, Schwartzman clinched only one win. This triumph came in one of his 12 meetings against the Spaniard, where Schwartzman won their 2020 Italian Open quarterfinal, defeating two-time defending champion Nadal 6-2, 7-5. 

YouTube video

I think Rafa, of the three, is the one who commands the most respect when you enter the court. It’s like you enter the court a little more defeated.

Diego Schwartzman (H/T: MSN)

At the 2020 Italian Open, Diego Schwartzman also advanced to his first Masters final, eventually losing to Novak Djokovic. When it comes to matches against Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, the former five-time ATP winner was beaten in all of his seven clashes against the Serb, and he also failed to register a win in any of his four meetings against the Swiss.

FS Video

Several other players have also talked about the immense pressure they felt while facing Rafael Nadal, especially on clay court. 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem had also earlier this year spoken about the most frustrating apsect of playing against Nadal which he described was when he’d be warming up on court just before the match starts and the speaker starts listing all of Nadal’s titles at Roland Garros.

Diego Schwartzman retired from tennis after the 2025 Argentina Open

Two weeks ago, the 32-year-old retired from tennis after playing one last time in front of his home fans in Buenos Aires. At the Argentina Open, Diego Schwartzman defeated Nicolas Jarry in the first round before losing to Pedro Martinez in the round-of-16.

Diego Schwartzman Rafael Nadal
Diego Schwartzman and Rafael Nadal (via Instagram)

Throughout his career, Schwartzman secured four ATP Tour singles titles and reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 8 in October 2020. As a clay court specialist, his best results were on this surface, with three of his four singles titles coming on clay court tournaments.

Schwartzman was noted particularly for his high-quality return game. After his retirement, Rafael Nadal paid a tribute to him on his social media handles, congratulating Schwartzman on his career.