Diego Schwartzman tells 60 Minutes+ about his match with Rafael Nadal
Diego Schwartzman won his opening-round match at the French Open in commanding fashion Tuesday, beating Yen Hsun Lu 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.
The win is the first step to a potential rematch with perennial favorite Rafael Nadal, who has won on the French Open's clay surface more than any other player in the history of the sport. Schwartzman is one of the few players who have beaten Nadal on clay, taking the victory last September at the 2020 Italian Open.
Schwartzman spoke with 60 Minutes+ correspondent Enrique Acevedo about that match with Nadal for a report streaming now on Paramount+.
"I saw it a little like an opportunity to be able to face the best player in history on this surface," Schwartzman said, "And surely one of the best players in the history of tennis."
Reflecting on the moment from the stadium where it happened, Schwartzman told Acevedo about his mindset during the match.
"Obviously when you face Rafa the first thing you think is how you are going to keep your rhythm for a long time, and maybe there in that match I thought a little more," Schwartzman said. "I convinced myself that maybe, quote-unquote maybe he was going to be a little tired, and I told myself not to miss one ball, not to miss one ball, to try to play one more, one more."
It was a tennis David vs. Goliath, both figuratively and physically. Schwartzman's listed height is 5'7", which one New York Times reporter skeptically called "the most generous" measurement in professional sports. His nickname is "El Peque," Spanish for "Shorty," and he's the shortest player to reach the top ten in men's tennis since the 1970s.
"In a sport dominated by Goliaths," Acevedo said to Schwartzman, "It seems to me that you really enjoy the role of David?"
"I really, really like it, yes," Schwartzman said, "When I was young and people didn't have expectations about what I would be able to do, kind of bullying me, and they laughed when I started winning, and as I grew, people got more and more surprised and started trusting what I could do."
His win against Nadal last year was one in a series of victories over taller players – like 6'6" Alexander Zverev at the 2019 U.S. Open and 6'8" Kevin Anderson at the 2018 French Open.
"All the giants have fallen at the hands of Schwartzman," Acevedo said.
"They fell gradually, but yes, that's something that amuses me," Schwartzman said. "And they also started respecting me over the years, and that gives you confidence when it's time to step onto the court."
See more of the interview on 60 Minutes+, streaming now on Paramount+.