Rafael Nadal has been dominant over many players in his career. But seldom has been put on the back foot and Diego Schwartzman is one of the few who have pushed him to the limits, ousting Nadal in Rome in 2022. Many had hoped to see similar magic by the 31-year-old in Madrid, but his cryptic message after his loss is making fans worry about his future in the sport.

Schwartzman is currently ranked 142, but it is still fighting to rise higher. 2024 has been especially difficult for him as he has not won any of the 6 main draw matches he played. He has failed to qualify for most tournaments, and a similar fate awaited him in the first-round qualifier of the Madrid Open, where the former number 8 faced Albert Ramos-Vinolas. 

Although he had the upper hand, the Argentine player let his lead slip. Schwartzman left the court 6-4, 6-7, 2-6. After his loss, he took to his ‘X’ page to write, “Final del viaje…… 🙌✅😆” [or “End of the trip” in English]. His worried fans have gone into overdrive, thinking that he might be leaving the sport in its entirety as he had not achieved a desirable result in a long time.

On the other hand, it could be his farewell to the current run in Spain. Schwartzman’s was one of the few to push Rafa in the French Open. He acquired a threatening lead in the first set in their 2018 meeting and took the second set in their 2021 rematch, but Rafa won both matches. The player, once with speed that astounded even the top dogs, now struggles with the physical aspect of his game and is not sure how much longer he can continue to fight.

Diego Schwartzman’s ‘body does not really help’ as he faces back-to-back defeats

Since the end of 2021, Schwartzman has been on a slow decline after holding a solid position in the top 20 for a few years. He eventually found himself out of the top 100 in July 2023 and has not risen above since. After his first-round loss in the Argentinian Open to Daniel Galán 6-2, 1-6 4-6, he talked about the issues that continue to cause his downfall. 

He said, “There are times when you have to bring an extra ball and the body does not really help: there are times when I have to play with more power to make the opponent uncomfortable, I’m not making it, it’s like in the moments of the match there are different issues that make me do it wrong.”

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Continuous struggles are weighing heavy on his mind as his future in the sport might come under threat. “It’s a struggle, everyone can see that. We’ll see if in the coming months I can find a solution, and if not… we’ll see,” Schwartzman further said.

Another early exit has now forced him out of a tournament. He has not confirmed any news of retiring just yet, but it is certainly crossing his mind as he fails to produce convincing victories.