The Giant Slayer
Diego Schwartzman
By Jeff Counts
I have always been enamored with the underdog. In every sport, an unlikely David will emerge with a chance to somehow, in someway, take down Goliath. And it's this possibility, however small, that draws me in every time.
In hockey we had The Miracle on Ice, where a bunch of US college players beat a Soviet team who had won eight of the previous nine Olympic gold medals. In boxing who can forget Buster Douglas - an unfathomable 42-to-1 underdog - stunning the world by knocking out an undefeated Mike Tyson in Tokyo? And in basketball, I'll never forget in 2006 when the George Mason Patriots did the unthinkable, defeating Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State and Connecticut all the way to the Final Four.
Tennis is no exception, where age often serves as the greatest obstacle. It seems every US Open we relive a 39 year old fist-pumping Jimmy Connors coming back from 2-5 down in the fifth to beat a dejected Aaron Krickstein. Or on the opposite end of the spectrum I remember being glued to the TV as a 17-year old Michael Chang, playing in only his second Roland-Garros, found himself in a fifth set against Ivan Lendl. With his entire body cramping, the young American delivered one of the most iconic moments in tournament history - stunning Lendl with an underhanded (and unheard of) serve. It was the final stone that knocked out Goliath for good. Lendl never could recover from it.
Discovering Diego
But even in today's era, where power and height often dominate the sport, there are still players who defy the odds and shock the world with a victory. In 2019 I will never forget being at the US Open, watching matches on one of the side courts when I heard an eruption from Arthur Ashe Stadium. If you have ever been to the US Open, you will know that it is not unusual to hear a burst of cheering and clapping coming from Arthur Ashe as a match finishes. But this thunderous reaction was different. Something big had happened.
I quickly checked the scores and saw that on Arthur Ashe, Alexander Zverev had just lost to Diego Schwartzman, a player I had never heard of. It was clearly a big upset, but I didn't realize just how big. I continued walking the grounds until about 20 minutes later, when I could hear cheers as a player and his team cut through the gathering crowd, coming right towards me.
As they passed by, I got a quick glimpse of the player at the center of it all and was immediately struck by one thing. He was really short. In the middle of his team and in the middle of the US Open crowd, he seemed to be noticeably shorter than, well, just about everybody.
That was my introduction to Diego Schwartzman, the 5'7 (which many think is generous) giant killer from Argentina known as "El Peque" (Shorty).
Next to the 6'6 Alex Zverev, the diminutive Schwartman must have looked like a kid who had somehow wandered his way onto the court.
He barely made it up to Zverev's chest. It seemed not just improbable that Diego could beat such a physically superior opponent, but most likely impossible.
Diego's average first serve speed is around 106 mph. That is Zverev's average second serve speed. Sasha's first serve, which has reached up to 135mph, averages around 129mph. It's a staggering difference. How could Diego possibly make up for the difference in fire power and actually win the match? (Click Here to see the incredible highlights from that match).
Watching the highlights, a few things jumped out at me. The most obvious being his forehand. Specifically, just how early he takes the ball. He hits the ball really hard and really early, which robs time from his opponent. With his forehand, Diego can push Zverev wide and then hit the winner by taking the ball so early. Also his western grip let's him do it against balls that are shoulder height and above. Early contact and the ability to hit higher balls also are a big reason why he can return those huge serves with precision. (For a fascinating look at height and its subsequent technical advantages and disadvantages, check out Brian Gordon's article "Height in Tennis", Click Here).
Next I would say his movement around the court is incredible. He reminds me of a boxer, with a low center of gravity, dancing around the ring. He legs are short but powerful, and they explosively move him around the court, always well balanced. As a rally extends, this speed and positioning eventually set him up for that knockout blow from his forehand. This seemed to be the pattern that really took it to Zverev.
When I was the US Open last year I got lucky to find Diego on one of the side courts getting ready to practice. He attached a resistance band to one of the benches and begin to go through a sequence of movement exercises that were impressive to say the least. His feet dancing along the concrete with rapid fire precision. His low center of gravity and powerful legs moving like a sports car. Or like Messi weaving in and out of traffic.
It's fascinating to see how Diego can use these physical assets and technical skills to slay players that have a huge height advantage. But you have to wonder how he ever believed, at 5'7, he could do it. How many people must have told Diego Schwartzman that at his height, in a sport where the average tennis player is 6'1, he had a chance to complete at an elite level? And if 6'1 is the average, what about the super servers that clock in at 6'8 like Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Or Reilly Opelka at 6'11. What would it even feel like at the coin flip standing next to someone almost a foot and a half taller than you?
Self Belief
This leads us to the second requirement of a giant killer: self belief. This might be even harder to acquire than the physical skills needed to defeat a Goliath. Where does it come from? For Schwartzman it came from his experience growing with financial challenges, as well as being acutely aware of his harrowing family background. In his own words: "whatever happens in my career doesn’t compare to what my parents endured. And of that pales in comparison to what my ancestors went through." In an essay for the ATP Tour, Schwartzman: Why Height Doesn't Define Me, Schwartzman talks about his life growing up, where his family went from having it all, to losing everything. He talks about the devastation of being told by a doctor he would never be taller than 5'7". And then he talks about his Jewish roots.
His maternal great-grandfather, who was from Poland, was put on a train to a concentration camp during the Holocaust. Somehow, the coupling that connected the cars of the train he was on broke, and the car Schwartzman’s great-grandfather was in stayed behind. He ran for his life and escaped without being caught. Just thinking about it makes me realise how lives can change in a heartbeat.
The more I read about Diego Schwartzman, the more inspiring his story got. In 2020, following a run to the French Open semi-finals, Schwartzman cracked the top 10 for the first time. At 5'7", that made him the shortest player in the top 10 since 5'6 Harold Solomon who did it in 1981. Solomon himself commented on this remarkable achievement:
I honestly think if someone would have told me three or four years ago that there was going to be a guy of his size that was going to be in the Top 10 of the world, I would have told you you were crazy. I just didn’t think it was going to end up happening," Solomon said. “Just didn’t think that in this day and age that there was going to be somebody that size that would be able to withstand the barrage of the serves — even though he returns great — and be able to hang with guys on the court. I thought eventually they’d get worn down or overpowered, but he’s proven me wrong.
Farewell Diego Schwartzman
Diego played his last match at the Argentina Open this year, ending a stunning career. Besides reaching the top 10, Diego Schwartzman had 13 wins over top 10 opponents in his career, the most striking being against Raphael Nadal. In the 2018 quarterfinals of the Rome Masters, in a night match, Schwartzman beat the "King of Clay" (who had won the event nine times), 6-2, 7-5. He considers it his greatest win.
As a tennis fan, it's always great to watch the legends of the game. The Federer-Nadal rivalry. Djokovic surpassing them both by winning 24 Grand Slams. And now Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz dominating the sport. They command our respect and awe and are known around the world as they make final after final. But for me, I'll always be most inspired by the underdog.
Diego Schwartman is one for the ages.
