Diego Schwartzman Opens Up About Retirement, Anxiety & The Big 3

Diego Schwartzman joins Caroline Garcia and Borja Durán for a deeply honest conversation about the real cost of a life in professional tennis. From growing up in Argentina with limited resources, to fighting his way through Futures and Challengers, to facing Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on the biggest stages, Diego built one of the most respected careers in tennis through discipline, intelligence, resilience and heart. But in this episode, Diego opens up about the side of tennis fans rarely see: the anxiety, the exhaustion, the constant travel, the pressure to keep going, and the moment he realized that even winning matches no longer felt good. He shares why he decided to retire, what it felt like to write his retirement letter, why Djokovic was the hardest player he faced, what young players misunderstand about building a team, and why sometimes the bravest decision is knowing when to stop. A raw, funny and emotional conversation with one of tennis’ most loved competitors. Listen to Tennis Insider Club on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1SDHHtfQmUS0TyP8wqJEh9 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tennis-insider-club/id1721351881 Follow Tennis Insider Club: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tennisinsiderclub/ X: https://x.com/tennisinsidercl #DiegoSchwartzman #TennisInsiderClub #TennisPodcast #CarolineGarcia #ATP #Tennis Chapters / Timestamps 00:00 Intro 00:45 How Diego started playing tennis 02:10 The financial reality of becoming a pro 04:20 Managing outside support and pressure 05:10 Moving from Argentina to Europe 06:30 Why Diego didn’t play the traditional junior route 07:30 Breaking through Futures and Challengers 09:10 Building belief as a smaller player 10:50 Did his height ever make him doubt himself? 12:05 The tactics that shaped Diego’s game 14:20 Winning without playing your best 16:30 The team that pushed Diego to the limit 17:10 Why Diego retired at 32 18:00 Caroline and Diego on losing the fire 19:45 Why athletes don’t have to play until 35 21:15 The first signs something was wrong 22:10 When winning no longer felt good 23:20 Anxiety, burnout and listening to his body 24:30 The psychologist who told Diego the truth 26:45 Sponsors, money and the pressure to continue 27:45 Announcing his retirement 30:00 Crying after writing his retirement letter 31:20 Did Diego have balance during his career? 32:15 How COVID affected tennis players 34:45 Playing the ATP Finals with no fans 36:35 Diego’s best memory from his career 37:35 Why Diego kept tennis simple 38:40 Why your team matters so much 40:05 The Argentinian mentality in tennis 41:05 Alcaraz, Ferrero and staying fresh 42:50 Diego’s advice: invest in your team 44:45 Facing Rafa, Novak and Roger 45:25 Why Djokovic was the hardest opponent 46:10 The chaos of tennis scheduling 47:40 Was Diego born in the wrong era? 48:50 Giving back to South American tennis 49:30 Could Diego become a coach? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.