Diego Schwartzman has revealed football legend Lionel Messi said Rafael Nadal was “lucky” in a chat with his fellow Argentine following a match he lost to the Spaniard.
The former world No 8 recalled an interaction he had with Messi about his 2018 French Open quarter-final with Nadal prior to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, where the former Barcelona star played for Argentina.
In the last eight of Roland Garros in 2018, Schwartzman lost 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 2-6 to Nadal, with the legendary Spaniard going on to win the 11th of his 14th French Open titles.
The Argentine, though, made a superb start to the contest and led 6-4, 3-1, and had a break point to go up a double break, before play was interrupted due to rain.
Only around 15 minutes of play followed that day, with the match forced to be finished the following day, when Nadal dominated to turn the quarter-final around.
Schwartzman has faced Nadal 12 times, including three times at Roland Garros, and earned his only win over the ‘King of Clay’ at the 2020 Italian Open in Rome.
Speaking during a conversation at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in Frankfurt, Schwartzman recalled that Messi felt Nadal had been fortunate to benefit from the rain delay.
“Yeah, I met him a few years before. But even if you met him, when you see him, it’s like too much respect, you don’t want to say anything. It’s like, ‘Okay, Hello Leo!’ You know, it’s that you don’t want to ask for anything,” said the 31-year-old Argentine.
That’s so sweet 🤩 pic.twitter.com/aSc977OysG
— Irina (@atpobsessed) October 24, 2023
“The first time I met him, it was before the World Cup in Russia in 2018. I had lost against Rafa in the quarterfinals of Roland-Garros and I was a set and a break up.
“And after that date, I had my flight from Barcelona and the Argentinians were doing their preparation for the World Cup there with the national team. So, I went there with a few players and talked to him (Messi).
“The first thing he said to me was: ‘How lucky was Rafa with the rain!’ Because I was a set and break ahead, and the rain stopped the match. I was leading 6-4, 3-1 and break point to lead 4-1, and after that, we played like 15 more minutes, then had to come back the next day.
“And after that, it was like too easy for him playing with the sun at noon. But he (Messi) said to me that, so I was thinking, ‘Okay, he was watching the match. He knows who I am’ (laughs).”
Schwartzman, a winner of four ATP titles, is currently ranked 104th in the world having had a challenging 2023 campaign.
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