Diego Schwartzman has struggled to find his best level in 2023, arriving at Wimbledon holding an 8-16 record on the season. The Argentine found top gear in his opening match at The Championships against Miomir Kecmanovic, brushing aside the Serbian to set a second-round meeting against eighth seed Jannik Sinner.
Ahead of his clash against the Italian, ATPTour.com got to know more about the Argentine’s life off court, his craziest travel story and much more in this edition of ‘The Nomadic Life’.
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What are two essential non-tennis items you always pack for trips?
My iPad and a speaker. The past few years I had a really big speaker, but now I use a smaller one. If I can have a third item it would be mate. It is a drink from South America, I always like drinking it. It is like how the British people drink tea at 5 p.m. We drink it everyday and it is a social moment as well. We share it with people and drink it when watching a movie or in the park. It tastes somewhere between coffee and tea. It is stronger than tea and you can have different tastes.
What item did you forget to bring one time that caused you distress?
Mate, I never like forgetting it.
Do you enjoy travelling the world or consider it just something that needs to be done to be a pro tennis player? If you do enjoy it, what do you enjoy about travelling?
At the beginning of my career and when I was a junior, I enjoyed the travel. I am speaking English now because of the travelling. I know many different cities, cultures and foods because of it. Now I am 30 years old it is a little bit different. Sometimes you miss home, you miss your friends. It has been a long journey and for South American players it is not easy to go home many times per year. Right now I am not liking the travel as much.
Are you someone who gets to the airport with lots of time to spare or do you cut it fine?
It is a good question. I like to arrive early, but not too early. I prefer to be in the hotel for longer than at the airport. I arrive not too close to the flight but not with enough time that if something happens on my way, I will still make [the flight].
Got any tips to get comfortable on a flight? And how do you pass the time?
I think the pillow is very important. If you go business, it is different. If you go normal, the pillow is a good option. Also having headphones, or something to watch or to read is very important. Whatever you like. If you have time at the airport, it is good to have games, maybe cards, to share and play with your group. If not, it is a lot of time in the airport where you have nothing to do.
Favourite TV programme?
I love Peaky Blinders. I just started it again. When I am in the UK I like to watch it as it is the best occasion. It is so good.
Can you talk about a time you decided to play a specific tournament in part because you wanted to travel to that city?
If I can play at home I will. I think it is great to play at home for many different players. Some players don’t like it, but for me it is very important and I have done great in the past few years. Then if I have to choose one abroad, maybe Acapulco, Los Cabos and Bastad in Sweden.
Where is your favourite vacation destination?
Home, I think. For me, it is trying to have some time at home. Patagonia in the south of Argentina is an amazing place. Then some places in Central America. But at the end of the season, I want to be at home. I spend most of my holidays there. I like to see friends, watch football. It is more like a boring holiday, but it is important.
What is your craziest travel story?
When I was 16 years old I missed a flight. I was in Santiago playing a [ATP] Challenger and I had to fly at 7 a.m. to Argentina and I was with my group at a music festival that finished at 2 a.m. So I decided to go straight to the airport rather than the hotel and arrived at the gate at 5 a.m.
But I was very young so phones didn’t really exist at the time and I didn’t have a credit card. I had no battery on my phone as we were at the festival. I decided to sleep for a little bit and when I woke up it was 9 am. I missed the flight and I didn’t know what to do. Without a phone I didn’t know what to do, it was a different time with the technology. I was just trying to communicate with my family to tell them where I was. The next flight was at 1 pm but it was going to another airport in Argentina. So my bags went to one airport and I went to another. It was a tough moment.
As a tennis player, maintaining your body is of the utmost importance, so how do you take care of it during long trips?
It is very important to move after a long flight. Trying to hit some balls, loosen up and stretch out. Do something with the physio. I think it is very important because if you take the day off from doing anything, your body is not comfortable the day after. I have to play against guys serving 220 kmh sometimes, so your body has to be ready.
Are there any routines or activities you do to create a sense of ‘home on the road’ to feel more comfortable?
The past few years I have been trying to walk around the cities to find good places to be more comfortable. Maybe a coffee shop or a park. Ride a bike and go around. Not just have time in the room because if you have too many hours in the room you are just thinking. It is great to go out and each city has a different feeling.
How do you try to overcome jetlag and acclimatise to the local time zone?
I always fight against it a little bit. Every time I go home and then come back to Europe I have five hours of jetlag, then more if you go to Australia. I always drink melatonin. It is a natural drink but it helps a lot. I start drinking it two days before travelling to get used to it.
Do you prefer the sense of novelty and excitement of a tournament in a city you’ve never been to before or the comfort and familiarity of cities you know well?
I prefer to go back to the places I feel good at. If you felt great at a tournament before, you can repeat that at a place, so I don’t like to change. But sometimes if you are not feeling great or playing well at a certain tournament for a few years, it is good to change.