Back in a city that reminds him of home, Diego Schwartzman cruises to begin Barcelona bid

ZipRecruiter Player Resume: Schwartzman

BARCELONA—“I was just there for the first half!” proclaims Diego Schwartzman.

The world No. 15 attended FC Barcelona’s La Laga match Monday night, a contest the home club would drop 1-0 to Cadiz after conceding the lone goal in the 48th minute. For Schwartzman, the opportunity to relax in a local setting before beginning his bid at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell is his way of achieving balance when removed from the comfort of his own backyard.

“With conditions to go out, my tennis is doing well,” he tells TENNIS.com. “Being far from home, it’s important to be free some days. To walk, visit different places, go and eat. It makes a big difference for me.”

It certainly showed Tuesday when the No. 6 seed dismissed Mackenzie McDonald, 6-2, 6-2, to kick off his tournament. Though Schwartzman was hard on himself for dropping serve twice in the second set with a double break in hand, his sense of security playing on Pista Rafa Nadal ultimately shone through in never letting the American win consecutive games throughout the 90-minute victory.

“The people here are very kind. It’s very similar to my country, so I’m very comfortable here,” Schwartzman says.

Cloud cover dominated the sky for much of the day and the temperature on-site struggled to eclipse 60 degrees Fahrenheit. While those cards are hardly a winning hand on the outset, Schwartzman by now is an expert at recognizing the adjustments that are required at each stop of the longest clay swing on the tennis calendar.

“For us, when it’s cold, it’s difficult. It’s very technical,” he explains. “The ball is more hard, doesn’t have the effect we want. When we are running, the ball is not bouncing very high. At the end, you have to be ready for every challenge.”

So far in Europe, Schwartzman has been rocking Fila’s Bevans Park Collection in competition. A style that veers away from the brand’s traditional navy, white and red color tones, the 29-year-old has embraced the brighter and bolder kits placing a pink-driven palette and precise pattern work front and center.

“They took that opportunity to mix the colors and do something different. I think they are doing great,” he says. “I’m very happy to have clothes that people like, that I like.”

Schwartzman is coming off a quarterfinal showing in Monte Carlo, where he had Stefanos Tsitsipas on the ropes before falling in a brutal three-setter. He’s aiming to lift his first trophy of the season, having already finished runner-up at a pair of clay-court events during February’s “Golden Swing” in South America.

The Buenos Aires native is off to a strong start at this week's 500-level event, as are his peers who prevailed Tuesday. The first 11 singles winners all wrapped up in straight sets (until Cameron Norrie ended play by rallying for a three-set win), perhaps hungry to take Schwartzman’s top piece of advice when it comes to being in Barcelona.

“Eat the Spanish food!”