Wimbledon 2018 – Schwartzman rues missed opportunities after second round loss
Argentine tells Jewish News how he was disappointed he didn't make more of the chances he created after suffering a straight sets defeat
Diego Schwartzman was left to rue missed chances as he saw his Wimbledon campaign end in disappointing style on Thursday afternoon.
Having won his first ever match at SW19 on Tuesday, he was nevertheless the favourite going into this second round clash against Czech Jiri Vesely, though was beaten 6-3, 6-4, 7-6, in a match which lasted just more than two hours
Saying he felt a “little disappointed”, he told Jewish News: “I was playing well in the first two sets, both serving and returning, but overall I didn’t take the chances – and I think I had a lot of them in the match, especially in the third, to take it to a fourth set. But I didn’t. It’s tough here, when we were playing the important points, the game I tried to play isn’t the best for this surface and it doesn’t help me win more matches here.”
Believing the third set was a turning point, finding himself 4-2 up, but unable to hold his serve to increase his lead, and then spurning three set points, he said: “Had I have won that, I think the momentum could have moved in my favour. In the first set I played a bad game with my serve in the set and then lost it. I was playing a good a baseline game as him, the second set was similar to the first, he played his best tennis in the second and in the third I was a break up, then had three set points and was 3-1 up in the tiebreak – many chances but I didn’t take them .”
Once more alluding to how he’s not the biggest fan of the grass surface, he said: “The big guys here have a big opportunity to play big serves here, knowing the ball won’t return to their side, that’s the big difference here with the big servers – maybe they wait for the grass season because they don’t have to run a lot! They can play short points and that’s the difference.
“I’ve played good players here and could have beaten them, so maybe next year will be better for me – it’s not a disappointing part of the year for me, because I know when I come here it’s a bit of a leveller and not about them playing better.”
Looking ahead to rest of the year – and how the first half has been for him, he added: “I’m really happy with how the first part of the year has gone. I’ve won a lot of matches, but know I need to keep producing the same level. I’ve got a good part of the year now, playing tournaments on clay, then a season in the US, I’m enjoying the tour and know I can do better.
“Breaking into the top 10 isn’t my priority, I’m not thinking because I’m just one place off it [he’s currently ranked 11 in the world], but what I need to do to beat the top-10 guys because I’m playing them a lot this year and need to beat them – to do better and then it will improve.”
Jewish interest at SW19 now lies with Camila Giorgi, who is set to take on Czech Katerina Siniakova on Friday, while Israeli Jonathan Erlich, along with Poland’s Marcin Matkowski, take on Poland’s Lukasz Kubot and Brazilian Marcelo Melo in the men’s doubles.
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