Favorite Thiem, but ...
Even if he does not start favorite against Dominic Thiem, double finalist in title, who leads 6-2 in their face to face, Diego Schwartzman has a plan.
Like many players in the tennis world, the Argentinian was impressed by the performance of Hugo Gaston, very close to knocking the Austrian down in the round of 16.
He will try, too, to confuse the winner of the US Open: “Hugo Gaston played fantastic.
He won the third and fourth set against Dominic by foiling him, and it worked for him.
I'll try to do the same, and keep it behind the baseline.
I will have to be perfect in everything, because he plays very, very well.
I have already beaten him.
And that is important.
If I have my moments in the game, it will be important to remember that I can beat him. ”
Great shape…
Recent finalist of the Masters 1000 in Rome, Diego Schwartzman won his first four meetings in Paris without conceding a single set, even if the adversity has been very moderate for the moment.
The Argentinian is probably playing the tennis of his life.
And it is he who says it.
“Yes, I think, indeed, this is the time of my career when I am most confident.
You know, you never know where the ceiling is going to be, where you're going to be, whether you're going to be in the quarterfinals, in a big tournament.
Achieving this type of result is a good thing that gives me a lot of self-confidence and shows me that I can improve myself.
It's important when I'm going on the court ”.
On Roman clay, Schwartzman notably brought down Rafael Nadal.
A first in ten confrontations.
Thiem is warned.
... and uncertainties
Manhandled and on the edge of the abyss facing the amazing Hugo Gaston, Dominic Thiem did not hide his concern about his physical form.
While leading two sets to zero against Gaston, the Austrian left some strength in the battle: “I'm not 100%.
I have to recover as best I can.
If I get there, it will be a fun game.
If I don't succeed, he's the one who will have a good game on Tuesday.
Anyway, I'll try to recover as well as possible to be as fit as possible on Tuesday. ”
A little duel between friends
"I am delighted to find myself facing one of my best friends in the quarter-finals," said the Austrian at a press conference.
Schwartzamn elaborated: “I was relaxing on the bike, and Dominic said to me: 'come on, this is the last time we see each other until our next match'.
He tried to hit my elbow like that.
We've always been great friends. ”
Schwartzman, small among the big
From the height of his meter sixty-eight, Diego became the shortest finalist in history at the Masters 1000 in Rome.
The one who will enter the top 10 after Roland-Garros is an exception in the elite of world tennis.
Dominic Thiem, "only", 1, 85 m is one of the smallest players of the elite, but he still exceeds his opponent of the day by almost twenty centimeters ...
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