Chela: 'Diego Is In Great Form’

Diego Schwartzman is a person that sticks to his routines when in tournament mode. For example, he is not one to look at the draw in order to prepare for his first opponent, or at his possible matches if he progresses.

The man responsible for doing that, among other things, is Juan Ignacio Chela.

“Diego never looks at the draws. Moreover, when they do the draw, I’m the first to see it,” Chela told ATPTour.com. “In fact, telling him about it is not automatic either.

“Before telling him the name of his first opponent, he asks me if he’s ‘tough’, if he’s ‘very tough’ or if he’s ‘extremely tough’... And as I deem necessary, I basically give him clues until he guesses the name.”

This is the underlying tone at all times in the daily lives of the Argentine’s team. There are plenty of little jokes and, at the same time, a good attitude for professional work. Chela’s jokes are a constant, and he always has a fresh repertoire.

“The jokes and banter are always there, but luckily we know how to deal with moments that are relaxed and those that aren’t... The Tour is too demanding in itself and the pressure you live with all the time. It’s great to have time to clear your mind,” said Chela.

Amid the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the bubble, new dynamics have been established, which Schwartzman and his team had to get used to quickly.

“Now it’s difficult to relax, we can’t go out for a walk and we’re always sharing space with the opponents and other players and the team,” said Chela. “We try to have fun by playing cards and watching series’ with the famous drink ‘mate’ in our room.

“We schedule the daily work together. I suggest what I think is best for him to do, and we come to an agreement. We have a very good dialogue and that’s key.”

“It’s nine-and-a-half weeks since we travelled to the Bahamas before going to the USA,” said Martiniano Orazi, the Argentine’s fitness coach.

Besides his fitness coach, Schwartzman’s team includes physical therapist Luis D’Alessandro and nutritionist Luis Spena. The Argentine is also accompanied at all times by his girlfriend, Eugenia de Martino, who is always the first to join in with one of Chela’s jokes.

At 28 years of age, Schwartzman is all about enjoyment and the constant search for improvement.

“As a player, you never know when things are going to happen but you can control how you do them and that is what we work for,” said Schwartzman. “We wanted to make the most of that time to [make me become] a better player.”

The pandemic changed the Argentine’s routine, but during the enforced break he was able to find time he doesn’t usually have during competition.

“We always work to give him the best as a player and for him to be efficient... he’s a player that fights 100 per cent for every point, and physically he has to be 10 out of 10, rested and with a clear head in order to think and fight,” says Orazi, the same man who looked after Juan Martin del Potro’s body for seven years.

Schwartzman’s recent success did not come quickly and plenty of patience was required.

“Diego is very much a rhythm player and at the start, the lack of matches hurt him, as well as some uneasiness,” said Chela. “We always get over to him that he has to be ready to expect his best moment.”

The results came in Rome, where Schwartzman defeated Rafael Nadal for the first time in 10 ATP Head2Head matches en route to his first ATP Masters 1000 final.

“It was the best week of his career, playing great tennis throughout,” said Chela. “Beating Rafa on clay is very rare in an ATP Masters 1000. Obviously, it gives you confidence for everything that happens.”

Are they treating this year’s Roland Garros any differently? “The matches have to be won on court and all the opponents are really tough,” said Chela. “As Grand Slam matches go by, there are a lot of factors, because they can be long matches... Diego is in great form to deal with anything thrown at him and we have to be very careful at all times.”

Schwartzman has already made his first move in Paris and is looking to keep breaking down barriers at Grand Slam events, where he has reached three quarter-finals. There is a long way to go.

“When a match finishes, that’s when the next opponent appears,” said Chela.

“My current ranking dictates that I should at least reach the last 16 and I start with that goal and to grow from there and have a great tournament,” said Schwartzman, who recognised that his first-round US Open loss to Cameron Norrie made him work harder. “It was a hard blow, but I have grown loads since then. I like playing five-setters, my game is solid, with few errors, aggression, and I’m serving very well. I hope to be able to continue in that vein.

“Rome was like feeling good with my tennis once again… Nobody likes playing against me seeing the results I had and in these conditions. I wouldn’t want to play against an opponent like that. They won’t enjoy their matches with me.”

Schwartzman has sent out a message. All that remains is to see how far it will take him in Paris.

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