Diego Schwartzman of Argentina plays Kevin Anderson of South Africa during their men’s round of 16 match during the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 04 June 2018. EPA-EFE/CAROLINE BLUMBERG
By Richard Pagliario
Some things are better left unsaid.
Annoyed by Kevin Anderson’s persistent “come ons!” and self-coaching on court, a fired-up Diego Schwartzman pressed the mute button.
A fired-up Schwartzman fought back from two sets down for the first time in his career, toppling Anderson, 1-6, 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (0), 6-2, to roar into the Roland Garros quarterfinals for the first time.
It’s the second major quarterfinal for Schwartzman, who reached the last eight at the US Open last summer. Schwartzman is the eighth Argentinian man in the Open Era to reach multiple Grand Slam quarterfinals.
In a battle of one of tennis’ tallest players against the shortest man in the Top 20, the 5’7″ Schwartzman salvaged a match that seemed out of reach.
Blown out in the opening two sets, a stubborn Schwartzman broke the 6’8″ South African twice when he served for the match. Anderson, who served for the match at 5-3 in both the third and fourth sets, fell in the fourth round for the fourth time.
Talk is cheap, but words proved expensive in this match.
During one changeover, Schwartzman complained to the chair umpire that Anderson’s continuous chatter, including issuing a few “come ons!” after his opponent’s errors, was annoying and disrespectful.
The 2017 US Open finalist has worked with a sport psychologist to exude more positive energy on court, but Schwartzman was clearly tired of the talk, concluding Anderson should “shut up.”
“How are you supposed to go every point saying, ‘Right here! Right here! Right here!’ Every point,” Schwartzman said to the chair umpire, speaking English loud enough for Anderson to hear. “I’ve never seen something like this. Never. I’ve never seen it. Never.”
“Because even if he plays a good point or if I did a bad choice, he’s always saying something. Always,” Schwartzman said. “Shut up. Every point. He’s not respecting, you know. You’ve got to have some respect for the players. Because when I miss the ball, you need to be quiet. Not every point saying, ‘Come on’ … shut up.”
The chair umpire, who appeared to suppress a smile during Schwartzman’s monologue, became a role player in the saga as Schwartzman asked her, ““You think I am not right?”
“OK. You are with me? Thanks,” said Schwartzman, who used the perceived disrespect to fuel the biggest comeback of his career.
Things may not get too much quieter next round as Schwartzman faces 10-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal next.