“Hope Rafa Wins”: Diego Schwartzman Roots for Rafael Nadal Over Pablo Carreno Busta

Diego Schwartzman has had a tremendous season in 2020, but not all paths lead to glory. He suffered a disappointing loss at the hands of Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals of the Rolex Paris Masters. Most importantly, his ATP Finals qualification still hangs on a thread, and Rafael Nadal can help him out! 

The scenario is quite strange for Deigo Schwartzman. He needed a win against Daniil Medvedev to confirm his maiden entry in the upcoming Nitto ATP Finals in London. However, Medvedev broke loose in Paris and played a brilliant match to breeze past the Argentine in straight sets. 

With the win, Medvedev overtook Roger Federer to rise up to #4 in the rankings, while Schwartzman was left in agony. “I was not good, a lot of mistakes. Horrible match today,” Schwartzman said after the loss. But there’s always hope, and the 28-year-old can still qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals.

Also Read: “Was Angry With Me”: Daniil Medvedev Recalls ATP Cup Spat With Diego Schwartzman

How Rafael Nadal can help Diego Schwartzman book a place at the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals

The scenario is pretty simple here. Diego Schwartzman just needs one more win to book his place at the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals. However, for him to be able to make it to the grand event, Rafael Nadal must first defeat compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta. 

The Spaniards face each other in the last eight, and even though Nadal has a perfect H2H record, one can’t really take any chances. If Carreno Busta wins the Paris Masters and the subsequent Sofia Open in Bulgaria, he’ll pip Schwartzman to the spot. 

After his defeat, Schwartzman made his intentions clear on who he wants to win in the match against Nadal and Carreno Busta. Here’s how he reflected on his defeat and stated his expectations from the upcoming quarter-final: 

“It was a day when everything went wrong, it was not a great game for me. Medvedev played perfect and I didn’t know how to find the strength to turn it around. Now let’s watch Rafa and Carreño’s game … I hope Rafa wins. Yesterday we made jokes with Pablo on whether we play Sofia or not,” Schwartzman said (Quotes translated from Spanish via Google). 

It might seem like a stretch to ask Carreno Busta to defeat Nadal and win the Paris Masters. However, Rafael Nadal has never won the Paris Masters title and he would be on a strong footing to win it this time. 

Also Read: “Tournament Promoters Also Have to Survive”: Rafael Nadal Calls for Unity