“This is a Moron”: Diego Schwartzman Breaks Silence on His Relationship with Daniil Medvedev

Back in January, Diego Schwartzman was quite displeased with the behavior shown by Daniil Medvedev during their ATP Cup quarter-final tie. Schwartzman termed Medvedev as disrespectful and even said that directly to him when they greeted each other at the net after the match.

Nine months down the line, Schwartzman said he does not greet the Russian youngster anymore and feels that his behavior on that day was a lot to take. The Argentine said, “I don’t greet Medvedev anymore. I had a good relationship with him. There are times in competition where you can warm up and then ask for forgiveness. Your blood can rise to your head. But if he does that to me, that’s it. I don’t train more with him, and I don’t greet him.”

Diego Schwartzman explains his spat with Daniil Medvedev

Schwartzman explained why he still holds a grudge against Medvedev. He admitted that there are heated moments in sports, but it was something specific that Medvedev did on that day that stuck with the Argentine.

During the ATP Cup match, Schwartzman broke Medvedev’s serve in the first set to stay alive at 4-5. He looked at his coach and support staff and celebrated, as almost all players do.

In the next game, a poor service game saw Schwartzman lose the game to love, and thus the set. Medvedev’s behavior after this annoyed Schwartzman. “He wins the set 6-4, looking at me and looking at the Argentine bank. And I said, ‘this is a moron,’” Schwartzman expressed.

Schwartzman showed his annoyance at Medvedev and told him that he was ‘a fool’ for behaving that way. Schwartzman felt Medvedev took the celebration too far. He said, “I started to tell him that he was a fool, in the face. I insulted him and he looked at me justifying himself with what happened. In football, it is as if they score a goal and celebrate you in the face and in your fans.”

Marat Safin apologizes to Schwartzman

Schwartzman later said that Russian tennis great and the team captain during the match, Marat Safin himself apologized to him. He admitted that Safin called Medvedev ‘half-crazy’ for his behavior. “Later the Russian captain, Safin, apologized to me and he told me ‘he’s half crazy, I don’t understand why he did it’,” Schwartzman said further.

(Quotes have been translated with Google Translate)

This was why the two had that heated exchange after the first set. The chair umpire gave Medvedev a code violation for his conduct. Medvedev even argued quite a bit with the umpire and later was handed a point penalty. Medvedev won the match eventually, but both players had a lot to say about the incident later.

Read more – “He Didn’t Say Sorry”- Daniil Medvedev On Argument With Diego Schwartzman