“Not Thinking About That”: Diego Schwartzman Reveals Main Goals at Rolex Paris Masters 2020

Ninth-ranked Argentinian Diego Schwartzman has said that he is not treating the Rolex Paris Masters as his last tournament before he heads for a year-end break.

In a chat on the sidelines of the Paris Masters, Schwartzman hinted that he intends to pick up as many points as he can from the tournament in order to give himself the best chance of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals.

Schwartzman eyeing a foray into Nitto ATP World Finals

Featuring the Top-16 in the ATP rankings, the big-ticket event is scheduled to be held at London’s O2 Arena from November 15 to 22.

To a question on whether he feels differently coming into the Rolex Paris Masters in the context of a season curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Schwartzman said, “I didn’t think about that when I came to Bercy (Rolex Paris Masters).

“But many guys are thinking, ‘maybe this is my last match (of the season), I want to have holidays.

“But for me, right now, I have a different goal. So here, I’m playing for many things like a few other players. So this is a different Bercy for me and I’m trying to prepare really well,” Schwartzman said.

Schwartzman win third-round tie at Rolex Paris Masters

In his third-round fixture at the Rolex Paris Masters on Wednesday, Schwartzman swept past veteran Frenchman Richard Gasquet 7-5, 6-3.

In a normal ATP season, which extends throughout the year, many players on the circuit often think on the lines of breaking for holidays around this time.

However, with many events canceled this ATP season because of the Covid-enforced lockdown, several players on the circuit have had to enlist in events around the holiday season to pick up valuable ranking points.

Twenty-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal has already made it to the main draw of the Nitto ATP Finals, and so has 17 Major title-holder Novak Djokovic.

Reigning US Open champion Dominic Thiem and seven-ranked German Alexander Zverev are also confirmed to feature in the Tour Finals, as are Russian Daniil Medvedev and Grecian Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Rising Russian star Andrey Rublev, who was recently crowned champion at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, also booked himself a ticket to the O2 Arena through his victory.