Diego Schwartzman, who has been working with Tennis Australia since retiring in 2024, is clear that the ATP calendar is the main problem in today’s tennis.
“Right now it’s crazy — even people watching on TV don’t know which tournament they’re watching or how many points each one offers. It needs to be organised somehow,” argued the Argentine, a former world No. 8, in an interview with CLAY.
And what should that new calendar look like? He has no doubts there either: the ATP should look at the business models of Formula 1, golf or the NBA. “Hopefully the Grand Slams, the Masters 1000 events and some of the big tournaments can create a more structured tour, more centred on the elite of world tennis, where people can watch everything on the same channel or the same app.”
The conversation with Schwartzman, a four-time ATP champion over his 14 years at the top level, comes at one of the most pivotal moments in tennis. In 2028, a Masters 1000 event in Saudi Arabia will reshape the entire ATP structure: fewer 250 tournaments, a shift in the geographical blocks that define the calendar, and the coexistence of this new event with the Grand Slams.
Interview with Diego Schwartzman
– How do you see the future of the South American swing?
– There are many decisions to be made regarding the South American swing, mainly once it is decided where the Saudi Masters 1000 will fit in the calendar. If it is ultimately held in February, a decision will have to be made on whether to remain on clay, switch to hard courts, or keep the same spot in the calendar.
– One of the changes in the calendar has been the two-week Masters 1000 events.
– I think players have clearly shown their dissatisfaction with the two-week Masters 1000 events. The calendar has been extended by almost a month because of those extra five days per tournament. Obviously, it represents much higher revenue for the tournaments, and the ATP says that in theory that goes to the players, but it’s a lot of days and I don’t think it was a great decision.
– The ATP also wants to reduce the number of 250 tournaments.
– I think the calendar needs to be restructured into a shorter one, with fewer tournaments, where priority is given to the Masters 1000 events and the Grand Slams, followed by the 500s and the 250s. It makes some sense, so the calendar becomes more organised, because right now it’s a bit of a mess. Even people watching on TV don’t know which tournament they’re watching or how many points each one offers. It needs to be organised somehow, and hopefully that can be achieved in the coming years.
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– Thinking about those changes, should South America have priority to gain an ATP 500?
– It could, but it depends on how the restructuring unfolds and what changes the ATP wants to make, especially with the 250s. The Grand Slams have been proposing ideas for some time on how to restructure things, but they weren’t really taken into account. Now we’ll have to see if that process is revisited, because I think the main conflict is the calendar.
– Is Australia the model to follow?
– I represent Tennis Australia and I think the prize money there is very high and has increased significantly in recent times. The tournament is incredible in terms of the experience and the way players are treated. That’s why players leave very happy, and hopefully that can be replicated across all tournaments throughout the year.
– The ATP doesn’t fully collaborate with the Grand Slams.
– People may not know this, but the Grand Slams have nothing to do with the ATP — they are completely separate. The Grand Slams are part of the calendar, but decisions about tournaments and scheduling are made by the ATP; we just observe. Obviously, the Grand Slams are the biggest events, with the most prize money and ranking points, so they hold a privileged position in the calendar, but that’s because of the platform they provide to tennis. Hopefully, together with the Masters 1000s and some major tournaments, they can create a more structured tour, more centred on the elite of world tennis, where people can watch everything on the same channel or app. Not like today, when you don’t know where you’ll be able to follow tennis the next week. That’s something the ATP needs to fix.
– Formula 1 and golf have already made that shift.
– Exactly. That’s the big change they made — the NBA as well, and many other sports around the world. They achieved a much more organised product, and hopefully tennis can move in that direction over time.
– Let me ask about your role at the Australian Open — what does it involve?
– To put it simply, my job is to act as a link between the players, mainly the men, and the people who make decisions at the tournament. I’m there for whatever they need — complaints, suggestions, improvements.
– Did you see yourself in a role like this when you were a player?
– Honestly, yes. I was always very close to other players, I learned English — which also helps you connect with players from different parts of the world — and I was always interested in understanding how a tournament works and why certain decisions are made. It’s nice to now be on this side and understand how things operate, especially at a Grand Slam.
– Has this helped you understand things you didn’t as a player?
– Many. As a player, you only see the sporting side and what suits you. The tournament, on the other hand, has an entire private side that you don’t see. It needs revenue from fans, from broadcast rights, from people watching tennis from home, so there are many decisions made to sustain the event and ensure that when players arrive, they get the tournament they expect and all the benefits that come with it. That requires certain commercial arrangements that don’t always allow players’ wishes to be fulfilled.
– Do players take the message on board when it’s explained to them?
– Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Part of this role is having to communicate things they won’t like. For a tournament like the Australian Open to function — for example, to increase prize money by 16% this year — a lot has to happen behind the scenes. I understand that players just want to step on court and play, but not every request can be fulfilled.
– Would you like to bring everything you’ve learned to South America?
– Yes, and that’s also why they hired me. They have a strong vision of growing and expanding the brand in South America. Hopefully that happens so South American tennis can have better conditions.
– Does the Road To Australia, held at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club, have anything to do with that?
– It’s not our tournament and has nothing to do with us. They reached out to us — they wanted to see if we could contribute with certain aspects, like balls or painting the court, so that it truly serves as preparation for Australia. But it wasn’t a tournament organised by us; it was organised by Andrés Schneiter. They did a very good job, and hopefully in the future we can collaborate with that tournament and others that may come. That’s the idea, but this first year it was entirely their initiative.
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