Diego Schwartzman, one of the most iconic players of the UTS Tour, is to hang up his racquets in 2025.

The 31-year-old Argentinian, who has thrilled UTS crowds as “El Peque”, announced the news on social media on Sunday, saying he had lost the intensity that helped to make him a top player.

Intensity has dipped

Schwartzman, a former world No 8 who reached the ATP Finals in 2020, said it was the right time to announce his retirement.

“Every corner of the court, every second training, every point competing, every moment I was immensely happy,” he said. “I lived it with such intensity that today it is difficult for me to maintain it.

“All those beautiful moments have become something that today carries weight and it is difficult for me to continue to fully enjoy. On one hand, leaving a life that gave me so much is a very difficult decision, but on the other hand, how happy I was playing tennis makes me want to keep smiling on and off the court as I always did.

“However, today that smile is hard to find at times. Inside me, a ‘competitive animal’ prevents me from enjoying, playing and traveling as I used to.”

A former Roland-Garros semi-finalist, Schwartzman has been a mainstay of the UTS Tour, playing on four occasions. He made his debut at UTS4, reaching the semi-finals, and then performed superbly in 2023, in Los Angeles, Frankfurt (semi-finals again) and then in the UTS London Grand Final.