"I spent two weeks in the clinic" - Diego Schwartzman opens up about father's hospitalization after Cordoba Open loss

After exiting the Cordoba Open on Thursday, top seed Diego Schwartzman revealed that his father's hospitalization and him spending two weeks at the clinic could have impacted his mental state during the encounter.

Schwartzman uncharacteristically went down in straight sets to compatriot Juan Manuel Cerundolo. The first set was a tight affair, with Cerundolo edging it after a tiebreak. However, the 114th-ranked Cerundolo blazed through the second set, conceding only one game as Schwartzman stumbled in the Round of 16.

Analyzing the reasons for his early defeat in the first Golden Swing tournament of the year, the 30-year-old said that he had a far from ideal build-up to the tournament.

Schwartzman was quoted as saying by Punto de Break that his father's three-week hospitalization meant he couldn't spend as much time on the practice court as he would have liked to, which affected his competitiveness. He said:

"My father was hospitalised for three weeks and just came out yesterday. I spent two weeks spending hours in the clinic. They are not excuses, but perhaps I have less patience. I feel more frustration when playing. My personal situation affects."

He continued:

"If you see me train, I'm doing very well, and that's how I feel on a day-to-day basis, but when it comes to competing, I'm not feeling my moments."

With the defeat, the World No. 28 has slumped to 1-3 in the season so far.

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"He had a good match, and he deserved to win" - Diego Schwartzman after losing to Juan Manuel Cerundolo

Diego has won just once this year.

Diego Schwartzman praised his opponent's performance and had no qualms that his younger compatriot played better than him and deserved the win.

The Argentine said that he had his chances in the first set but that Cerundolo was a deserved winner on the night:

“He plays very well here, he still hasn't lost in the times he's come. The first set had its ups and downs, but at all times he dominated the match, was superior and played better, me one more time. Congratulations to Juanma, he had a good match, and he deserved to win.”

Meanwhile, Juan Manuel Cerundolo has joined his older brother Francisco in the last eight. After beating Pablo Andujar to open his account for the season, the younger Cerundolo has now registered back-to-back wins. He will next pace qualifier Hugo Dellien for a place in the last four.