Diego Schwartzman signs up to new tennis league one year after retiring

Diego Schwartzman retired from tennis after the Rio Open in 2025, but he’s set to return to the sport in a coaching capacity.

The Argentine enjoyed a standout career, which saw him win 4 ATP titles and reach a career ranking high of world number four.

Schwartzman retired at 32 years old, but he’s signed up to INTENNSE, which calls itself a ‘modern take’ on tennis.

Speaking exclusively to HITC, Schwartzman explained exactly what his Team Ownership Group role would entail.

Diego Schwartzman joins INTENNSE alongside the Bryan Brothers

INTENNSE’s maiden year in 2025 saw teams from Atlanta, Jacksonville, and Tampa compete at the Atlanta event, but it’s expanding to 10 teams for this year’s tournament.

Eighty players will be drafted into ten teams, each containing four men and four women, with Schwartzman taking the helm of one of the teams.

Speaking exclusively to HITC about his new role with INTENNSE, Schwartzman said he was excited about the modern new take on tennis.

“INTENNSE will give the young guys other things to watch, and maybe more fun, different formats,” said the Argentine.

“I think it’s a good opportunity, and also good opportunity for different players to be there. I think it’s important, because maybe tennis is one of the sports that is difficult to change.”

Schwartzman was known for his dogged attitude on the tennis court, and you can expect more of the same from his coaching style.

Asked about what he will bring to his team, Schwartzman said: “I will be there as a main coach, trying to be there [for the players], helping the format, and helping any player.

“But obviously I want to win,” the Argentine conceded. “So let’s see how we do with our team, with our team after the draft.”

INTENNSE’s 2026 season will run from 5 June through Championship Weekend on 2 August, 2026.

What are the INTENNSE rules?

INTENNSE is an action-packed take on tennis, with time limits, major rule changes, and a raucous live atmosphere.

The matches consist of three 10-minute sections, which have been dubbed ‘bolts’. Players only get one toss and one serve, with no room for error.

Serves that hit the net are still live and tennis’ traditional scoring method has been ditched for numerical scoring. A regular point constitutes one point on the board, while ‘clean winner’ is awarded with two points.

Should the score be even at the final whistle, one final point will be played to decide the victor of the tie.

There is just 14-seconds between points, but play can be stopped at any time on two occasions for 60-second timeouts.