(JTA) — One of Argentina’s main Jewish community centers inaugurated its news tennis complex in honor of hometown hero Diego Schartzman. Schwartzman, currently ranked 13th in the world, was on hand at the ceremony held Dec. 11 in Tigre, as the Hacoaj sport club opened a new building and tennis lounge at what is one of the biggest tennis venues in the region. 

Schwartzman grew up playing tennis at the center, whose central court was named “Diego ‘Peque’ Schwartzman” in his honor. “Peque” is a nickname meaning short or “kid”; at 5-foot-7-inches, Schartzman is one of the shorter professionals in elite men’s tennis. Schwartzman’s parents were present at the ceremony. His mother Silvana snapped photos and chanted “Peque, Peque.”.Ricardo, his father, was close to tears during the whole event.

“This place was very different when I used to come to mess around with my friends,” said Schwartzman. “Some days we, the kids, just played in front of the wall, there weren’t enough courts so the big boys didn’t allow us the kids to play, so I practiced against the wall. Years later some of them still didn’t want me to play…but that was because I started to beat them” he added, with a big smile on his face. 

Hacoaj (“strength” in Hebrew) is a sports and cultural club with around 7,500 members in Tigre, a city in the north of the Buenos Aires province.

Present at the event were the mayor of Tigre and the heads of the Jewish umbrella group DAIA, the sport federation FACCMA and the Tzedaka Foundation, a Jewish philanthropy. A representative of AAT, the national tennis association, announced that the international “Tigre Cup” will be held for the first time at Hacoaj next January. 

Schwartzman also inaugurated a sign in front of the court, which includes his name and career highlights: “Born and raised in Hacoaj. Top 10 tennis worldwide (2020). Olympic representative. Member of the Argentina’s Davis Cup team. Talent, perseverance, Jewish values, humility. A symbol and the pride of Hacoaj.”

Main Photo: Diego Schwartzman and his father Ricardo pose for photos during the inauguration of a new tennis complex named in the tennis star’s honor in Tigre, Argentina, Dec. 11, 2021. (Courtesy Hacoaj)