Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, and Taylor Fritz all stand above 6ft 4 inches tall and have been ranked inside the world’s top four recently.

The former is a Major champion, as Medvedev beat Novak Djokovic to win the US Open title in 2021.

At 6ft 6, Medvedev joined Marin Cilic and Juan Martin del Potro as the three tallest Grand Slam champions in the history of the sport.

On the other side, Michael Chang won the 1989 French Open at 5ft 9 and remains the shortest player to lift a Major trophy in men’s tennis.

There were two players, however, shorter than Chang and taller than Medvedev, who once teamed up to form one of tennis’ most unlikely partnerships back in 2022.

5ft 7 Diego Schwartzman and 6ft 10 John Isner reached the final of the 2022 Italian Open

Diego Schwartzman and John Isner teamed up in Rome three years ago to try their luck at doubles.

The former was ten inches shorter than the latter, as the pair stood out on court for more than one reason.

They quickly proved that their partnership wasn’t a ‘novelty act’, however, as they produced several impressive performances in the Italian capital.

The duo made their way to the Italian Open final in thrilling fashion, battling through in three deciding match tiebreakers.

It was to be Isner’s third Masters 1000 doubles final of the year, having won Indian Wells with Jack Sock and the Miami Open with Hubert Hurkacz just a few months earlier.

Schwartzman, on the other hand, had only been to one previous Masters 1000 final in doubles, coming up short in Madrid alongside Dominic Thiem in 2019.

They faced a tough test in the final against former Wimbledon champions Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic.

The more experienced Croat pair dominated the first set 6-2, before the unlikely duo fought back in the second, to take things to a decider.

At 10-9 in the breaker, Schwartzman narrowly missed on match point, before Mektic and Pavic clinched the title 12-10.

The pair had come so close, yet so far, as Schwartzman and Isner were forced to settle for the runners-up trophy in Rome.

The viral pairing, dubbed ‘Little n Large’ by some, had entertained the masses for a week in Italy, one that won’t soon be forgotten.

Schwartzman and Isner never returned to doubles together, as they focused on maximizing the remainder of their singles careers.

John Isner beat Diego Schwartzman in both of their ATP Tour encounters

While it was entertaining to see the pair team up, it was just as fun to watch them face off on opposite sides of the net.

Twice, Schwartzman and Isner played each other during the round of 32 stages at Masters 1000 events in Paris in 2017 and Indian Wells in 2022.

On both occasions, it was the taller of the two who came out on top, as Isner won both of their two career meetings.

• 2017 Paris Masters (R32) – John Isner beat Diego Schwartzman, 7-5, 6-3
• 2022 Indian Wells (R32) – John Isner beats Diego Schwartzman, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3

He may not have secured a win over Isner, but he did produce a stunning shot in 2017, as Schwartzman’s behind-the-back effort got the Parisian crowd on their feet.

Diego Schwartzman set for retirement at the Argentina Open

It was announced at the end of 2024 that Schwartzman was set to retire from tennis upon the conclusion of the 2025 Argentina Open.

The 2020 French Open semi-finalist cited physical and mental ‘struggles’ as reasons for his retirement, having battled away on the ATP Tour for ten years.

Having not played since last year’s US Open, Schwartzman returned last week for a Challenger event in Rosario, where he lost out to fellow Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli in three sets.

He faces a tough test in the Argentina Open first round as he gets set to take on last year’s finalist and seventh seed Nicolas Jarry.

The Argentine leads the head-to-head 4-2 with the Chilean, and will hope to keep his tennis career going for at least one more match with another huge victory.

Schwartzman will play Jarry in the first round of the Argentina Open at Court Guillermo Villas on Tuesday, February 11.