By Chris Oddo | Monday May 28, 2018
Argentina's Marco Trungelliti made sure his road trip was worth it by defeating Bernard Tomic on Day 2 at Roland Garros.
Photo Source: Matthew Stockman/Getty
A day after his road trip heard ‘round the world, Argentina’s Marco Trungelliti signed in as a lucky loser, took his spot in the main draw and proceeded to defeat Bernard Tomic, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, to book his spot in the second round at Roland Garros.
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Never mind that he defeated Tomic, a player with a .350 winning percentage at the ATP level on clay, Trungelliti's win was more about the spirit of the little guy in professional tennis, and the compelling nature of the reluctant viral star on social media. Far away from the showcourts where the big names make their hay at the Slams, there is an entertaining underbelly of players that live and die for the sport (and make considerably less money than the aforementioned big names) on a level that is on par with the game’s greatest.
Trungelliti is one of those men, and after his extraordinary, heart-warming road trip from Barcelona and first-round win at Roland Garros, he may now be their poster child.
Trungelliti’s trip from Barcelona was a make-you-smile mission from the start, and even if it had ended in a straight-sets loss it would have ended with dignity and legendary status.
Trungelliti was slated to make 21,000 Euros in qualifying prize money for his three rounds played at the qualifying tournament. Nothing to sneeze at. Now he’s added 58,000 Euros for reaching the second round, where he’ll face Marco Cecchinato of Italy.
It’s not about the money at this point, at least not specifically (though it never hurts). Trungelliti’s story is about the dream, the moment. It’s about an opportunity presenting itself almost out of thin air and a humble, likeable guy getting wind of it and seizing on it.
It’s also about the sheer random nature of opportunity. One minute you are planning a day at the beach and the next you are prepping for a tennis match on one of the game’s grandest stages in Paris.
Do you pop champagne? No, you get some coffee and hit the road.
"I drank 3 cups of coffee before we left on the road,” Trungelliti told Tennis Channel in an interview on Monday in Paris. “I think we stopped three times at gas stations. We took sandwiches and coffee and the last (stop was) one at 9 p.m. I told them I need to eat and I knew was going to play first match so we stopped at gas station. I ate chicken, potatoes and rice."
Trungelliti won his first-round match last year at Roland Garros to significantly less fanfare because, well, it’s not the same as when you suddenly drive ten hours from Barcelona, get a bit of sleep and then wake up and do it while the whole tennis world is slowly becoming more and more fascinated and borderline obsessed.
Throw in an uber adorable grandma (Lela) Mother (Susi) and brother (Andre) who are all-in, and you have a Hollywood screeplay already written.
Trungelliti, who resides in Barcelona, was actually planning to spend the day at the beach in Barcelona when he got the call from Paris. And he was pleased to find that his 89-year-old grandma had decided to pack quickly and come along for the trip.
“[Grandma] never came to the court and she never watched actually tennis--not even myself not even anyone not even Davis Cup in Argentina,” Trungelliti told Jon Wertheim in an interview with Tennis Channel “But she came today and she surprised me.”
Trungelliti said she inspired him during the match. “And I remember it was an important point in the first set,” he explained. “I had a break point and I (saw her). I said: Que pasa? I said what's up Grandma and she waved to me and I broke him."
And there we have it. Score one for the unassuming little guy of tennis. Marco Trungelliti, with his shaggy beard and chilled-out demeanor, gives off the impression that he would have been perfectly fine if he had never got the call from Roland Garros.
But since he got it he might as well do everything he can to make the story even better so that one day the Trungelliti’s can all sit around the dinner table and laugh about the crazy day when they drove to Paris on a whim and notched a win for the ages.