French Open ‘Lucky loser’ Marco Trungelliti returns, family in tow, advances to 2nd round

With massive withdrawals in the first round, there were a record eight spots up for grabs, and Marco Trungelliti drove over 600 miles with his brother, mother, and grandmother in tow to sign up for the main draw against former Top 20 player Bernard Tomic, winning 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

Getting back to Paris was a like a road trip comedy. Argentina’s Marco Trungelliti — a top 200 player who mostly plays Challenger events — had already left Roland Garros after losing his qualifying round. His family was getting ready for a beach trip and his grandmother was in the shower when he got the news that he “might” be able to earn a spot in the main draw after Nick Kyrgios withdrew. He promptly got his 88 year-old grandmother out of the shower and told her “ok, we go to Paris.”

Under the new ITF rules, if a player isn’t feeling he can compete at 100 percent, they are encouraged to withdraw and give the opportunity to a qualifying player, in an effort to discouraged higher ranked players from showing up for first rounds, retiring, but collecting the first round amount. Under the new rules, a qualifying player gets to share the first round pay.

The trick was you had to be present, on site, and able to sign up for one of the open slots.

And several players were already committed to another Challenger event in Italy, which they had signed up for. Under the ITF rules, if you are signed up, you are required to play.

To secure his spot, world No. 190 Trungelliti didn’t think getting a plane flight would get there fast enough and he, his mother, brother, and grandmother all piled into the car to make the nearly 10 hour drive from Barcelona, Spain — where his family was visiting the tennis player — back to Paris, to sign the sheet for his spot against Tomic, which he was able to do just 20 minutes before the match started.

More from French Open

• Karolina Muchova vs. Iga Swiatek prediction and odds for Women’s French Open Finals
• Alexander Zverev vs. Casper Ruud prediction and odds for Men’s French Open semifinals
• Best French Open Betting Promos Unlock Over $3,000 for Tennis Betting for Caesars, BetMGM and FanDuel New Users
• Women’s French Open preview, draw, prediction and odds
• DraftKings Tennis Promo Offering $150 for Any $5 Bet on the French Open!

“There are many flights cancelled, so I didn’t trust that too much,” Trungelliti said after his match with Tomic.

“The best option was just to take the car. It wasn’t that long to get ready.

“We needed a grandma, for sure! We had half-an-hour to make the luggage, the baggage, and then we left.”

He had only arrived at the hotel at almost midnight with his awesome family in tow. He also hadn’t practiced since losing on Friday. He was scheduled to be on court by 9:00 a.m. for a short warmup before playing the biggest opportunity match of his career.

Trungelliti chronicled the entire drive, where his supportive, fun family stopped for coffee, his brother did a bulk of the driving, and his mother and grandmother held his tennis bags in the back seat on Instagram. All along, he had no idea if he would secure the spot until he got there, but he and his family jumped at the chance and raced back in their van.

https://twitter.com/FueBuena/status/100073706947031040

“We stopped every two hours to have a coffee, because up until then, I didn’t really know that I would be playing,” Trungelliti said in the main press conference room, usually reserved for higher ranked players.

“There was no reason to be stressed.”

And the 28-year-old made the most of his opportunity by winning the match in four sets against Bernard Tomic and is onto the second round, where he faces another Marco, Italy’s Marco Checchinato, ranked No. 72.

The opportunity for Trungelliti is an example of the new rules working, giving openings to players who wouldn’t otherwise have a chance into the main draw. The fact that Trungelliti was able to capitalize makes his breakthrough at the grand slam one of the stories at the French Open.