Tennis Player Drives 10 Hours To Paris For Last Minute Opportunity To Play In French Open, and WON
May 29, 2018, 12:00 AM | Updated: Jan 4, 2019, 11:28 am
(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Argentine tennis player Marco Trungelliti, who had returned home to Barcelona after losing in the French Open qualifiers last week, learned that he had an opportunity to play in the main draw after a series of players withdrew at the last minute. Trungelliti hopped in the car with his family, drove 10 hours back to Pari, signed the “lucky loser” form, and then beat Bernard Tomic in the first round the next day.
“My grandma was in the shower and I told her: ‘Okay, we go to Paris.’ There are many flights cancelled, so I didn’t trust that too much,” he said. “The best option was just to take the car.”
23.50 en Paris. Marco Trungelliti ya está listo para descansar y en un par de horas ir al club para jugar el cuadro principal de Roland Garros. Continuará. pic.twitter.com/yYeZPkCuaI
— FueBuena (@FueBuena) May 27, 2018
They completed their 650-mile drive in about 10 hours arriving in Paris around midnight on Sunday. About 11 hours later, Trungelliti took the court against Tomic and, after a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 win, ensured that his unlikely journey would be the story of the tournament.
Currently ranked at No. 190 in the world, Trungelliti earned $115,000 for the win, which is nearly 20 percent of his previous career winnings. He will play Italian Marco Cecchinato tomorrow in the second round.
