2026-05-24 11:31:57

Marco Trungelliti has admitted “pressure” from his wife propelled his dramatic surge in form.

Earlier this year, the 36-year-old Argentine tennis player became the Trungelliti became the oldest man in the open era to reach their maiden ATP Tour-level final and break into the top 100 for the first time after reaching the final of the Grand Prix Hassan II in Morocco, but he admitted things could have been very different following a frank discussion with his spouse in February 2024.

He told The Times Sport: “She put me under some pressure.

“[She said] if you’re going to keep playing like this and being No230 or No240 in the world, then it’s maybe [time to retire] because we were always struggling with money. We have a kid, so things were getting more complicated in the sense that every time I was away from home, the reward wasn’t there.”

After the conversation, the sportsman headed to Rwanda for tow Challenger events but lost in the final of the first.

He recalled: “Immediately afterwards I was finding excuses and my wife told me, ‘You’ve got to stop with this mediocre [attitude]. You have to stop thinking that way and be better.’

“Sometimes it’s not healthy [to talk like that], but, for us, it was extremely healthy from the beginning and also we talk about facts. If you want to be away from home, you have to give 100 per cent and, if you lose, you have to be better than the day before. In the end, it paid off.”

Marco then won the second even, the third Challenger title of his career and four more wins since then have sent him up the rankings to 81st in the world, and he’s confident he can do even better.

He said: “I’m pretty sure one of the reasons I kept playing is because I could see myself getting better.

“It could have happened before, but it could have never happened [at all]. I’m enjoying it, but the goal is not just to be here for two months and then be gone. I want to be in the top 50 and I think I can do it.

“Mentally, I’m there [in the right place]. While the willingness to get better is there, I’m going to keep playing.”

Visit Bang Premier (main website)