With just turned 36 years old, Marco Trungelliti adds a new and special chapter to his extensive professional career. The man from Santiago will be one of the five debutants that will make up the Argentine Tennis Team YPF that will face South Korea in Busanbetween the February 6 and 8for the first round of the 2026 Copa Davis qualifiers. A late release in chronological terms, but loaded with sporting and personal meaning.
At the captain’s call Javier Fran, Trungellites He did not hesitate to take a break from his personal calendar to make himself available to the team. Thus, it became the first Santiago to officially wear the albiceleste shirt in the Copa Davisan achievement that crowns years of perseverance on the professional circuit.
Based for several seasons in Andorrathe albiceleste knows well the climate that is breathed in a series of Copa Davis. In 2016 it was sparring of the Argentine team that conquered the historic Silver Salad Bowl in Zagreban experience that today appears as a key antecedent to navigate this debut naturally. Ten years after having accompanied that glorious path from the outside, the dream of representing the Argentina on the field it finally becomes reality.
The sporting present supports his call. During the 2025 season, Trungelliti went through one of the best moments of his career by conquering three ATP Challenger titlesin Lyon, Tulln y Târgu Muresresults that boosted him again in the ranking. It is currently located in the 134th place in the world rankingwith the intact illusion of getting into the world for the first time Top 100. His best ranking was 112°achieved in March 2019. Among its most resonant victories is the one achieved in Roland Garros 2016when he beat the Croatian Marin Cilicthen Top 10, in four sets.
Relaxed in the stands Gijang Gymnasiumthe stadium that will host the crossing between Argentina y Corea of the On, Trungellites was consulted by the communications team of the Argentine Association Tennis (AAT) about the curiosities that span his career and the number six: his first Junior Davis Cup in 2006, his role as sparring partner in 2016 and his official debut in 2026. Far from giving weight to coincidences, the man from Santiago put the focus on the present: “I believe more in being in shape and in continuing to look for my best version, without giving so much importance to age. Many times the limit is within oneself.”
With a mature outlook, the tennis player highlighted his evolution as a player and as a person: “If I compare myself with the player from ten years ago, today I am clearly better. And if I compare myself with the player from a year ago, I also feel that I improved. That is what keeps me hungry to continue, to fulfill dreams.”
That accumulated experience is also reflected in the way the previous series progresses. “Maybe the fact that I was a sparring partner in 2016 helps me a lot. I experienced the semi-final in Glasgow and the final in Croatia, very strong situations. That’s why I feel like I enjoy it more today and I’m not so nervous,” he explained.
Off the field, the adaptation to Corea of the On It’s part of the challenge. The cold does not represent a problem for those who live in the middle of the European winter, although they recognize that local cuisine and customs require a period of adjustment. “Asia is a continent that I like, that generates curiosity and respect in me. South Korea was a country I had never been to and I ended up coming for a Davis Cup, something totally unexpected,” he said.
In Busan, Trungellites Not only will he debut with the Argentine shirt: he will also confirm that maturity, perseverance and personal evolution can open doors even when the clock seems to show other times.
