The final of the ATP Marrakech will be both Marco Trungelliti and Rafael Jodar’s first Tour-level final. The similarities end there.
Trungelliti is 36 years old. This run makes him the oldest first-time finalist on the ATP Tour, that record coming after he already claimed the title of oldest man to make a top 100 debut. In the live rankings, he currently sits at a new career high of #76 in the world, and would rise all the way to 64th with a victory in the final.
Jodar, on the other hand, is 19 years old. His run to the final has pushed him to a new career high of #66 in the world, and if he wins he will move up to #57. For Jodar, there isn’t much history broader than his own career to be made here.
It’s still an incredible run for both, and a title here will be career-defining either way.
For Trungelleti, winning this tournament would be long-overdue payoff after an entire career without it. Any tennis player who can consistently stay on tour as long as he has been able to has put in years of hard work, but this is the first time things have truly clicked for him on an ATP Tour-level stage.
This will also certainly be his biggest moment in the sport, and his first big moment regarding his tennis and not external factors. For years, Trungelleti’s name has been associated with the whistleblowing of match-fixing, and not the actual tennis he plays. There was never a result big enough to garner that sort of attention. But now there is, and Trungelleti has a chance to take it one step further and prove that it’s never too late to become a champion.
An opportunity like this may not come for Trungelleti ever again. Making a final is already a great result, but winning a title in these circunstances would be monumental.
Jodar, just getting started in professional tennis, will in all likelihood have plenty of chances like this, but that doesn’t make it any less high-stakes for him. Earlier this year, Jodar made the decision not to return to the University of Virginia for his sophomore season, opting to go pro. He didn’t quite manage the Tour-level breakthrough he was seeking in the first hardcourt stretch of the season, but here at his first clay tournament he found that statement result.
Making the final and going deeper into the top 100 is a big deal for a young player on tour, but winning a title and getting close to cracking the top 50 is another level. There are lots of young rising stars in tennis right now, and a title run here could set Jodar apart.
No matter what happens, the Marrakech title will be an important part of a player’s story. A fairytale ending… or a promising start.
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