Trungelliti Alleges Racist Abuse at Madrid Masters

Argentine tennis player Marco Trungelliti was subjected to racist insults and disrespectful behavior from the crowd during his first-round loss to Spain's Dani Mérida at the Madrid Open.

The match, played on Thursday, was one of the tournament's most tightly contested. Mérida, 21, claimed the first set 6-4, but Trungelliti, 36, responded emphatically with a 6-1 victory in the second. The encounter was decided in a tense third-set tie-break, which Mérida ultimately won 7(8)-6(6). During the match, Mérida saved two match points and broke his opponent's serve to force the tie-break, where he then saved another four match points.

The local crowd's support for the young Spaniard, who recently reached his first ATP final in Bucharest, escalated into hostility towards his opponent. Fans in Madrid booed, whistled, and made noises to distract Trungelliti. Tensions rose when the Argentine confronted the crowd, which only intensified the jeers. Near the end of the third set, Trungelliti even sat down, refusing to continue playing until the situation was brought under control.

“Why aren't you shouting now, you coward!” exclaimed the Argentine, arms crossed and eyes fixed on the stands of the Mutua Madrid Open, during the match's most heated moment.

On Friday, the Argentine tennis player took to his Instagram account to comment on the incident, labeling the crowd's behavior as shameful and racist.

“To conclude on last night's matter. Was it shameful? Yes. Was it racist? Yes. Disrespectful from the start? Yes. Did they do anything? Not much. Do I care? No.”