Trungelliti slams tennis' governing bodies for lack of player relief

Marco Trungelliti has slammed the governing bodies of tennis for being slow to provide relief for players and coaches during the coronavirus pandemic.

The 30-year-old Argentine is known for his midnight ride from Spain to Paris to grab a main draw spot at the 2018 French Open and for his stand against match-fixing in tennis. Now, he says players are in a tough position if they do not receive help while the tours are suspended.

"Professional tennis players do not have a fixed salary. The moment we stop playing we stop earning," he told EFE. "We spend a lot on travel and while we don't have to spend that, we don't have the potential to earn anything at tournaments."

It has been two months since all professional play was stopped. This week, the tours, ITF and Grand Slams have announced a $6 million relief fund for lower-ranked players, with the exact distribution still to be announced.

Marco Trungelliti at the 2020 Australian Open- Getty Images

Trungelliti's comments, which came before the announcement, indicate that there has been unhappiness about the delays.

"There is a lot of anger among players and coaches. More than anything, people are angry at the lack of support. The lack of communication is concerning," he said.

The former No. 112, who does not expect any more play this season, also notes that it is not just players who have been affected.

''The bad thing is there are many people who make a living from this sport and not just players that have stopped earning. Those behind them also stop. The tennis organizations are quite troubling and their handling of it is poor. The whole system is quite loose and they don't take into account the coaches, the trainers," he said.

Trungelliti is No.231 in the ATP rankings.