Terence Atmane has apologised after launching a racket into the stands during a breakdown at the Shanghai Masters. The Frenchman was facing Bernard Tomic in the first round of qualifying at the Masters 1000 event, but the match was not going his way. Atmane lost the first set and, despite battling back in the second, was unable to match the Australian, with Tomic taking control.
Meltdown on court
As the match began to drift away from him, Atmane went off the rails. It started with the 24-year-old smashing his racket against the floor before taking his frustration out on the net. Later in the set, he went a step further, throwing his racket towards the terraces where fans had gathered to watch the qualifying match.
Social media footage shows the moment Atmane let rip, with metal barriers the only thing stopping the racket from clattering into a spectator. An audible gasp could be heard from the fans, with locals left stunned by his petulance.
Apology and ranking concerns
The move landed Atmane with a default, and shortly after the match, the world No. 99 issued a frank apology. He remarked: “I would like to take the chance to apologise regarding my bad behaviour yesterday (at the Shanghai masters).”
He added: “Being inside the top 40 a month ago and seeing myself almost out of the top 100 made me way more stressed and pressured than I could possibly imagine.”
Atmane has suffered a sharp drop-off in the rankings, with his only wins since late August having come on the Challenger Tour. He continued: “It doesn’t excuse me for my bad behaviour, and after considering what happened on court for these past weeks, I’ve decided to take a step back and rebuild myself from zero.”
Similar incident this week
It has been a week of tennis players losing their temper, with Daniil Medvedev having been disqualified from the China Open semi-final for hitting a spectator with the ball. It gifted Novak Djokovic a spot in the final, and while it was not intentional, Medvedev issued an apology of his own.
The Russian remarked: "Terribly sorry to the spectator, first of all. I'm trying to get in touch with him, if he wants it. Hopefully I can apologise in person and see how he feels. I just hope he's okay. That's the most important. I just really care about him right now."
Medvedev did get in touch with the spectator and gifted them a signed racket. The main draw action at the Shanghai Masters gets underway later this week.
