Tennis is a sport unlike any other, pitting two superhuman athletes against one another in a battle of physical, technical and mental strength.
However, even the greatest players can have off days, and given how hard they work and how much pressure they place on themselves, these subsequent losses can have damaging effects.
Terence Atmane exhibited the dark side of this pressure earlier this week, when he exploded on-court during his Shanghai Masters qualifying match against Bernard Tomic.
As the match seemed to be slipping away from him, his behaviour devolved into childish anger bordering on dangerous to the spectators, as he hacked his racket against the net and the floor before launching it into the stands.
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Despite all this, he somehow avoided punishment, with Rennae Stubbs now taking to X to lambast the umpire for failing to properly admonish him.
Rennae Stubbs can’t believe Terence Atmane was not defaulted during Shanghai Masters match
She did not hold back in her assessment, immediately questioning the decision-making of the referee: “Honestly, who was the umpire here? He should have absolutely been defaulted for this.”
The current coach of Serena Williams is not wrong either, especially given Daniil Medvedev was defaulted recently for hitting a ball into the stands.
To throw the racket in there is arguably even worse.
Stubbs branded the incident ‘ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS’, with many in the comments calling for Atmane to be retrospectively punished for these actions.
Terence Atmane’s apology for his on-court behaviour
The Frenchman has since apologised for his conduct, seeking to justify what was an extraordinary series of outbursts before his eventual retirement.
In an Instagram story, posted after confirming his second straight retirement despite having played the bulk of both matches, Atmane wrote: “I’m taking this opportunity to apologise for my bad behaviour yesterday.
“A month ago, I was in the Top 40 and I now find myself almost outside the Top 100. That has made me far more stressed and under more pressure than I could ever have imagined.
“That doesn’t excuse my bad behaviour. After what has happened on court in recent weeks, I’ve decided to take a step back and rebuild myself from scratch.”
Atmane then pondered whether he might conclude his season, concluding: “Given my health issues (not mental, but physical), I can’t yet say whether my season is over.
“But I know one thing: whatever decisions we make, it will be the best decision. Thank you all for your support, and see you soon on the courts.”
