Terence Atmane narrowly avoided disqualification during the first qualifying round of the Shanghai Masters on Monday after a hurled racket nearly struck spectators in the stands during his match against Bernard Tomic.
Terence Atmane Throws Racket Before Retiring in Shanghai
French tennis player Terence Atmane faced a tense moment on court in Shanghai when his frustrations boiled over during the third set of his opening qualifying match against Bernard Tomic. As reported by tennisnet.com, the 24-year-old threw his racket in anger, narrowly missing the spectator seating area and escaping an immediate default.
Despite dodging a disqualification for the thrown equipment, Atmane failed to finish the match. Trailing 3:6, 6:4, and 3:5, he retired from the contest. The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) officially recorded a left leg injury as the reason for his withdrawal.
Atmane Retires from Two Matches with Foot Injuries
The sudden stoppage in Shanghai bore a striking resemblance to an incident just one week prior. Competing at a Challenger Tour event in Jingshan against Elias Ymer, Atmane halted play under nearly identical circumstances at 6:4, 5:7, and 5:5. Official tournament records from that match also cited a foot injury for the world No. 99.
The back-to-back retirements highlight a difficult stretch for Atmane, whose ranking has fluctuated following a breakthrough run during the 2025 season.
Atmane Apologizes for Behavior and Cites Ranking Stress
On Tuesday, Atmane took to Instagram to address his conduct, offering an apology for what he described as his “bad behavior” in Shanghai while opening up about the psychological toll of his recent ranking drop.
“That I was in the top 40 a month ago and have now seen that I have almost fallen out of the top 100 has stressed me out and put me under greater pressure than I could ever have imagined,” Atmane wrote on social media.
He acknowledged that the mental strain did not excuse his actions on the court, adding context to his decision to step away from active competition temporarily.
Stepping Back to Reset After Ranking Freefall
Having peaked inside the top 50 players in the world as recently as August—bolstered by his unexpected run to the semifinals at the 2025 Cincinnati Masters—Atmane announced plans to hit pause on his career.
“That doesn’t excuse my bad behavior, and after considering what has happened on the court over the past few weeks, I have decided to take a step back and start from scratch,” Atmane stated.
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