Terence Atmane’s US Open antics have nothing on this.
The Frenchman was bounced out the final Grand Slam on Aug, 31 after a vicious feud with the trainer when he could not receive treatment for his cramps — and would blow a 2-1 sets lead in the first round.
Fast forward to this week, Atmane was in his opening round of qualifying at the Shanghai Masters against Bernard Tomic when he had a meltdown for the ages.
Footage from the Monday battle is going viral with the tennis world left stunned by the magnitude of Atmane’s outrage.
The French player completely blew a gasket when he committed an unforced error in the third set.
Freshly uncovered footage shared by spectators has seen the incident return to headlines.
Among many acts of petulance, Atmane was seen smashing his racket on the net cord three times and also struck a ball that sailed over the small grand stand that surrounded the court.
The clip that has shocked many is the sight of Atmane hurling his racket at spectators. The racket clanged into the railing at the top of the court walls, missing the front row of spectators by inches.
Inexplicably, Atmane was not defaulted.
He was, however, issued a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct and received a point penalty.
In bizarre circumstances, Atmane eventually retired from the match with Tomic moments away from serving for the match at 6-3 4-6 5-3.
Tomic, who said earlier this season that 2026 would likely be his last year on tour, has played mainly low-level events over the past few years, clawing his way back into the top 200 on the rankings, while appearing at the occasional grand slam qualifying event.
Tomic would go on to qualify for the event, but would lose 6-3, 6-1 to Itlalian Matteo Arnaldi in the first round.
