Terence Atmane’s recent actions on the tennis court are certainly noteworthy.
The French player faced elimination from the US Open on August 31, following a heated argument with his trainer over cramps that left him unable to receive treatment. He ultimately squandered a 2-1 sets lead in the first round.
Fast forward to this week—Atmane found himself in the opening round of qualifying for the Shanghai Masters, where he experienced an extraordinary meltdown against Bernard Tomic.
Footage from the match has quickly gone viral, shocking many in the tennis community with the intensity of Atmane’s outburst.
During the third set, Atmane became particularly agitated after making an unforced error.
Newly surfaced video from fans captures this dramatic moment, reigniting discussions about his behavior.
Among his many outbursts, Atmane was seen violently smashing his racket against the net cord multiple times and hit a ball that flew over the grandstand surrounding the court.
What left many stunned was when he threw his racket towards the spectators, narrowly missing the front row as it crashed into the railing at the top of the court.
Surprisingly, Atmane was not disqualified from the match.
Instead, he received a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct along with a point penalty.
In an unexpected twist, Atmane ultimately retired from the match against Tomic just as Tomic was about to serve for the match, with a score of 6-3, 4-6, 5-3.
Tomic, who hinted earlier this season that 2026 might be his final year on the tour, has been participating mostly in lower-tier events in recent years as he worked his way back into the top 200 of the rankings, while still making appearances in some Grand Slam qualifiers.
He successfully qualified for the event but was defeated in the first round, losing 6-3, 6-1 to Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi.
