Terence Atmane Hurls Racket Toward Crowd, Retires at 5-3 in Shanghai Masters Qualifying
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Oct 8
Terence Atmane Hurls Racket Toward Crowd, Retires at 5-3 in Shanghai Masters Qualifying
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 8
Summary
At 5-3 in the third set, Terence Atmane retired against Bernard Tomic after throwing his racket toward the stands, where it hit a metal bar and narrowly missed spectators.
The 24-year-old's outburst followed a series of unforced errors: he spiked his racket into the net, smashed it on the net cord three times and blasted a ball over a small grandstand.
Officials gave Atmane only a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct and a point penalty rather than defaulting him, despite audible gasps from the crowd.
Social media reaction was swift, with fans calling for a ban and arguing the racket throw should have triggered automatic disqualification.
The incident deepens scrutiny on Atmane's conduct after he also retired from a Challenger match against Elias Ymer two weeks earlier at 5-5 in the third set.