In the first stage of the men’s singles competition, the 24-year-old Frenchman dominated against Jaume Munar (ATP-55), leading 7:6(5), 6:3, 1:0, but as he approached the finish line, he was unexpectedly struck by cramps, which affected not only his legs but also his arms.
The left-handed tennis player was completely unable to serve with his strong hand, so he made changes – serving the ball with his right hand. However, such changes did not bring positive results and the opponent quickly returned to the match.
Moreover, during the match, T. Atmane got into a conflict with the physiotherapist and the match referees. Tennis rules clearly state that medical timeouts for cramps are prohibited, but the tennis player tried to prove that he had suffered a serious injury.
“Can you stop acting foolishly and give me treatment? Do you have at least some common sense? I am in pain,” the Frenchman explained to the physiotherapist, later asking to see accreditation.
After the pain subsided somewhat, T. Atmane showed a quite solid fight and in the fourth and fifth sets posed a serious challenge to the opponent from Spain. However, he ultimately lost the match with a score of 7:6(5), 6:3, 1:6, 6:7(4), 5:7.
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