French tennis star Terence Atmane was embroiled in a furious row with US Open medical staff after he was denied treatment under the sport’s strict rules on cramps.
Players cannot take medical timeouts during matches if they suffer from cramps and can only seek short-term treatment during substitutions or set breaks.
But Atmane was keen to emphasize that as well as cramps he was also suffering from muscle soreness, despite having struggled with that earlier in his five-set battle against Jaume Munar.
Atmane called for the physio deep into the fifth set and became indignant at being misunderstood by the responding physiotherapist as they questioned why he needed a medical timeout.
“I need treatment here, this is not a cramp,” the 24-year-old said. ‘This is pain. I’m in pain.
“I’m telling you, I’m in pain. On both sides, before I had cramps, and now I have pain. Don’t you understand? No, you don’t understand. I need treatment, I really need treatment now.”
Terence Atmane boiled over after being denied medical timeout after physiotherapist assumed he had cramped
The Frenchman had previously been treated during a stoppage in play, but continued to suffer from ‘pain’ in the fifth set
When Atmane told him that he could not be treated if he was suffering from cramps, he turned up the volume.
‘This wasn’t a cramp, it’s pain. It was pain,” he raged. “Excuse me, can you please give me some treatment and stop being stupid. Is it possible to have a little common sense? I tell him I’m in pain, why does he say no? I’m in pain.’
The tournament official, who was called to court to hear the matter, urged Atmane to remember that the physio was a ‘medical professional’.
‘It’s my body. I have pain in both there, so I need treatment there,” Atmane replied, before speaking through the physio.
“What do you mean, come on man? I’m telling you I have pain in both my legs. PAIN,” spelled Atmane. ‘Pain. No cramping. I know the rules, that’s why I’m asking you. It’s not a cramp, it’s pain.’
Despite his protests, Atmane was denied treatment, but he couldn’t take no for an answer as the physiotherapist walked away.
“Come back, come back,” he shouted. ‘What are your identification details? I don’t know your name. No, no no, come back.”
Atmane then approached the referee when he was ordered to return to play, adding: “I’m in pain, and the man says no. I tell him I’m in pain, and the man says no. Who cares? I’ll get the name next.’
During the third set, Atmane was so seriously affected by a muscle problem that he could hardly move
The 24-year-old could only serve underarm and lost the set 6-1 after building a strong two-set lead
Earlier in the match, Atmane was so badly bothered that he was forced to restrict movement and forearm serves in the third set.
The Frenchman was two sets down against the Spaniard when the going got tough and was first given a medical timeout due to a leg problem before continuing to play with a handicap.
Munar disagreed with the decision to give Atmane a timeout and later accused Atmane of wasting time and receiving extra coaching on the field, calling on the supervisor to complain directly.
Atmane was subsequently given a time violation for repeatedly taking too much time between points.
World number 55 Munar again complained about his opponent’s behavior in the fifth set after Atmane’s tirade, but the pair exchanged a polite – if brief – handshake after Munar defeated his rival 6-7(5), 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4), 7-5.
Speaking to Daily Mail Sport after the match, Atmane said: ‘It’s very simple. I told (the physical therapist) that my leg was hurting after the cramp, and then he told me that wasn’t true, and that it was a cramp.
“So I told him what he said wasn’t true because I was in pain, and then he wouldn’t treat me. So after he left, it’s that simple. I can’t help it.
“I told him it was a pain and not a cramp, because I had cramps before and it was a different kind of pain, and he didn’t want it to treat me. So I told him, I mean, there’s no point in fighting. So that’s it.
The drama on Court 13 puts the ambiguity surrounding the rule into perspective, with the guidelines often criticized for inconsistent enforcement.
Cramps are classified as a fitness problem, rather than an injury or illness, with many players turning to esoteric methods, such as drinking pickle juice on the field, to prevent the dehydration that often lies at the root of the problem.
But at this year’s Australian Open, the battle between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev over the former’s treatment on the court turned ugly, with the German accusing the tournament of not adhering to the rules.
The Career Grand Slam winner was badly affected by Melbourne’s challenging heat and vomited several times during the semi-final.
His movement was later affected and Alcaraz subsequently requested a medical timeout, which was granted.
“He’s having cramps,” Zverev told the supervisor as Alcaraz was being treated. ‘What else could it be? This is absolute bull***.”
‘That’s incredible. That can’t be the case. You can’t be serious,” he continued in a mixture of German and English.
But Atmane said that despite his experience on Sunday, he was not calling for a change in regulations.
“I think it’s fair that we can’t get treatment if we have cramps,” Atmane added. ‘I feel like it’s always been that way, so I don’t see why it should change.
‘Even though I had severe cramps today, I never asked for the physio. I feel like rules are rules and we should respect them. It was a bit of a shame that he didn’t want to address the problem I had, but it is what it is. In the end I lost, and it happened.”
