During a grueling fifth set at the US Open, French tennis player Terence Atmane became embroiled in a furious confrontation with medical staff after being denied treatment for what he insisted was muscular pain, not cramping. Under tournament regulations, players suffering from cramps are not permitted to take medical timeouts and can only receive brief treatment during changeovers or set breaks.
Atmane, 24, called for a physiotherapist late in his match against Jaume Munar, stating, "I need treatment here, this is not cramping. This is pain. I have pain. On both sides, before I was cramping, and now I have pain. You don't understand? No, you don't understand. I need treatment, I really need treatment right now."
Despite his pleas, the physiotherapist indicated he could not be treated if the issue was identified as cramp. This led to a heated exchange where Atmane exclaimed, "This was not cramp, it's pain. It was pain. Excuse me, can you please give me treatment, and stop acting stupid. Is it possible to have some common sense? I tell him I have pain, why is he telling me no? I have pain."
A tournament supervisor was called to the court to address the situation. Atmane argued, "It's my body. I have pain on both there, so I need treatment there," attempting to spell out the word P-A-I-N to emphasize the distinction from cramping. He asserted, "I know the rules, that's why I'm asking you. It's not a cramp, it's pain."
Earlier in the match, Atmane had experienced significant impairment, particularly in the third set, where he was forced to serve underarm and subsequently lost the set 6-1. He had received a medical timeout for a leg issue during that set but continued to play visibly affected. His opponent, Jaume Munar, reportedly disagreed with the timeout and later accused Atmane of time-wasting and receiving off-court coaching, prompting him to complain to the supervisor.
Atmane was ultimately refused treatment for the issue in question and received a time violation for taking too long between points. Despite the on-court drama, Munar defeated Atmane with a final score of 6-7(5), 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4), 7-5. The incident highlights ongoing criticism regarding the clarity and enforcement of medical timeout rules in professional tennis, particularly the distinction between cramps and other forms of muscular pain.
This situation echoes past controversies, such as an incident at the Australian Open where Alexander Zverev questioned Carlos Alcaraz's medical timeout, alleging cramps were being disguised as a different ailment to gain an advantage.