Terence Atmane's Shanghai Masters campaign ended abruptly after just eight games in his first-round clash against Camilo Ugo Carabelli. The 23-year-old made a strong start before retiring at 4-4 in the opening set.
Terence experienced a disturbing physical episode that left him unable to compete. Atmane challenged Jannik Sinner in Beijing and headed to Shanghai with high hopes.
He started well against Ugo Carabelli but began experiencing uncontrollable shaking only minutes into the match! The Frenchman struggled with breathing, and his body let him down completely.
The 23-year-old received a medical timeout and appeared visibly disoriented before deciding to stop, receiving clear signals from his body. Atmane explained that the episode escalated quickly from mild unease to a state of confusion and panic.
The Frenchman described it as an alarming sense of losing control over his body and awareness. Terence linked the setback with extreme stress and possible heat-related exhaustion.
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Atmane will take a short break from competition to recover before resuming his season, hoping to finish it on a high note following a breakthrough run and a place in the top-70.
"Today, after the first point of the match, both my hands were shaking. I thought, 'Well, maybe I'm more stressed than usual.' After the second game and a comfortable 2-0 lead, I immediately felt my whole body shaking.
I was choking after every point to the point where I could hardly breathe, and my head was aching. I felt like no matter what I did, I just could not breathe. I immediately called the physiotherapist, but no words came out of my mouth.
I was panicking and shaking. It was impossible for me to remember where I was or tell what day of the week it was. My body sent me a signal, the signal to stop immediately. I'm still confused about what happened today, and I do not remember much.
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The heat stress I faced today could have been worse than losing consciousness for an hour and having heart palpitations. It's time for me to get some rest before I head into the last tournaments of the season," Terence Atmane said.
