Terence Atmane knows how to serve notice and get fans to recognize him. That was on full display at the French Open on Sunday when he belted a forehand out of frustration in Sunday's tennis match — and pegged a fan in the stands.
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According to the New York Post:
"Altmane taking on Sebastian Ofner on Court 12 in a contest that went the full five-set distance.
"But it was a disturbing moment in the fourth set with Atmane taking his anger out after hitting a return off Ofner's serve long that caught fans' attention. Atmane unleashed and smashed a forehand shot that went into the crowd with the ball hitting a spectator in the stands."
That's what is known as love-to-zero. Or zero love, whichever you prefer.
Despite the incident, Atmane was able to continue to play.
It's 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐤𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟𝐟 at Roland-Garros!
Terence Atmane hits a spectator out of frustration... 😤
Ofner wants him disqualified... ⛔️
After much deliberation with the umpire and supervisor, he gets a warning instead ⚠️#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/9vSiEfSnWR
— Eurosport (@eurosport) May 26, 2024
"Ofner immediately called for his opponent to be disqualified as a result of the incident as the umpire and supervisor came together to discuss the moment," the Post wrote. "Play was brought to a halt for close to 15 minutes as the umpire and supervisor spoke with the fan before ultimately handing Atmane a warning and allowing the match to continue.
"The incident quickly went viral on social media with fans left confused as to how Atmane wasn't disqualified."'
On the bright side, Ofner still won the match. But he wasn't any happier about the decision that Atmane could continue to play.
"For me, it was a bit surprising, because if you do something like that on a small court, you have to be punished, you know?" Ofner said after the match which he won, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2, 7-5.
"Because it's not like you hit the ball normally. It was full power. The ball was so fast. Straight in the crowd. There were people disqualified for less."
