Andy Roddick has admonished Terence Atmane for feuding with the trainer during his US Open first-round loss to Jaume Munar.
The Frenchman’s miserable record in Grand Slams continued on Sunday after he went down in five sets to the Spaniard in a rollercoaster of a match.
The 24-year-old, who has now lost in the first round of all seven majors he has entered, was two sets up before he started cramping in the third set. Munar won the next two sets, and early in the fifth set, a tired Atmane called for the trainer again.
While he received treatment for his leg earlier in the match, that was not forthcoming at 2-1 down in the decider, as the trainer declined to treat him for what appeared to be cramps.
Players cannot receive a medical timeout for muscle cramping, although treatment for this is permitted during changeovers or set breaks. Either way, Atmane was incensed and asked if the physio was “stupid”.
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Tense scenes between Terence Atmane & the physio during his match against Munar at the U.S. Open
The physio will not treat him for an injury because he insists Terence is suffering from cramps.
Terence argued with him, but the physio still would not treat him.
“Excuse me, can… pic.twitter.com/c8NFZKcAEB
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 30, 2026
Munar held his nerve and after around five hours, he claimed victory with a 6-7 (5), 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4), 7-5 win. Now, former world No 1 Roddick has had his say on the matter.
The 2003 US Open champion admitted he had lost his cool against umpires during his playing career but taking it out on physios was not on.
He said on the latest episode of Served, “Like, you get an umpire, they’re not your livelihood. They’re not there for you late. They’re not there till two in the morning, adding three hours to their day. Like, I’ve snapped at an umpire.
“So I’m not going to say you can’t say anything to anyone because that’s completely hypocritical by me, right? I’ve showed the worst side of myself on court. Trainers are untouchable. They’re untouchable. You know, it’d be like saying that to your doctor. They hustle. They’re away from their families. They travel.”
Roddick revealed that he has a good relationship with the left-hander and his team. However, this was a step too far from Atmane, as he described trainers as the “holy grail” of the tennis tour.
“If I saw Atmane… And I like Atmane socially. I’m in his section of the locker room. Always great. I’ve talked to him and his coach (Guillaume Peyre) this week. I really, really like him,” he added.
“And if I saw him, a piece of unwanted advice, potentially, would be, ‘Dude, you can’t say that to trainers’. They’re like the holy grail of the fabric of the tour. I thought that was a bad moment.
“Hopefully, he’ll realise that, you know. And I don’t know if he needs to apologise. But just maybe know that that’s not the one. I feel pretty strongly about that. So it was drama.”
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