As a famous athlete, Terence Atmane knows that not all attention is good attention. He recently admitted to having issues with the unwanted attention from a fan. Playing at the Cincinnati Open, the Frenchman recounted a past incident that scared the ATP Pro.
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“Once in Rome, I got scared. I had spotted fans all the time in front of my hotel. At one point, one of them knocked on my room door,” said Atmane in his interview with Lequipe. “I discovered that he had put an AirTag (tracking device) in a bag left for my attention”.
AirTags are tracking devices used by people to locate missing belongings and keep track of valuables, especially their luggage. They come with security features that alert iPhone and Android users to prevent unwanted tracking. However, what is evident from Atmane’s situation is that in the hands of the wrong individual, innovation can do serious damage.
It is usually the WTA players who bear the brunt of stalking incidents, with the likes of Serena Williams and Emma Raducanu facing serious threats from stalkers. However, top men’s players have faced on-court intrusions during matches, with even the likes of Roger Federer having fans come onto the court during his 2009 French Open final.
Even though recounting the Rome experience will not be a pleasant experience for Atmane, the Frenchman will aim to remain focused as he moves through the draw at the Cincinnati Open, the same event where the Frenchman made his mark last year.
Terence Atmane Had His Breakthrough Run in Cincinnati Last Year
Coming into the Cincinnati Open last year, Atmane had no breakout performance on the Tour to speak about, with the Frenchman mostly having success on the Challenger Tour. He had to play qualifying to get in the main draw of Cincinnati last year, which he did after wins over Omar Jasika and Li Tu.
Once in the main draw, Atmane began his campaign with a win over Yoshihito Nishioka and soon got his first win over a top player when he beat Flavio Cobolli in the second round. The Frenchman hit top form, winning against the likes of Joao Fonseca, Taylor Fritz, and Holger Rune to set up a clash against Jannik Sinner in the semifinal.
Even though Atmane’s run came to an end against the Italian, he pushed Sinner to a tiebreak in the first set. This performance was not a one-off as the Frenchman took a set off the World No.1 when they played in Beijing a few weeks later. Atmane came to Cincinnati under similar circumstances of not having a great time on the Tour in the season.
Before the Cincinnati Open, Atmane had a 15-22 win-loss record in 2026, including Challenger results. The Frenchman has ten first-round and five second-round exits on the Tour this year. However, he will need to get a deep run in Cincinnati once again, as most of his ranking points come from the run he had here last year, and an early exit could put him in danger of going out of the Top 100.
Atmane began his Cincinnati campaign this year with a win via retirement over Márton Fucsovics, as the Hungarian retired in the first set. The Frenchman got the better of Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the second round and will play either Cameron Norrie or the top-seeded Alexander Zverev in the next round.