“Ask the referee”: Atmane, the cramps, the controversy and the win
Terence Atmane defeated Ugo Humbert 7-6(3), 7-6(5) in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open on Saturday, surviving severe cramps in the second set to pull off one of the most dramatic wins of the season. But it was what happened between the points – and what didn’t – that turned the match into a controversy.
Terence Atmane, Madrid 2026 | © PsNewz
The ATP rulebook is clear: a player has 25 seconds between points, or faces a warning for a time violation, then a point penalty for repeated offenses. By that standard, Terence Atmane should have been docked several points in the closing stages of his second-round match against Ugo Humbert, which he somehow won 7-6(3), 7-6(5) despite cramps so severe they left him unable to move at times.
Tension peaked after the match, with reports of a confrontation in the tunnel between Humbert’s coach Jérémy Chardy and Atmane. The player had already received a warning for a time violation during the first set, but in the second-set tiebreak, despite his extended pauses as cramps ravaged his body, no further sanction came. Humbert and Chardy felt the rules had not been enforced. The handshake at the net was ice-cold.
Atmane, for his part, puts the ball squarely in the official’s court. “You need to ask the referee why he didn’t give me a time violation,” he told L’Equipe. “Why didn’t the supervisor do anything either? It’s not my fault. I’m not collapsing on the ground on purpose.””
One crucial piece of context is essential to understanding Atmane’s predicament: under ATP rules, muscle cramps are not considered a treatable medical condition. A player who is cramping has no right to request a medical timeout. Treatment can only be received during the normal time allotted for changeovers and set breaks – regulation time, nothing more.
In other words, Atmane had no escape route. He could not stop, could not get treatment, could not buy extra time. He had to play or retire.
Walking the 25-second tightrope
At 5-4 in the second set, Atmane was serving for the match. That’s when everything fell apart. “I was stressed and I cramped on the first point. I panicked a bit because I’m not really used to cramping, I wasn’t breathing well, it was spreading.”
What followed was a survival story. The 23-year-old Frenchman collapsed on the clay, hit underarm serves, staggered between points, but never gave up. Humbert, the No. 30 seed, fought back to level and forced a tiebreak. Humbert led 5-2. You know what happened next.
“At first, I tried not to show anything and to finish as quickly as possible, but he came back and I had to fight.”
Between every point in the decisive tiebreak, Atmane took as much time as he could to recover, drawing frustration from Humbert, his coach Jérémy Chardy, and a section of the crowd that began to boo. But Atmane insists he played within the rules.
“I tried to fight as hard as I could, to breathe, to take my time between points to recover as much as possible within the allotted 25 seconds. It goes fast, but I was within the time limit, always ready to serve or return.”
“I had to get through hell to win today. I just tried to survive.”
“Sometimes I felt like I was cramping everywhere and sometimes I felt better. It’s hard to find the balance, but I did my best, and I would have done the same if I’d had to go to a third set, fighting to recover. It was a matter of time.”
“I understand that HUMBERT can be upset”
“The boos are part of the sport”, Atmane said. “It’ll be like this throughout my career when things like this happen, things that are a bit delicate — it’s not necessarily well received from one side or the other. You have to accept it.”
As for Humbert, Atmane refuses to escalate.
“I understand that he can be upset, I think there are reasons for it, I can’t blame him for being upset. I can only apologize, because obviously this isn’t what I wanted. I just wanted to play my match. I understand his handshake. It’s sad to have ended the match like that, but that’s how it is.”
Atmane will face World No. 3 Alexander Zverev on Monday in the third round. This time, he hopes, his legs will hold. On Saturday, cramps continued under the shadow.
