Terence Atmane’s Shanghai Masters run has ended on a bittersweet note after being dropped by his main sponsor, Asics, following a notable performance against Taylor Fritz. Atmane, ranked No. 161 in the world, pushed the seventh-seed American to two tie-break sets but was ultimately defeated 7-6, 7-6.
Following the match, Atmane shared a cryptic message on Instagram, thanking Asics for their support while revealing they had dropped him. The reason appears to be linked to Atmane sporting Nike trainers on the court instead of Asics gear.
“Thank you for everything Asics Tennis. It was a pleasure to represent the family even if you guys fired me,” Atmane wrote.
The 22-year-old Frenchman had shown immense promise recently, qualifying for his first Grand Slam event in January and earning wildcard entries at prestigious tournaments. However, this sudden sponsorship split marks a challenging turning point in his rising career.
Terence Atmane in 2024
At the moment ranked no.161, the French player played his last match on the 7th of October when he surrendered to world no.7 Taylor Fritz 7-6(4) 7-6(5) in the 2nd round in Shanghai (draw).
Currently, during this year Terence has managed to achieve an overall 36-29 record. Terence Atmane’s best result of the current year was reaching the final in the Granby Challenger.
Atmane was the runner-up in the Granby Challenger.
Fritz in Shanghai, ranking, and results in 2024
Now the world no.7, the American achieved an overall 47-19 record in 2024. Fritz is now having a run in Shanghai where he defeated Unknown Player bye, the world no.161 Terence Atmane 7-6(4) 7-6(5)
and the world no.336 Yosuke Watanuki 6-3 6-4.Taylor Fritz will play the world no.9 Casper Ruud in the Round Robin. Their head to head is 2-1 for Ruud.
The American clinched 2 titles in 2024 in Delray Beach and Eastbourne. The American got to the final in Munich (BMW Open) and at the U.S. Open.
Taylor won 9 titles in his career: 6 on hard courts and 3 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
He is also scheduled to play in Vienna (Erste Bank Open) on the 21st of October and Paris (Rolex Paris Masters) on the 28th of October.
Terence Atmane and Taylor Fritz faced off just on 1 occasion. Their head to head is 1-0 for Fritz. When they played, Taylor Fritz won 7-6(4) 7-6(5) in the 2nd round in Shanghai (Shanghai Rolex Masters) on the 7th of October 2024.
Here are the highlights.