After defeating Holger Rune in the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open on Thursday, Terence Atmane revealed that, aside from his racquet sponsor, Technifibre, he doesn’t have any other sponsors.
Last year, Atmane was decked out from head to toe in Asics gear while competing both on the ATP Challenger Tour, and in qualifiers at ATP events. Amid his remarkable run at the Cincinnati Open, however, Atmane revealed that, without an agent, he simply goes out and buys all of his own clothes.
During an interview with French outlet L’Equipe, Atmane explained:
“Apart from Tecnifibre for the racquets, I don’t have any sponsors since I got dropped by Asics. I buy my clothes and shoes like everyone else. I don’t have an agent; I do my thing on my own in my corner.”
So what happened?
Let’s take a look.
2024: Terence Atmane Gets Dropped by Asics After Shanghai Open
Last year, Terence Atmane, dressed from head to toe in Asics gear, entered the 2024 Rolex Shanghai Masters 1000.
After getting past qualifiers, Atmane defeated Aleksandar Kovacevic in the opening round, punching his ticket to a Round of 64 meeting with top-ranked American Taylor Fritz, whom he lost to in straight sets.
During the tournament, however, Atmane was seen carrying a pair of Nike shoes on court despite being sponsored by, and having a contract with, Asics.
In turn, the company decided to immediately drop him for what appeared to be a breach of contract.
At the time, Atmane posted about the situation on his Instagram story, writing: (h/t: TennisTonic)
“Thank you for everything Asics Tennis. It was a pleasure for me to represent the family even if you guys fired me. I can’t complain about that decision.”
Photos of Atmane carrying Nike shoes on-court from the tournament can be seen below, courtesy of his Instagram.
Of course, given his sensational run at the Cincinnati Open, Atmane is now almost guaranteed to land himself another sponsor.
Terence Atmane Eager to Build on Cincinnati Open Run
Despite his success on the APT Challenger Tour, Terence Atmane struggled on the ATP Tour this season, posting just a 1-4 record in main draws.
Now, after a remarkable run in Cincinnati that has seen him defeat No. 15-seeded Flavio Cobolli, teenage standout Joao Fonseca, world No. 4 Taylor Fritz, and No. 7-seeded Holger Rune, Atmane is eager to keep the momentum going.
During the aforementioned interview with L’Equipe he explained how his new career high live-ranking of No. 69 in the world will open new doors for him:
“Being top 100 means fewer qualifiers. It also validates a certain financial stability that will allow me to invest in my coaches. I’ll also be able to save some money, because when you play in Challengers, you lose a lot of money. I’ll need to be smart and keep working, show what I’m capable of on the main Tour and not just in Challengers. Now, I have to keep climbing, and it will be a great challenge. I’m not setting any limits for myself,”
Should Atmane manage to pull off the upset of the tournament and eliminate defending champion and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, he will then collide with the winner of today’s Carlos Alcaraz vs. Alexander Zverev match in the final on Monday.
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