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Caitlin Clark says she blocks social media hate and enjoys hostile WNBA road crowds
Caitlin Clark said she can't remember the last time she read a direct message on social media. She also enjoys getting booed by opposing fans.
Apparently, WNBA players can be the subject of an enormous amount of attention without volunteering to spend their entire day focusing on the worst aspects of it.
CAITLIN CLARK'S LOWEST-RATED PLAYOFF GAME STILL OUTDREW EVERY NON-FEVER FIRST-ROUND BROADCAST
During her season-ending news conference Thursday, Clark condemned "racist rhetoric" and "discrimination," praised passionate crowds and explained how she tries to manage the noise surrounding her.
It was a refreshingly sane approach to a subject that has produced far too much nonsense around the WNBA. Some players, and plenty of people covering them, should take notice.
The discussion began with a question about Kelsey Mitchell's comments on the attention that comes with being Clark's teammate. Clark said seeing teammates go through that upset her. She rejected people using her name to promote racism or discrimination.
"That's never been something I've stood for," Clark said. "For those of you that know me, that's not what I'm about. It's not how I was raised."
While Clark acknowledged that people shouldn't be sending nasty messages on social media, she said she tries to avoid reading them.
"I couldn't tell you the last time I read a direct message," Clark said. "I just try to block out the noise the best I can."
There is a useful lesson in that. Condemning someone else's behavior doesn't require giving that person unlimited access to your attention. Online trolls seek attention, which is why they send vile messages in the first place. Spending your time thinking about and reacting to those comments gives the trolls exactly what they want.
Clark recalled Golden State fans booing her every time she touched the ball.
"I like that. I thought that was great and fun," she said.
Imagine that. A professional athlete enjoying an opposing crowd trying to throw her off her game.
"You can boo. You can yell at people," Clark said. She even brought up watching the Yankees in the playoffs.
"Man, those Yankee fans are brutal," she said with a smile.
Anyone expecting a visiting star to receive a warm welcome in every building should probably spend a little more time watching sports. Those fans want to see their team win, and opponents are just standing in the way.
The atmosphere is part of what makes a road win satisfying. Enjoying it doesn't mean accepting everything fans say or do, as Clark made clear.
"I think there's certainly a line and that can't be crossed," she said, adding that "there's certain rhetoric that's just not okay."
Where that line falls became a major subject of debate during the playoffs, when Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson confronted a Fever fan.
"You don’t step towards me. You never should step and point at me," Wilson said afterward.
Prime Video's broadcasters defended Wilson without knowing what the fan had said. Apparently, her reaction was all the evidence they needed.
But as OutKick reported, both the Fever and WNBA found no fan-conduct violation.
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Clark was discussing her own experiences Thursday. Still, her willingness to enjoy a hostile road crowd offers a useful perspective in a league where interactions with spectators have become such a consuming subject.
This wasn't the first time an opposing player accused a Fever fan of inappropriate conduct despite the team and league finding no such evidence.
Fever general manager Amber Cox said no fans had been removed for misconduct at home this season. Yet, left-wing podcaster Sarah Spain said Cox was being "defensive."
Well, wouldn't you be defensive if people kept trashing your fans and you had information that contradicted what they were saying?
Clark's answer showed how easily a person can condemn misconduct while also expressing appreciation for fans. Those positions fit together just fine.
"For the real fans that do show up and do support and do respect, I applaud you," she said. "And there are a lot of you. And that's not just here in Indianapolis. That's across the league."
When every conversation about fans revolves around the worst behavior, or the alleged worst behavior, the people who show up, support their teams and make the games worth watching can disappear from the discussion.
"There are a lot of really great fans and a lot of fans that I really, truly enjoy getting to play in front of," she said.
The rest of the WNBA would benefit from spending a little more time focusing on those people and a little less time reading DMs.
Country music singer Shane Smith puts his own spin on Johnny Cash's iconic 'Hurt' cover
Country music star Shane Smith is setting the internet on fire with a cover of a legendary song.
Shane Smith is known for being the lead singer of Shane Smith & The Saints, which is a country band whose music has heavy influences of red dirt and Americana.
While they might not have the commercial recognition of someone like Morgan Wallen, there's no question Shane Smith and his band have an incredibly loyal following and they pump out some of the best music in the genre.
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Now, he's blending up a classic song.
Smith posted a YouTube video on Monday of him covering the famous song "Hurt," and it's generating some serious buzz.
"Covering one of my favorite songs of all time written originally by Nine Inch Nails and covered by Johnny Cash," Smith wrote in the caption.
Cash's cover of "Hurt" is one of the most famous songs the country music icon ever did. Now, the "All I See Is You" singer has taken a crack at it in a very impressive fashion.
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Give it a listen below, and let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.
I think that's a very impressive performance of "Hurt." It's every bit as ominous as Johnny Cash's legendary version.
People in the comments were quick to offer lots of different reactions. One person wrote, "I love all 3 renditions of this song and am a fan of all three artists. Well done Shane!"
A second wrote, "Great cover!!"
A third added, "Awesome performance!"
Seems like everyone is in agreement.
What do you think about Shane Smith's cover of "Hurt"? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.
Massachusetts manhunt underway for Ryan Hanafin after mother Andria found dead of gunshot wound
Massachusetts police are looking for a 22-year-old man believed to be driving a black Dodge Charger after his mother was found dead of a gunshot wound in her kitchen early Thursday.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said Reading police received the call around 12:38 a.m. Thursday, from the victim's husband, whom she said returned to his home on Center Avenue and found his wife dead in their kitchen, said in a news briefing streamed by local media.
She identified the 911 caller as Matthew Hanafin, 48, and the victim as his wife, Andria Hanafin, 49. She said the couple's 13-year-old child was present in the home.
MANHUNT UNDERWAY AFTER OFF-DUTY MASSACHUSETTS POLICE VETERAN FOUND DEAD AT WOMAN'S HOME
A person of interest has been identified as their older son, 22-year-old Ryan Hanafin, who is the subject of a manhunt.
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He has been described as 5 feet, 10 inches tall. The only photo of him released by police shows him with shoulder-length, straight blonde hair, a mustache and glasses.
MANHUNT INTENSIFIES FOR ARMED WOMAN AFTER VETERAN MASSACHUSETTS POLICE OFFICER FOUND DEAD AT HOME
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The DA said there was "no significant history" of police calls to the family home.
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Ryan Hanafin is believed to be driving a black 2010 Dodge Charger with the Massachusetts license plate 2PSY15.
The younger son was out with friends until around 9 p.m. and told police he went directly to his bedroom when he got home and did not see his mom, according to DA Ryan.
Matthew Hanafin told investigators he hadn't spoken with his older son since Wednesday morning, she said.
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Reading Police Chief David J. Clark said that while Ryan Hanafin is a person of interest, he should still be considered "potentially armed and dangerous." Anyone who sees him or his vehicle is asked to call 911.
"By all means, please do not approach him," he said. "Please contact 911, the local police department, whatever, if you see the vehicle or come across him. We are urging people to stay safe and not put themselves in danger."
This is a developing story.
Minnesota father convicted of killing teenage son whose remains were found in landfill
A Minnesota man was found guilty of killing his teenage son, whose remains were found in a landfill after he vanished for over a month.
Jordan Dupree Collins Sr., who represented himself during his trial, was convicted Wednesday of second-degree murder for killing his 16-year-old son, Jordan "Manny" Collins.
Ashley Berry, the boy's mother, has previously described Manny as someone who was "always helping others, spreading kindness, and lifting up those around him."
"Manny should still be here today," Anoka County Sheriff Brad Wise said in a statement. "No verdict can remove the pain his loved ones feel, but we hope this decision provides some measure of justice. Our thoughts remain with Manny’s family, especially his mother, Ashley, as they continue to grieve and remember him."
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According to the criminal complaint, the teen went to his father's apartment in May 2025 and was never heard from again. His mother and his girlfriend both told police they last communicated with him in the early morning hours of May 8, 2025.
Collins told Manny's mother that the 16-year-old left his Columbia Heights apartment on the afternoon of May 8 to go to St. Paul to visit his girlfriend and grandmother. The girlfriend later told authorities that Manny never indicated he was coming to visit during their last video call together.
On May 15, 2025, police obtained a search warrant and descended on Collins' apartment, where they found "items with apparent blood staining in garbage bags in a living room closet."
Police said DNA testing confirmed that the blood found in the apartment belonged to Manny.
In early June 2025, local law enforcement agencies, the FBI and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension launched an extensive search of an Elk River landfill after surveillance footage showed a garbage truck emptying a dumpster behind Collins' apartment.
The search ended grimly on June 28, 2025, when investigators recovered Manny's body from the landfill.
An autopsy determined he was likely decapitated with a knife.
Collins was arrested on July 7, 2025, and has been in custody ever since. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 2, 2026.
Nicolas Maduro and wife Cilia Flores face new charge of conspiracy to torture Americans
The U.S, District Court for the Southern District of New York charged former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores with conspiracy to commit torture to Americans and others to stay in power, according to a superseding indictment filed Thursday.
Maduro's government, according to the indictment, "presided over a system of repression that relied on violence against political opposition, arbitrary detention, and the torture of detainees, including United States citizens."
The torture included "electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, punishment cells, and psychological torture, such as threats to harm and kill victims' families, including children," the indictment read.
The charge carries a maximum of life imprisonment if any of the alleged torture resulted in death, and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if not.
In one incident, the indictment alleges that a U.S. detainee in Venezuela was beaten for days and doused with a noxious liquid that made him vomit, which Venezuelan officers then allegedly made him eat.
The detainee, who was allegedly accused of plotting to kill Maduro, was also subjected to electric shock torture to his torso and genitals and injected with a substance that induced seizures.
"On one occasion, CC-3 personally observed Victim-7 being electrocuted; laughed at and taunted Victim-7 during the electric shock; and directed other DGCIM officers in connection with the electric shock," the indictment read.
MADURO'S ALLEGED 'BAG MAN' ALEX SAAB ARRESTED LESS THAN 3 YEARS AFTER BIDEN PARDON: REPORT
After spending eight-and-a-half months at Boleíta Norte prison in Venezuela, the detainee was released and returned to the U.S. in October 2022, according to the indictment.
The indictment alleges Maduro and Flores "inflicted severe physical and mental pain and suffering to repress and punish political opposition, silence dissent and perceived dissent, preserve and protect the power and authority of the members of the conspiracy, and intimidate, harass, and neutralize their opponents, including through kidnappings."
The pair, who face numerous other charges, were arrested in Venezuela in January during Operation Absolute Resolve. Maduro was originally charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices in a 2011 indictment that President Donald Trump's Department of Justice unsealed in 2020.
Flores was then charged in a superseding indictment in January with cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. They have pleaded not guilty and a trial is scheduled for June 2027.
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Flores appeared in court Thursday for a bond hearing on her motion for release from jail. Her lawyers were requesting home confinement with GPS tracking, citing a heart condition and arguing she does not pose a danger to the community. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied the request.
The U.S. government opposes her release, arguing she poses a flight risk and danger to the public.
Flores' attorneys say she denies the allegations against her, and both she and Maduro have filed motions to dismiss on diplomatic immunity grounds.
Fox News' Maria Paronich and Patrick Ward contributed to this report.
Caleb Flynn's mistress avoided charges despite murder texts as her attorney reveals why
The attorney for Caleb Flynn's former mistress is pushing back against suspicions that she helped plot the murder of the former "American Idol" contestant's wife, telling Fox News Digital that disturbing messages about wanting Ashley Flynn dead were not evidence that his client took part in the Tipp City, Ohio, killing.
Dayton defense attorney Nick Gounaris, who represents Alleigha Botner, said investigators reviewed her messages with Flynn, cellphone records and surveillance footage as they worked to determine whether she had any involvement in the crime.
Botner's secret affair with Flynn became a central part of his trial, where jurors heard exchanges about killing his wife, including a suggestion to hire someone to do it. Flynn was ultimately convicted on Sept. 29 of murdering Ashley and sentenced on Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
"I think the reason that she wasn't charged is just because you say something, you still have to show that that person was somehow involved," Gounaris told Fox News Digital. "The evidence that was reviewed, the evidence that was developed, the evidence that they secured through all of these different avenues did not suggest anything that involved Alleigha Botner in the death of Ashley Flynn."
Gounaris said he initially worried Botner could become a target of the investigation after she spoke to police without an attorney and was not entirely forthcoming about her relationship with Flynn.
Investigators had begun uncovering the affair while examining the Feb. 16 shooting at the couple's Tipp City home, where prosecutors said Flynn shot his wife twice in the back of the head before staging a break-in.
Botner eventually acknowledged the relationship, but her family became concerned about her legal exposure and contacted Gounaris, who began speaking with investigators to determine whether she was a witness or potential suspect.
"As a defense attorney, my first reaction is, wait a minute, we've got to be very careful ... we've got to be concerned that she might be a target here," Gounaris said. "So ... let me bring her into the office. Let's protect her. Let me now be her advocate. Let me speak with investigators and let me then determine, you know, where this is going."
As more evidence emerged, Gounaris said, investigators increasingly treated Botner as a witness, and nothing they uncovered suggested she participated in Ashley's murder.
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Jurors heard that Flynn and Botner exchanged over 107,000 messages during their affair, including conversations in which Flynn repeatedly expressed a desire to kill his wife. In one message, Flynn said he had stayed awake thinking of ways to kill Ashley without going to jail.
WATCH: Caleb Flynn had ominous response when mistress said ‘I want to kill her’
Gounaris acknowledged the exchanges were ugly but argued that messages discussing Ashley's death represented only a small fraction of their conversations and largely occurred months before the killing.
Some of the most troubling exchanges came just hours before Ashley was killed, when Flynn told Botner, "It's happening," and she responded, "You're about to be free."
Gounaris said the messages were about Flynn's plans to divorce his wife, explaining that the pair had stopped communicating for roughly a month after Botner ended their relationship in January because Flynn repeatedly failed to leave Ashley.
Flynn contacted her again shortly before the murder, claiming he was finally preparing to seek a divorce and disclose the affair to church leadership, Gounaris explained.
The renewed conversations included roughly 250 messages discussing divorce, custody, employment and what would happen if Flynn left his marriage, he said. Botner even researched divorce-related questions using ChatGPT and sent Flynn screenshots.
"All of the communications that are contemporaneous with the time that he kills his wife all the way up to 12:45 in that morning – about an hour and 45 minutes ... before he calls 911 – are all about divorce," Gounaris said.
He maintained that Botner believed Flynn was preparing to leave his wife, not kill her, an explanation she also gave during her testimony.
But questions about Botner's conduct extended beyond the messages themselves.
During the trial, jurors heard about efforts to conceal the affair, including discussions about deleting communications and replacing phones. Gounaris argued those conversations were motivated by concerns that the relationship could jeopardize Flynn's chances of gaining custody of his daughters during a divorce.
"What are they covering up?" Gounaris asked. "They're covering up what the relationship was. So she was explaining to him, 'You need to go get a new phone, you need to delete this app. We ... have not had these conversations.'"
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The attorney also offered his own theory about why Flynn killed Ashley, suggesting the former church music leader may have realized that ending his marriage would cost him the comfortable life he had built.
Flynn worked for his father-in-law's company, had two daughters and held a prominent role at his church. Gounaris believes the prospect of losing those things may have pushed him toward a fatal decision.
"He had a girlfriend. He liked having a girlfriend. He had a wife. He liked having his wife, he liked his children, he liked his job, he liked his income, he liked his ... he liked it all," Gounaris said. "On the early morning of Feb. 16, something in his mind said, 'Wait a minute, this is not going to work out for me. I'm not going to have my job. I'm going to be thrown out of the church,' and something happened that caused him to end the life of his wife."
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Unlike prosecutors, who argued Flynn had planned the murder, Gounaris suggested the killing may have resulted from a decision made that night.
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"I think it was something that occurred right at that moment at night," he said. "I think that he did things. I think he was sloppy with how he did things."
That assessment remains the attorney's theory. Jurors convicted Flynn of aggravated murder and eight other counts after roughly 2½ hours in the deliberation room. Flynn continued to maintain his innocence at sentencing, telling the court he did not kill his wife.
Flynn's attorneys filed a notice of appeal Wednesday in Miami County court, two days after he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Flynn was admitted to the state prison system Wednesday and is being held at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio, according to Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction records.
Gounaris said he believes Botner's lack of involvement was established through the investigation and that she now faces the difficult task of rebuilding her life after the affair and her testimony became public.
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He acknowledged that Botner bears responsibility for the relationship and the hateful things she said about Ashley, but rejected the suggestion that those actions made her responsible for the murder.
"Look, she'll take full responsibility for her actions," Gounaris said. "The truth is that she had an affair with a married man and she said terrible things about that man's wife. That's what she did.
"What the public has wrong is that she was somehow involved in the planning or execution of the murder that Caleb did on the 16th of February 2026. That's what the public has wrong," he continued. "She takes full responsibility for her actions, but not what he was convicted of."
Aaron Judge, who played exactly zero innings this postseason, sends blunt message to Yankees front office
Aaron Judge, who played as many innings for the New York Yankees as I did this postseason, sent the front office a clear message after Wednesday's ALDS loss to the Tampa Bay Rays ...
Fix it. Now.
I'm paraphrasing, of course, but I'm not far off.
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For those who missed it, the Judge-less Yankees were swept by the Rays in a controversial Game 3 that saw Anthony Volpe's game-tying home run get called back because of fan interference. New York would go on to lose, 4-3.
As for Judge ... he couldn't do anything about it. The Yankees superstar missed every postseason game with a right calf strain, and played just 66 games this season — a career-low, not counting the silly COVID season in 2020.
It was a lost season for Judge. A frustrating one. A contentious one, especially towards the end with manager Aaron Boone.
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And it all came to a head after Wednesday's loss:
"We're the Yankees. I feel like they [the front office] should go all-in and do what they need to do," Judge said. "If we've got holes, if it's finding certain players or personnel, whatever we need, you've got to go out there and get it. That's why I signed back here with the Yankees, to fight for a championship every single year. To go all in."
Yeah, a pretty clear message to Brian Cashman and everyone in the front office from Aaron Judge.
Essentially, "Go fix it."
Now, a couple things ...
YANKEES STAR AARON JUDGE HEADS BACK TO INJURED LIST WEEKS AFTER RETURNING FROM BROKEN RIB
Fan, by the way, were quick to point out that last one:
I could go on and on. It's a bloodbath right now on Yankees social media. Everyone is miserable.
Fans are miserable. Players are, clearly, miserable.
We've already reached the "fire Aaron Boone!" portion of the offseason, and it's not even 24 hours old yet.
These comments from Judge seem to have struck a particular nerve, though. It's one thing to make them after playing 150 games and performing in the postseason.
It's another thing to say something when you've barely seen the field since June.
All rise!
Dem House hopeful alleges she was brutally attacked during 2 am campaign errand
Arizona Democratic congressional candidate Bernadette Greene-Placentia said she was knocked unconscious and raped during an overnight encounter with two attackers in August while trying to repair a damaged campaign sign.
Greene-Placentia told Phoenix New Times that she was walking through a parking lot in Sun City shortly after 2 a.m. on Aug. 14 to repair a damaged campaign sign when someone struck her in the head, knocking her unconscious.
Greene-Placentia said she regained consciousness to find a man raping her and kicked at a second man who approached her, according to the Phoenix New Times.
A public information officer with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office confirmed to Fox News Digital that a police report was filed on Aug. 31.
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"Detectives advised it is still an ongoing investigation, and we cannot comment on the investigation at this time," said the officer.
Greene-Placentia initially told investigators that one of her attackers used a derogatory remark she interpreted as "Democratic b----," according to the Phoenix New Times, but told The New York Times on Wednesday that she could not be sure what she had heard.
Greene-Placentia told Phoenix New Times she suffered extensive bruising and vaginal bleeding for three days after the alleged assault and believed she may have sustained a concussion.
Greene-Placentia missed a campaign event and was out of contact with her staff for about two days following the alleged assault, according to The New York Times. She later told campaign aides and her husband what happened before reporting it to police on Aug. 31, saying she initially felt embarrassed and wanted to forget the incident.
She ultimately decided to go public to encourage other sexual assault survivors to speak out.
"I never imagined I would have to tell this story, but I know I am far from the only woman who has lived through something like this," Greene-Placentia said in a statement released Wednesday. "Too many survivors carry these experiences silently. I am speaking out because I want them to know they are seen, they are heard and they are not alone."
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"What happened will not silence me. I’m going to keep showing up, keep fighting for this community, and keep working every day to bring real representation to the people of CD8," she added.
Greene-Placentia received support from both Republicans and Democrats, including her Republican opponent, Rep. Abe Hamadeh, who called for authorities to investigate the alleged attack.
"I have read the disturbing story and call upon authorities to investigate these serious allegations thoroughly, including finding all possible camera footage of the time and place in order to prosecute the crime to the fullest extent of the law. No American should become a victim of a crime in their own community," Hamadeh said in a statement.
"This was a cruel and cowardly attack, and it has no place in Arizona. No one should have to fear for their safety, or the safety of the people they love, while serving their community," Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs' office said in a statement to the Phoenix New Times.
Fox News Digital reached out to Greene-Placentia's campaign for comment.
Hamadeh has represented Arizona's 8th Congressional District since January 2025. Fox News' Power Rankings rate the district as solidly Republican heading into the 2026 midterm elections.
Mamdani doubles down on anti-Israel Oct 7 statement after backlash
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani doubled down on his October 7 statement accusing Israel of carrying out a "genocide" in Gaza on Thursday.
Mamdani made the statement while speaking to the press at an unrelated event on Thursday. Reporters asked him about anger in the Jewish community over his statement on the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks that briefly recognized that day's atrocities before accusing Israel of carrying out genocide against Palestinians.
"Do you believe you made any missteps that inflamed tensions in this very difficult moment for a lot of New Yorkers?" a reporter asked.
"I believe that there must be room to mourn every single life," Mamdani responded. "There must be room to mourn the lives of the more than 1,100 that Hamas killed three years ago; there must be room to mourn the 74,000 Palestinians that the Israeli government has killed since."
"There must be room to reckon with the ways in which so many New Yorkers' lives have been shattered," he continued, noting that the vigil he attended highlighted testimonies from those killed "either on the day or the genocide since."
WEAPONIZING THE CHARGE OF GENOCIDE FUELS AN INCREASINGLY DANGEROUS ANTISEMITISM
Mamdani went on to accuse the Israeli government of using the October 7 massacre as "a justification for a genocide."
The mayor also repeatedly declined to say that he would change anything about the statements he made on Wednesday, either in his formal statement or during his attendance at the October 7 vigil.
He also justified his greater emphasis on Palestinian deaths, arguing that "this is something that is ongoing, as opposed to something that simply happened three years ago."
In his statement on Wednesday, Mamdani condemned Hamas’ attack as a "horrific war crime" while also characterizing Israel’s subsequent military operation as a genocide.
NETANYAHU ACCUSES MAMDANI OF 'FOMENTING HATE,' SAYS RHETORIC IS MAKING NEW YORK JEWS AFRAID
"The suffering did not begin nor end that day," he wrote. "It instead continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza in which it has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians — including more than 21,000 children."
Israel has rejected accusations that it is committing genocide in Gaza, saying its military targets Hamas and other terrorist groups while seeking to minimize civilian casualties.
The mayor's statement sparked bipartisan backlash, with Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., calling it "egregious and insulting."
"There are 364 days of the year to focus on that. This is a day that should just be focused on what was by all agreement a horrific terror attack," Goldman, who is Jewish, told Politico. "What the mayor’s statement did today was to blame Israelis for the attack that they suffered three years ago. Regardless of what you actually think of the conflict and what’s happened either since or before, there’s no excuse for victim blaming."
Tennis player Terence Atmane fires racket toward crowd and nearly hits spectators in epic tantrum
You don't often see full-blown temper tantrums in sports, but when you do, it’s a sight to behold.
Given how Terence Atmane reacted on Monday after an unforced error, you would have thought he made the biggest mistake of his career at Wimbledon, not during the opening round of qualifying at the Shanghai Masters. The 24-year-old’s explosive outburst began in the third set, when he hit his forehand shot into the net.
Atmane did his best Rob Gronkowski impression and spiked his racket into the net. Atmane then reverted to acting like a spoiled brat, as he took a tennis ball out of his pocket and decided to obliterate it and launch it over the small grandstand.
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However, his outburst wasn’t close to a conclusion. The irascible Atmane then took his frustrations out on the net, smashing his racket on the net cord three times.
After another unforced error later in the third set, Atmane changed things up. Instead of abusing his racket any further, he decided to launch it toward the crowd sitting in the stands.
The racket clanged off the metal bar and didn’t injure any fans, but the crowd audibly gasped at Atmane’s petulance, as the racket didn’t miss them by much. Incredulously, Atmane was only issued a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct and received a point penalty instead of being defaulted.
To cap it all off, Atmane retired from the match when his opponent, Bernard Tomic, was serving for the match at 6-4, 4-6, 5-3.
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The tennis world was appalled by Atmane’s behavior, with some fans taking to social media to call for him to be banned from the sport.
"Should literally never be allowed in a tennis court again," one user wrote on X.
"He should be banned. Worst I’ve ever seen," another X user wrote.
"Throwing the racquet like that should earn an automatic disqualification, clearly cannot control his emotions and show any professionalism," another user posted to X.
For Atmane, it was the second time in two weeks that he retired from a match. While playing Elias Ymer in a Challenger match in the third set in Jingshan, Atmane retired with the score tied at 5-5.