Lower-ranked players feel mental, physical strain as long season nears end

BENGALURU, Oct 27 : Frenchman Terence Atmane's admission that he has been struggling with his mental health after an outburst at this month's Shanghai Masters highlighted the pressures lower-ranked tennis players face as another demanding season draws to a close.

Atmane threw his racket towards the stands and narrowly missed striking fans in a qualifying match before apologising publicly for his conduct and detailing the stress of a sharp drop in his ranking to the edge of the top 100.

The closing weeks of a gruelling 11-month campaign can be particularly difficult for lower-ranked players, as fatigue and poor results collide with the pressure to compete for ranking points and prize money that could transform their prospects.

"I received a lot of hate, which is pretty normal because I deserve it. I've been behaving pretty badly," Atmane said at the Almaty Open last week, where a run to the quarter-finals helped him climb to number 90.

"I was struggling ... the season has been very long. I was struggling with my mental health, so it hasn't been easy, but I was trying to get a fresh start."

'DIFFICULT CYCLE'

Former player and sports psychologist Jeff Greenwald said a long season could leave players tired, mentally stale, negative or emotionally reactive, with those low down the ladder facing an especially tough psychological and financial equation.

"Unlike established players who may have a full team managing their schedules, travel, practice arrangements, and other logistics, lower-ranked players often have limited support," Greenwald told Reuters.

"The financial pressure can be enormous. They have limited resources and may feel they have only a certain window of time to make their investment in professional tennis pay off. Every