Atmane overrated?

Our Frenchie is back on court after his 5-set loss in Australia. What can we expect?

If you think he’ll play at his Cincinnati level for a big part of the season, then yes, you’re overestimating Terence. His average level hasn’t gone up as much as that tournament suggests. I watched his team matches at the end of the year, and it wasn’t great. He was the team leader based on his ranking, and that put a lot of pressure on him. Especially since team events aren’t necessarily the setting that suits him best. It was played indoors, like here in Dallas, and he was also stressed about not having much space behind the baseline on some club courts. This time they’ll be on the main court, so with a decent amount of space. But I find Tiafoe’s 2026 tennis even more aggressive, which could really bother him. He knows he can handle that since he played a good match against Hanfmann and Humbert this year, but as often, it’s going to depend on his ability to be flawless mentally. The extra space behind the baseline lets him return better before moving back up close to his line, but Tiafoe will do everything to show him that’s not the right solution. If the American plays like he did against Ruud at the United Cup, it’s going to be very tough for Terence. He’ll cut off his lefty trajectories on the return and unsettle him by taking away his time.