Terence Atmane’s obsession with quantum physics and exploring how the universe adds up | ATP Tour

everything adds up

Learn more about Atman’s obsession with quantum physics and exploring how the universe stacks up

Frenchman details his biggest interests off the pitch

March 23, 2026

Last year, Terence Atmane visited his parents’ home in northern France. One night, jet-lagged, the Frenchman was hanging out with his family cat and turned on a physics documentary on Netflix starring Morgan Freeman.

“I was just watching the documentary on TV to try to help myself fall asleep,” Atman told ATPTour.com. “Ultimately, it didn’t help me fall asleep because after I watched it, I watched everything I could about quantum physics for a whole week.”

The 24-year-old southpaw, who reached the fourth round at the Miami Open at ETA, enjoys using his free time to learn new things. Many fans are aware of Atmane’s Pokemon franchise, and developing proper cooking skills is also on his mind in the future. But for now, quantum physics is front and center.

“I became really interested because I had never really paid attention to the world we live in before,” Altman said. “That’s how I started getting really interested in simple questions like, ‘What is life ultimately? What is it all about? Is there a purpose? Is there anything I should know before I die?'”

Atman soon realized that the more he studied quantum physics, the less he understood about the world around him.

“I started reading a lot about it. I also started reading a lot about physics and biographies of some of the physicists. The more I learned about this stuff, the more it started to become really interesting,” Altman said. “I like to see people like Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, for example, and understand what they did, why they did it, what they did to discover and how they discovered all these things.

“The more I learn about this, the more I feel like I don’t know anything. This is what I want to learn, and this is what I’ve been learning for the past year, and it’s been really fun.”

The No. 53 player in the PIF ATP rankings caught the attention of fans at the Cincinnati Open last August, when the then world No. 136 defeated Taylor Fritz and Holger Ruhn in consecutive games to advance to the semifinals. After pissing off Ruane, Altman wrote “Fermi Paradox?!” on the camera lens.

“I became very interested in all things paradoxes, problems, physics problems, and that’s why I came out last year in Cincinnati with the Fermi Paradox, and I just wanted to learn [about] “This happened a few days before the game,” Altman said, “and I thought it would be funny to mention it on camera. I also did another thing in Acapulco, but they didn’t put it online.

“This is something that Albert Einstein discovered at the time. He discovered that in our universe, time equals space, and I think it’s really interesting to know that little bit of information that doesn’t seem that interesting at first, but when you really understand it, it’s considered really fascinating.”

Terence Atmane recorded his research in quantum physics in a diary. ” style=”width:100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2026/03/23/23/01/atmane-quantum-physicals-book.jpg”>
^{Check out Atman’s Journal of Quantum Physics.}

It all started when Atmane watched an hour-and-a-half documentary about the solar system, gravity, why it takes the Earth 24 hours to complete a full orbit, and how other planets affect Earth’s orbit.

“[I thought about] How interesting it is to see that the solar system is not what we thought it was. This isn’t just some random cycle of planets orbiting each other. It’s a complete movement. It’s a trajectory,” Atman said. “The Earth is moving very fast through space, so it was really interesting to learn about that because I didn’t know it. I thought it was all in the same place, but that’s totally not true, and that’s where I started to get really interested. “

Now the Frenchman, who beat world No. 8 Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round in Miami on Monday, brings a small textbook to study quantum physics and a journal in which he makes notes and draws diagrams to help him further understand the material. Understanding how everything in the universe adds up certainly keeps him busy off the field.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to take proper classes, so I had to teach myself,” Altman said. “But I think [quantum physics and cooking] Two big things I really want to learn this year. I will try to maintain this drive and dedication to everything around me. This will be a very good challenge. “