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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Blake Silverman

Terence Atmane Had Special Gift for Birthday Boy Jannik Sinner Before Their Match

Jannik Sinner Terence Atmane ATP
Terence Atmane gifted Jannik Sinner a Pokémon card before their semifinal match at the Cincinnati Open | Screengrab via the Cincinnati Open (@CincyTennis) on X/Twitter

Terence Atmane is making sure to enjoy the moment during his incredible run at the Cincinnati Open.

The Frenchman and ATP world No. 136 heading into the tournament made an improbable run to the semifinal where he earned a date with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner on Saturday. The match happened to fall on Sinner's 24th birthday, and Atmane came prepared with a gift for his opponent.

In the tunnel before the biggest match of Atmane's career, he told Sinner that he "had a little something" for him and handed over a Pokémon card, hoping to start, or possibly add to a collection for the world's top tennis player.

Atmane has a massive collection of Pokémon cards, and apparently is hoping to spread the hobby across the tennis world.

The Frenchman's run in Cincinnati has been one of the best stories across the sport. In the ATP live rankings, he's up to No. 69 in the world after defeating world No. 4 Taylor Fritz, No. 11 Holger Rune, No. 26 Flavio Cobolli and No. 44 Joao Fonseca on the way to his first Masters 1000 semifinal.

Sinner, the recent Wimbledon champion, is a different animal though. Atmane held his own in the first set, forcing a tiebreak before Sinner ended up taking the set. Sinner won the second set 6-2 to eliminate Atmane in straight sets and end the Cinderella run. No matter the result, he seemed thrilled to be there, knowing his recent play has served as a breakthrough for his career.

If he's trying to remain as the biggest Pokémon collector on tour, however, he now has to watch out for Sinner.

More on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Terence Atmane Had Special Gift for Birthday Boy Jannik Sinner Before Their Match.

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