(Video) Terence Atmane Gifts Pokemon Card to Birthday Boy Jannik Sinner in Cincinnati: “He Has One of the Biggest Collections”

Jannik Sinner loves playing cards, and before his semifinal clash in Cincinnati, his opponent, Terence Atmane, gave him a Pokemon card as a birthday present.

(Video) Terence Atmane Gifts Pokemon Card to Birthday Boy Jannik Sinner in Cincinnati: “He Has One of the Biggest Collections”

Terence Atmane gifts a Pokemon card to Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ, The Tennis Letter, ESPN Tenis)

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Jannik Sinner has reached the final of the Cincinnati Masters for the second consecutive time. On Saturday (August 16), he knocked out Terence Atmane 7-6(4), 6-2 to book a spot in a final for the fifth time this season.

But on the same day, he celebrated his 24th birthday. When Sinner and Atmane were in the tunnel getting ready to enter the P&G Center Court for their semifinal clash, the latter gifted the World No.1 a Pokemon card. As they embraced, the Frenchamn told Sinner, “I have a little something for you”.

Here’s the video:

It was their careers’ first encounter against each other. Before scheduling the match against the four-time Grand Slam champion, the qualifier knocked out three seeded players, including Taylor Fritz in the fourth round and Holger Rune in the quarterfinals. He also beat Joao Fonseca in the third round.

I was talking to him a little bit in the locker room. He has one of the biggest collections of Pokemon cards, and I’m very lucky that I got one of his ones. It was just a nice moment before a match, we didn’t know each other at all. So, it was a nice moment.

Jannik Sinner told Tennis Channel

Following the match, Sinner revealed that he got a Pikachu card from Atmane. Sinner, in an interview, had said he loves to play cards with his team to wind down.

It was a kind of Pikachu…It said 30 damage to itself, so I don’t know if that’s good or not.

Jannik Sinner added

But when he was asked if he was a Pokemon guy, he didn’t answer in the affirmative. He recalled playing the Pokemon Go game on his phone, but he stopped after two or three days. At the press conference, when he was quizzed about Pokemon, he said his brother, Mark Sinner, was into the game.

Jannik Sinner to play Carlos Alcaraz in the Cincinnati Masters final

Jannik Sinner, in the Cincinnati Masters final, will be clashing with none other but Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard knocked out 2021 Cincinnati Masters champion Alexander Zverev in straight sets to schedule his career’s 14th match against the first seed.

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner
Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/The Sinner Times)

I know him better. We’ve played recently quite a lot now, so it’s going to be a very, very difficult match. But hopefully, it’s going to be, in any case, a good match…hopefully, it’s a high-level match. That’s what for us players is important but also for the people who are watching.

Jannik Sinner said at the press conference

Sinner broke the five-match losing streak against Alcaraz by denying him a third consecutive Wimbledon title with a four-set win in the final last month. He still trails 5-8 in the head-to-head matchups against the World No.2.

This season, they faced each other for the first time in the final of the Italian Open- Sinner’s first tournament after his doping ban. He lost that match and was the runner-up at the French Open as well. The 24-year-old squandered a 2-0 set lead and three match points in the fourth set. But he avenged his defeat by beating him in the final at SW19.

Sinner is aiming to defend his title (beat home favorite Frances Tiafoe last year). Alcaraz was the finalist in 2023 (lost the match to Novak Djokovic). Sinner so far has reached five finals and claimed two titles: at Wimbledon and at the Australian Open. Before this tournament, Alcaraz had played seven finals and captured five titles, losing only the Barcelona Open to Holger Rune and the Wimbledon title to Sinner. Sinner and Alcaraz have four and seven Masters 1000 titles to their names, respectively.

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