a day ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Jannik Sinner gifted ‘exceptional' birthday present by Cincinnati opponent; commentator left jaw-dropped
Frenchman Terence Atmane put together the best performance of his career in a run to the semifinals of the Cincinnati Masters 1000 event, gaining significant ranking points and climbing closer to the world's top 50 after a display which saw him put away three seeded players, including world number 4 and home favourite Taylor Fritz. Terence Atmane gifts Jannik Sinner a Pikachu Pokemon card for his birthday before their semifinal match in Cincinnati.
It came to an end at the hands of the dominant Jannik Sinner, would number one and the best hard-court player on the ATP tour. Sinner put away Atmane 7-6 6-2 to set up yet another final against Carlos Alcaraz — but what fans will most remember this match for was a really nice gesture by Sinner's opponent in the player tunnel before they walked onto the court.
Sinner celebrated his 24th birthday the day of the semifinal, on August 16. When the two players met each other in the tunnel, Atmane took a moment to share a gift with Sinner — a Pokemon trading card, which he handed over to Sinner, earning gratitude and an embrace from the Italian man in turn.
A sweet video captured the moment the pair had this interaction — keep in mind this is their first ever match against each other on tour. A later video sees Sinner reveal what card he received from Atmane, and it proved to be an iconic Pikachu card for the world number one.
'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,' Sinner said to Tennis Channel in a post-match interview. 'It was just a nice moment before a match, we didn't know each other at all. So, it was a nice moment.'
23-year-old Atmane boasts of an impressive Pokemon card collection, almost certainly the largest of any player on the ATP tour. His thoughtful gesture adds to a week in which he has earned many new fans through his explosive style of tennis and easygoing manner: despite this being the biggest match of his career, he spared the time to share a moment of joy with his opponent.
On the court itself, Sinner didn't take too long to figure his French opponent out despite a tough first set that headed to a tiebreaker. He breezed through the second set in typical dominant fashion, before Carlos Alcaraz put away an ailing Alexander Zverev in straight sets. The best rivalry in men's tennis will meet each other on Monday for their fourth final of the year.
