Prior to the start of Saturday’s semifinal clash between Jannik Sinner and Terence Atmane at the Cincinnati Open, the French standout presented his opponent with a birthday present before the two walked out onto P&G Center Court.
Sinner, who turns 24 today, was gifted what very well could be the start of his very own Pokémon collection.
The moment was caught on camera by the Cincinnati Open and then uploaded to social media, where it quickly went viral.
In it, Atmane can be heard saying:
“I have a little something for you. Your first Pokémon card.”
Terence Atmane, of course, has been an avid Pokémon collector for years now, and boasts one of the biggest collections in all of France. Per the TennisTV broadcast of Saturday’s match, his collection is estimated to be worth upwards of $10,000.
As tennis writer Bastien Fachan also noted on social media, it looks like Atmane also has a Poké Ball, and several other pieces of Pokémon-related memorabilia on his bag during Saturday’s match.
Terence Atmane Shows off His Pokémon Collection
While fans who don’t follow the ATP Challenger Tour may just be getting familiarized with the game of Atmane, the left-handed sensation has been making waves on the ATP Challenger Tour for several years now.
After a dominant 2023 season, where he won three ATP Challenger Tour titles in Anapoima, Zhangjiagang, and Guangzhou, Atmane’s legendary Pokémon collection began to catch the attention of fans.
In an interview with ATPTour.com, he stated that he has one of the biggest collections in France, and was planning to put a video on his Instagram showing fans his collection.
Several months later, he followed through, delivering an epic carousel of pictures showcasing his collection.
Along with the photos, seen below, Terence Atmane wrote:
“Here’s a closer look to a small part of my Pokémon cards collection. A collection that first started from childhood and then started once again in 2019. Some items and some graded cards that you’ll see on these pictures are completely exclusive!! Some of them took me 2 years to find, some of them are really expensive, some of them are 1/1 etc.
“I couldn’t bring everything to show you guys because my collection is moving a lot to few different places (it keep a certain level of security). Looking forward to show you guys my whole collection one day.”
Note: There are five pictures in total within the carousel.
Cincinnati Open Crowd Sings Happy Birthday to Jannik Sinner
The Pokémon card gifted to Jannik Sinner wasn’t the only present the world No. 1 received on Saturday.
Prior to taking P&G Center Court, the crowd in attendance at his pre-match practice sang happy birthday to the four-time Grand Slam champion.
Because Sinner’s birthday routinely falls during the Cincinnati Open, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen him celebrate at the tournament.
Back in 2021, for example, when Sinner celebrated his 20th birthday, the tournament gifted him a pizza with “20” spelled out in pepperoni.
Considering the ATP star is only 24, chances are this won’t be the last time we see him celebrate at the Cincinnati Open.
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