Tennis sensation Terence Atmane, who boasts a staggering IQ of 158 (just two points short of the “Einstein standard”), was riding high after a breakthrough run at the Cincinnati Open, where he summed up the reailty of playing against Jannik Sinner with a comical comparison.

Amid his momentum, the US Open arrived, alongside a custom “Pokémon‑style” trading card — but an injury sadly derailed his Grand Slam plans.

On Instagram, he showed off the whimsical design of the card, with two special abilities written: “Court Beast – Ace Strike: Instantly deals 140 damage if opponent is higher rank,” and “Volley Vortex – Risky net attack with high reward if timed right.” It comes after he gave a similar gift to Sinner before their match. 

However, Atmane later posted a more sobering update on social media. “After a foot MRI yesterday in NY we detected an intermediate grade partial tearing of the first MTP joint [a] Grade 2 muscle injury involving the medial head of the flexor hallucis brevis. Low‑grade partial tearing of the medial sesamoidal phalangeal ligament,” he explained.

He added: “Which in other terms won’t make me able to play the US Open… I do feel sad about it because with the last result I want to push for more, but trying to be smart and get myself ready for Asia was the best decision for my team and I.”

Atmane’s sudden US Open exit added a bittersweet note to what had been a meteoric rise.

A qualifier ranked No. 136 in the PIF ATP Rankings, he’d stunned the tennis world by crushing top-10 opponents like Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune to reach his first Masters 1000 semifinal. His Cincinnati run vaulted him 67 places to a career-high No. 69.

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The Pokémon card reveal earlier perfectly captured Atmane’s spirit: both cerebral and unexpected. A collector himself, said to have one of France’s largest Pokémon collections, he gifted Sinner a Pikachu card in Cincinnati’s tunnel.

Now, sidelined by a foot injury, Atmane will miss the US Open but is targeting a comeback in Asia, particularly in the upcoming Chengdu event. His decision to step back may be frustrating, but his outlook remains forward-looking.