Jannik Sinner subjected to chant from Cincinnati Open crowd in unusual scenes

Jannik Sinner was subjected to an unusual chant from the Cincinnati Open crowd before his match against Terence Atmane. The young Italian was pitted against his French rival in the semi-finals, having won all of his previous matches without dropping a set. He will be hoping to carry his form into the upcoming US Open, where he is the defending champion.

In the hours before his match against Atmane, Sinner ventured out to the practice courts to finalise his preparations. He was seen hitting balls alongside members of his team while a number of fans watched from the sidelines. After finishing his session, Sinner was serenaded with a chant rarely heard at tennis tournaments.

Those watching on broke into an impromptu chorus of Happy Birthday to celebrate Sinner turning 24 on the same day. He acknowledged the crowd by raising a hand before packing up his things and heading back into the locker room.

Sinner will be hoping to mark the occasion with victory over Atmane, who recently described him as the best player the sport has ever seen.

Speaking to Tennis Channel ahead of the match, Atmane said: "I don't want to predict anything because I think Jannik is the most incredible player that we have pretty much ever seen in our entire lifetimes.

"It's going to be very interesting to be able to play someone like him, someone that is bringing crazy things to the tennis world. It's going to be a new challenge for me.

"I will just try to do my things once again, it doesn't matter the ranking. Yeah, it's going to be a very good one and I'm very happy and very proud to be able to share the court with Jannik."

Sinner, meanwhile, has been turning heads with an unusual style choice at the Cincinnati Open. He has been sporting an arm sleeve during the tournament and recently explained that it served a functional purpose, rather than being a fashion statement.

"I like the feeling of the sleeve," said the Italian, who injured his elbow at Wimbledon but has since made a full recovery.

"It gives a little bit more impact with the ball, it's slightly more stable. That's my point of view and I liked it in Wimbledon.

"I have to see how it is when it's very hot and humid because it's a little bit different, so it's going to be something that I'm going to take into consideration, but I really love the feeling it gives of pure striking."

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