"Now it’s the most valuable Pokémon card of all time, the biggest sale ever": Terence Atmane shares expert knowledge on Logan Paul $16.5million sale

Terence Atmane continued his strong Miami Open campaign, advancing to the fourth round after a hard-fought 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Speaking on the Cadillac desk for Tennis Channel, Atmane reflected on his performance at the Miami Open, his strategy on court, his rise in the rankings, and even his passion for collecting Pokémon cards.

“Definitely the win, of course, but it was a very difficult match against Felix,” Atmane said on the desk. “Especially when I was struggling so hard to get at least one point in the second set, Felix was putting so much intensity. I was thinking, if he continued like this, and if I continued like this, I might go home tomorrow. It was very tough, but I tried to get my things back together, to do easy things on the court, try to play my best tennis—and it paid off. I’m super happy.”

Asked to clarify what he meant by “doing easy things on the court,” Atmane explained, “Not trying to go full power on every single ball, but trying to serve big, go big especially on the important points. At some points, you know, if I want to be in this kind of place, I need to do something more. So this is what I did today, and I’m super happy because it was not easy at all.”

The win marked Atmane’s first top-10 victory since his semifinal run in Cincinnati last year. “I’ve gotten two seeded players already here, and it’s been a great vibe,” he said. “The courts suit me really well. I have the same kind of feeling as I had in Cincinnati. Plus, the rain delays gave me some extra time to work on specific things for my matches, and it definitely paid off.”

Atmane is now ranked 44th in the live rankings and has his sights set higher. “The goal with my coach was to be top 50 by the end of the US swing, and now top 40 is the next step. But tomorrow, the priority is trying to get the win. I have almost no points to defend until the Cincinnati run, so my job is to do the right things and get as many wins as possible.”

Off the court, Atmane shared that he requested to join the desk interview himself, a rarity for ATP players. “There are some interesting things I want to share with everyone, and this is the perfect occasion to do it here on stage with Tennis Channel,” he said.

That included his thoughts on Logan Paul’s recent Pokémon card purchase. “Overpaid by the buyer, that’s for sure. He bought it for 5,3 million in 2023, which was already huge. The comparison between a PSA 9 and PSA 10 is usually times two or three the value, so I was hoping in a PSA 9… I know a friend who bought it for 1,2 million. So for me, it was never going to go above 4 million, so 5,3 was already big. And sixteen and a half million… honestly, great job, because now it’s the most valuable Pokémon card of all time, the biggest sale ever in every single TCG. Logan Paul made history again, buying the most expensive and selling for the most.”

Atmane also spoke about how the sale affected his own collection. “Luckily for me, it went up. Niche cards with low populations went up directly. If the Illustrator Pikachu is going for six and a half million, why would my card go for only 100k? I have a large collection spanning from 1995 to today, so some cards went really up in value—I cannot complain.”

When asked about his best card, Atmane shared, “I have a duo with the Gold Star Latios and Latias in French, PSA 8. There are only four copies in the world. I got the deal done with a friend a month ago. For now, it’s the best card I have because it’s the highest grade you can have on that guy, eight. So I got the duo, Latios and Latias—my best cards for now.”

Tennis Channel’s hosts praised him for sharing his passion. “You’re winning on the court, you’re winning off the court,” they said. Atmane smiled, “It’s right. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.”

Next, Atmane will face Frances Tiafoe, who defeated defending champion Jakub Mensik, in what promises to be another challenging match. With his momentum and strong all-around game, Terence Atmane is proving he can compete at the highest level, both on and off the court.