Fan invades court, asks Jannik Sinner for his jacket at Saudi Arabia event

Security eventually removed the fan at Six Kings Slam tournament

Cover Image for Fan invades court, asks Jannik Sinner for his jacket at Saudi Arabia event
Jannik Sinner, the world's second-ranked tennis player, has now had two recent incidents of fans trying to acquire his gear. (Credit: Getty Images)

After his victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, Jannik Sinner found himself face-to-face with a fan on the court.

With no security preventing the fan’s approach toward the world’s No. 2-ranked tennis player, Sinner and the man began chatting, apparently in friendly fashion, until the fan appeared to ask for the four-time Grand Slam winner’s Nike jacket.

Security then came and took him away, according to the Daily Mail.

While an awkward fan interaction might not be too out of the ordinary for such a high-profile athlete, this one is of particular interest. It comes less than two months after an incident at the U.S. Open in which a fan attempted to steal gear directly from Sinner’s bag while he was signing autographs following a victory in the Round of 16.

The latest incident was caught on Netflix cameras as it unfolded in the background while commentators were breaking down the match.

As memorabilia has never been more valuable, and collecting has never been more popular, fans have appeared to become increasingly aggressive at sporting events in attempts to secure mementos from their heroes.

Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.