Professional player and magician, this tennis player does it and with a certain talent.
Being a high-level athlete does not mean practicing your discipline morning, noon and evening without any other activity around. On the contrary, as with work in general, having an activity that allows you to escape is even very important among competitors. For athletes, having this recreation is even essential to relieve mental pressure, but also to, perhaps, prepare for their post-career.
A French tennis player does not skimp on these moments of escape. This is Constant Lestienne. Gravitating around 100th place in the ATP rankings at the start of 2024, the Frenchman has one passion: magic. His nickname on the circuit is not very original since he is called “the magician”. Aged 31, the Frenchman had a meteoric rise between 2022 and 2023, going from 225th place to 65th. If he has not won a title on the circuit apart from the Challengers, he still had a first ATP quarter in San Diego, a half in Tel Aviv in 2022, then another in Auckland in 2023.
A significant change and evolution which comes from an almost impeccable lifestyle with numerous daily sacrifices. “It’s zero alcohol, we go to bed early. We do mobility routines every morning, stretching. I never see my family, I don’t have much time to return to Amiens”, he explained to France Bleu in 2022.
If the daily life of a tennis player is complicated, especially for those outside the top 100 who must string together small tournaments to climb the hierarchy, this routine is broken by the magic tricks he has been practicing for 6 years as he explained in 2022 for Short. “I have always loved magic. At the age of 24, I had an injury and so I stayed in Paris for several months. I walked into a magic shop and met magicians who told me: “Go ahead, show us what you can do. “I was shaking, but I tried to do a trick (laughs). Then the guys took me to a café and showed me lots of things. There, I had stars in my eyes, I fell in love with magic. Since that day, I have never stopped.”
Constant Lestienne was often injured during his career with several Achilles or shoulder problems. He was also suspended for seven months, half of which was suspended, and fined £10,000 for taking part in sports betting. A truncated career, therefore, which still allowed him to discover this hobby.
So in a few years will Constant Lestienne hang up tennis for good and throw himself 100% into magic? “Pwhy not put on my show, it’s not impossible.” In the meantime, the Frenchman participated in the Australian Open at the start of 2024 and was eliminated by the Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. If the start of the season is more complicated, that doesn’t stop him from doing tricks during tournaments to lighten the atmosphere. “I’m known in the locker room for my magic tricks. Almost all the players know it, I’ve done quite a few tricks during tournaments” he also explained a few years ago.