Few games are etched into the memory. Like Monday Night’s nationally televised NFL game between Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills on the 2nd of January 2023.

With 5:58 to go in the game’s first quarter, 25-year-old Bills safety, Damar Hamlin, collapsed following a tackle. Hamlin received both CPR and required an automated external defibrillator before his heart could start beating again. The most terrifying nine minutes of match time. 

Eight months later, a healthy and hearty Damar Hamlin shouts out to fellow American Tennis legend on the eve of her big day. But there is a deeper and “bizarre” connection between the two, not many are aware of. 

Hamlin shouts out to fellow American sports legend 

The US Open Tennis Championships are down to the final round of 16, and 29-year-old Jessica Pegula is all set to play against America’s Madison Keys. The No. 3 seed Pegula beat Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 on Saturday, setting up a fourth-round matchup against the No. 17-seeded Keys.

Damar Hamlin put up a post recently that featured him with a racket on a deserted tennis court. Dressed in a pair of printed shorts, a grey graphic tee, and a pair of white slides, the Bills safety was captured taking a few shots at the ball. He captioned the post, “Working on my serve!! Rooting for @JPegula @usopen ”

Tomorrow’s match is an important one for Pegula since she is still trying to advance beyond the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament. Hamlin’s support for her might have roots in a demonstration made by the Tennis star back in January. 

Horror mirroring horror: Pegula and Hamlin

“Some bizarre, messed-up, full circle moment,” Jessica Pegula recalled a trauma she suffered in June 2022, when her mother Kim, co-owner and president of NFL franchise Buffalo Bills and NHL hockey team Buffalo Sabres, went into cardiac arrest, mirroring the horror of the Damar Hamlin. 

Pegula in an essay for The Players’ Tribune, recollected, “My stomach sunk because it felt like the exact same thing all over again… ‘I am a little freaked out right now, this is too close to home, and I feel like I am going to have a panic attack.'” 

ALSO READ: “We Do Not Care”: After Battling From Near-Fatal Incident, 25-Year-Old Damar Hamlin Came Back After 150 Days to an Underwhelmed Welcome

As Hamlin began his recovery journey, he received an overwhelming show of support from fans, the NFL community, and beyond. Pegula, who was participating in the Australian Open during the time, demonstrated her solidarity by donning a white screen-printed patch bearing Hamlin’s uniform number- three. She advanced to the quarter-finals in singles and reached the semi-finals in women’s doubles in the tournament. “It didn’t feel like it was just for him, it felt like it was for my mom as well,” she wrote.

Damar Hamlin has fully recovered and is all set to participate in the Bills’ home opener scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 17 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Pegula on the other hand, prepares to advance beyond the quarterfinals of the US Open. Both have risen above adversity and are ready to take up the upcoming challenges- head-on!

WATCH THIS STORY: Damar Hamlin and Antonio Brown celebrate life months after two events that shocked the NFL.