Pope Leo receives world No 1 Jannik Sinner at the Vatican after pontiff’s tennis confession
Top-ranked player visits new leader of Catholic Church during off day at Italian Open, with offerings of tennis racquet and a little hit-out
Pope Leo XIV has made peace with a Sinner – tennis champion Jannik Sinner, that is.
The top-ranked player visited the new pope on Wednesday during an off day for Sinner at the Italian Open, gave him a tennis racquet and offered to play, the Vatican said.
The pope, formerly known as US Cardinal Robert Prevost, described himself in a 2023 interview published by the website of his Augustinian religious order as “quite the amateur tennis player”.
Leo, the first American pope, had said earlier this week that he would be up for a charity match when it was suggested by a journalist.
But at the time, he joked: “But we can’t invite Sinner” – an apparent reference to the English meaning of Sinner’s last name.
By Wednesday, all seemed forgotten.
“It’s an honour,” Sinner said in Italian as he and his parents arrived in a reception room of the Vatican’s auditorium. Holding one of his racquets and giving Leo another and a ball, Sinner suggested a quick volley.