The Pope Leo XIV received Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner in a private audience on Wednesday, who is the number 1 in the ATP ranking and has returned to competition during the Rome Masters 1000 after serving a three-month doping suspension.
The reception took place in the Paul VI Hall of the Vatican, and Sinner was accompanied by his parents, Hanspeter and Siglinde, and the president of the Italian Tennis Federation, Angelo Binaghi.
PUBLICIDAD
How was the conversation between Leo XIV and Sinner?
The meeting was relaxed. Sinner gave one of his rackets to the Pope, and Pope Leo XIV joked, saying, “Would they let me play at Wimbledon?”
Two days ago the Pope mentioned Sinner during the audience with representatives of the global press. A journalist proposed to the pontiff a charity tennis match, assuring him that he would bring “Agassi”. Leo XIV replied: “Good idea, as long as you don’t bring Sinner”.
During the audience, the world’s number 1 player told the Pope, who is a big tennis fan, "The ball is here. Do you want to play a little?“, but in laughter Pope Leo XIV rejected the offer in case they broke something in the Paul VI Hall.
“How do you see yourself in Rome?” asked the Pope to the young athlete, who replied that at the beginning of the tournament it was a bit difficult, but that he has already found his rhythm. “Courage!” encouraged the Pope, who asked the parents what language they speak at home, whether Italian or German.
The president of the Italian Tennis Federation presented the Pope with an honorary membership card with his name on it.
Pope Leo XIV’s love for tennis
In statements to “Augustinian Order,” the official website of the Order of Saint Augustine, Pope Leo XIV revealed himself as a big tennis fan in an interview two years ago, on the occasion of his appointment as cardinal. “I consider myself a fan,” he said, adding that he had had few opportunities to play, but was looking forward to getting back on the court.
According to the official Vatican portal, in Chiclayo, the Peruvian diocese where he was a bishop, Robert Prevost trained with some priests, including the current secretary Edgar Rimaycuna Inga, so as not to lose his “good backhand,” as recalled by those who knew him. In Rome, he would occasionally play tennis on Sundays at the court of the Augustinian Patristic Institute, very close to the Vatican, with a view of the dome of St. Peter’s.
Sinner expressed his opinion about the Pope’s passion in the press conference following his victory in the second round of the Rome Open against Jesper de Jong. “I have heard that he played when he was young, and for us tennis players, it’s great to know that the Pope likes our sport,” he stated.