From centre court to Vatican halls: Jannik Sinner meets Pope Leo

Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV has made peace with Jannik Sinner. The world No 1 tennis player visited the newly elected pope on Wednesday, offering him a racket and suggesting a quick hit-around during a rest day at the Italian Open.

Leo, the first American pope, is a passionate tennis fan and had earlier this week joked that he would be up for a charity match — but “we can’t invite Sinner,” he quipped, alluding to the English meaning of the Italian’s surname.

By Wednesday, though, all was forgiven.

“It’s an honour,” Sinner said in Italian as he and his parents arrived in a reception room inside the Vatican’s auditorium. Holding one of his own rackets and gifting Leo another — along with a tennis ball — the three-time Grand Slam champion playfully suggested a volley. But the pope, glancing at the antiques surrounding them, replied: “Better not.”

Leo, a 69-year-old from Chicago, then joked about his white cassock being appropriate for Wimbledon — a nod to the All England Club’s strict all-white clothing rule.

He asked Sinner how the Italian Open was going.

“Now I’m in the game,” Sinner replied. “At the beginning of the tournament, it was a bit difficult.”

Sinner, playing in his first event since serving a three-month doping ban deemed to be caused by accidental contamination, will face freshly crowned Madrid champion Casper Ruud in Thursday’s quarter-finals. He is bidding to become the first Italian man to win the Rome title since Adriano Panatta in 1976.

During the audience, Angelo Binaghi, president of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation, presented Leo with an honorary federation card.

“We all felt the passion that Leo XIV has for our sport and this filled us with pride,” Binaghi said in a statement. “We hope to embrace the Holy Father again soon — maybe on a tennis court.”

The Pope and Sinner posed for photos in front of the Davis Cup trophy, which Sinner helped Italy win for a second consecutive year. Also on display in the room was the Billie Jean King Cup trophy, secured by Italy’s women in 2024.

Earlier in the week, responding to Leo’s quip about not inviting him, Sinner had said it was “a good thing for us tennis players” that the new pope enjoys the sport.

Alongside tennis, Leo is also a lifelong fan of the Chicago White Sox baseball team. His predecessor, Pope Francis, was famously devoted to Buenos Aires football club San Lorenzo.