World number one Jannik Sinner has met Pope Leo XIV in Rome.
The Italian, who has reached the quarter-finals of the Italian Open in his first tournament since serving a three-month doping ban, was invited by the Vatican to meet the newly elected Pope.
The 23-year-old was accompanied by his family and a delegation from the Italian Tennis Federation to meet the Pope, who is formerly known as US Cardinal Robert Prevost and a keen tennis player.
Sinner presented his racket to the Pope and asked if he would like to “play a bit” – but the leader of the Catholic Church looked up at the lights in the reception room and jokingly responded: “Better not.”
In an interview in 2023, the Pope described himself as “quite the amateur tennis player”.
Sinner will face Norway’s Casper Ruud in the last eight on Thursday at the Italian Open, which is taking place a short distance from the Vatican.
