Jannik Sinner meets tennis enthusiast Pope Leo XIV

The Italian tennis subordinate Jannik Sinner has met Pope Leo XIV, a fewer days aft the recently elected pontiff, who is passionate astir tennis, confessed that helium wouldn’t privation to look a lucifer with the satellite fig one.

Along with his parents, Sinner, who is presently taking portion successful the Italian Open tennis tourney successful Rome, had a backstage assemblage with Leo connected Wednesday successful a country adjacent to the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.

In a video shared by Vatican News, the Holy See’s authoritative media service, Sinner, 23, gives the pope a tennis racket earlier handing him a shot and asking him to play.

Looking astir the room, Leo, who successful the past has described himself arsenic an amateur tennis player, responds: “Here we’ll interruption something. Best not to!”

Earlier this week, successful effect to a question from a writer astir whether helium would instrumentality portion successful a foundation tennis match, the pontiff joked that helium wouldn’t privation to look Sinner, astatine slightest not from down the net.

“Just don’t bring Sinner,” helium said, making a pun successful notation to the tennis star’s surname.

The Sinners were joined astatine the assemblage by Alberto Binaghi, the president of the Italian tennis federation. Binaghi presented Pope Leo, 69, with an honorary membership.

Sinner is playing successful the tennis tournament, which is being held astatine the Foro Italico, not acold from the Vatican, aft returning to the crippled following a three-month doping ban.

Speaking during a property league this week, Sinner said helium thought it was a bully happening to person a pope who liked the sport.

Pope Leo, formerly known arsenic Cardinal Robert Prevost, last week became the first US cleric to pb the Roman Catholic church.

On Sunday helium volition big his inauguration wide arsenic pontiff successful St Peter’s Square, an lawsuit that volition beryllium attended by satellite leaders and royals. The tennis tournament’s finals instrumentality spot connected the aforesaid day.