Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner had an audience on Wednesday with the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, himself a keen tennis player, the Vatican said. Sinner was invited to the Vatican along with his parents and a delegation from the Italian Tennis Federation. Leo joked earlier this week that he didn’t want to meet the world number one, at least not behind the net. Asked by a journalist if he would take part in a charity match, Leo appeared up for it, but cautioned: “Just don’t bring Sinner,” making a Catholic pun about the last name of the tennis star.

Sinner presented the pope with one of his tennis rackets, but the pontiff declined a suggestion that they knock a ball around, staring up at the lights in the reception room. “Better not,” he said, to laughter.

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”.

Sinner is taking part in the Italian Open tennis tournament, which is being staged a short distance from the Vatican, coming back from a three-month doping ban.

He blushed when asked during a news conference on Monday about the pope’s comments and buried his head in his hands.

“Why do you have to put me in a difficult spot?” he said, before adding: “Obviously I heard that he played as a kid. I think it’s a good thing for us tennis players to have a pope who likes this sport that we’re playing.”

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