Pope Leo XIV jokes he can't play with 'sinners,' especially Italian tennis pro Jannik
A charity tennis game between Pope Leo XIV and Italian professional tennis player Jannik Sinner would be a match made in heaven, if only it weren't for the latter's last name.
In case you don't know, the new pope previously voiced out his love for tennis and considers himself an amateur-level player. During a meeting with international media, journalists challenged him to a tennis game and even offered to organize a charity match, according to Fox News.
One journalist raised the possibility of bringing American former professional tennis player Andre Agassi to the match. While the new pontiff was all for it, he quipped that there's one player he would like to keep at arm's length.
"We can't invite Sinner," Pope Leo XIV joked in an apparent reference to the tennis star's last name.
Sinner is currently ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals and has won three grand slams since the 2024 Australian Open.
Following Pope Leo XIV's joke, Sinner was asked for his reaction on this in a post-match news conference.
Tennis.com noted how he "took his time to respond and blushed" before saying, "Why do you have to make things difficult for me?"
"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," he added.
When asked if he is open to having a rallying session with the pope, Sinner said, "For the future we'll see. Who knows?"
Pope Leo XIV, whose real name is Robert Francis Prevost, is the 267th pope after Pope Francis, who served for 12 years from March 2013 until his death last April. He made history as the first American pope and the first Augustinian pope. Get to know the new pope here.
