Vatican, May 15 -- World number one Jannik Sinner has met Pope Leo XIV here in Rome.
The 23-year-old, 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 leader of the Catholic Church.
The Italian was accompanied by his family and a delegation from the Italian Tennis Federation to meet the Pope on Wednesday, who is formerly known as US Cardinal Robert Prevost and a keen tennis player, the BBC reported.
Sinner presented his racket to the Pope and asked if he would like to "play a bit" - but the
69-year-old looked up at the lights in the reception room and jokingly responded: "Better not."
In an interview in 2023, the P...