Earlier this week, the same day that I was in Rome touring the Vatican with my family, world number one Jannik Sinner met with newly elected Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican. The Pope apparently is a big tennis fan and given that Sinner is an Italian playing in the Italian Open this week, it made sense for the two of them to meet.
Sinner is currently still alive in the Italian Open, playing in the semifinals on Friday against No. 12 Tommy Paul. If he wins the Italian Open, one will have to wonder if meeting the Pope gave Sinner a bit of an emotional boost. Of course, Sinner came in as the favorite anyways. Both due to being number one and also being the hometown favorite. In truth, winning the Italian Open may not be much of an indicator of the Holy Father blessing his tennis skills.
However, winning the Italian Open and French Open back-to-back is no easy task and Sinner is still in search of his first title at both events. The furthest he's gone at the Italian Open is the semifinals (this year) and the furthest he's gone at the French Open is the semifinals (2024). If Sinner were to win both this year for the first time, especially after meeting the Pope, one will have to wonder if something divine is at work.
Regardless of how the Italian Open and French Open go for Sinner, it's pretty cool he got to meet the Pope. Meeting the Pope just goes to show how big of a deal he is as the only Italian to be ranked number one in the world in tennis. I guess if you have that accomplishment under your belt, it'll be pretty easy to get a VIP trip to the Vatican. Even if your last name is "Sinner."
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