VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -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.

On the heels of having his MLB fandom confirmed last week, Pope Leo XIV's sports credentials keep getting stronger after a meeting with the best men's tennis player in the world.

Pope Leo XIV received world number one tennis player Jannik Sinner at the Vatican on Wednesday but they stopped short of hitting a few balls. Italy's Sinner, who is playing in Rome at the Italian Open where he had the day off,