Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, is an avid tennis player and fan and had said that he would be up for a charity match when it was suggested by a journalist.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV has apparently made peace with Jannik Sinner. The top-ranked tennis player visited the new pope on Wednesday, gave him a tennis racket and offered to play, during an off day for Sinner at the Italian Open, the Vatican said.

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,