The new pontiff received the Italian tennis star ranked No. 1 in the world by Association of Tennis Professionals in a room near the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall.

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.