The meeting took place in the Vatican on Wednesday. Sinner gave the Pope a tennis racket and also picked up a ball.
Do you want to play a little?
Then the Pope is said to have looked around at the antiques in the room.
It's probably best if we abstain, said Leo XIV with a laugh.
In an interview from 2023, in connection with his appointment as cardinal, the American said he considers himself to be "a fairly decent amateur player".
Since I left Peru (where he worked on and off for several years) I haven't had many opportunities to practice, so I'm looking forward to getting back out on the court, he said.
Opportunities to play on home turf exist. The Vatican State has its own clay court and the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport has reported that the 69-year-old – according to his friends – has an "excellent backhand".
World number one Jannik Sinner is through to the quarterfinals in the ATP tournament in Rome. The competition is his first since the three-month suspension for doping offenses.
Corrected version: In an earlier version, there were incorrect years about when the Pope was active in Peru.
