Pope Leo XIV has made peace with Jannik Sinner. The top-ranked tennis player visited the new pope, gave him a tennis racket and offered to play.

It was hard to imagine that Jannik Sinner would play at such a high level already in his first tournament after his return to the professional tour. The world No.1 – who had not been able to play since the Australian Open due to a three-month ban – returned to action in Rome this week and reached the quarterfinals without dropping a set.

Find out how to watch, live stream, TV channel, tournament information, & more for Jannik Sinner vs. Francisco Cerundolo at the 2025 Internazionali BNL

Jannik Sinner is still regaining his focus on the tennis court after his three-month doping ban. The world No. 1 overcame a brief lapse during the first set of a 6-4, 6-2 victory over No. 93 Dutch qualifier Jesper De Jong in his second match back on tour in front of his home crowd at the Italian Open on Monday.

Get expert betting tips and match analysis for Jannik Sinner vs Casper Ruud in the ATP Rome Masters 2025 quarterfinals. Explore form, stats, head-to-head history, and predictions for smart tennis betting decisions.

El papa León XIV ha hecho las paces con Jannik Sinner. El número uno del tenis masculino visitó al nuevo papa el

Sinner was asked in his post-match news conference about the pope following his 6-4, 6-2 victory over Dutch qualifier Jesper De Jong at the Italian Open, which is being played just up the Tiber River from the Vatican.

Nothing has changed in tennis anti-doping since Jannik Sinner and Iga Świątek's cases, but players are more paranoid than ever before