Jannik Sinner Makes ‘Never Forget’ Admission After Meeting Pope XIV with Parents During Italian Open Campaign

Before the meeting at the Vatican, Pope XIV had said he would not be playing a charity match against World No.1 Jannik Sinner.

Jannik Sinner Makes ‘Never Forget’ Admission After Meeting Pope XIV with Parents During Italian Open Campaign

Jannik Sinner, Pope XIV (Image via X/Janniksin_Updates)

Before destroying Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open, Jannik Sinner was invited to meet the newly elected Pope XIV at the Vatican. There, Sinner gifted the Pope one of his rackets and also invited him to play tennis.

But Pope obviously declined the offer as he looked around him at the lights and other antiques. Sinner, after his 6-0, 6-1 triumph over Ruud, was asked about his meeting with the Pope at the press conference. He said:

I never experienced something like this. I was very honored. I didn’t know exactly really what to say, no? It was a very emotional thing also with my parents there. It was very nice. It was something I will never forget, that’s for sure. Yeah, it’s something else really.

The Pope, who in 2023, called himself “quite an amateur tennis player“, and also joked about whether he would be allowed to play Wimbledon because of his all-white cassock. On Monday this week, the Pope, during his first press conference, joked about not playing a charity match against Sinner because of the English meaning of his surname.

Sinner, after his triumph in the last eight, improved his head-to-head record over Ruud to 4-0. It was also his 25th consecutive win as he hasn’t yet lost a match since the 2024 China Open final against Carlos Alcaraz. The match was also Sinner’s 11th win on the trot in straight sets against the top 10 players.

Casper Ruud says Jannik Sinner’s tennis was perfect

Casper Ruud was chasing his second title of the season after winning the biggest trophy of his career in Madrid by beating Jack Draper. Many in the tennis world expected the Norwegian to upset Jannik Sinner, given that the former’s clay-court records (12 titles) are better than Sinner’s (one title).

Casper Ruud, Jannik Sinner (3)
Casper Ruud, Jannik Sinner (Image via ATP,X/Jose Morgado)

But on Thursday, what Sinner produced was unbelievable tennis. For Ruud, the performance was near perfect as he made it clear that he doesn’t undervalue Sinner on the red dirt despite his results. He said at the press conference:

Yeah, yeah, it’s as near as perfect that I witnessed, at least as a player playing someone. Just got to give it to him. I mean, in the first four games, I did maybe a couple of unforced errors on my forehand where I went for it, but I missed.

After the conclusion of the Italian Masters 1000, Sinner will be playing in the Hamburg European Open, while Ruud will be participating at the Geneva Open. While Ruud is a two-time finalist at the French Open, Sinner produced his best when he reached the semifinal last year and lost a five-set thriller to eventual winner Carlos Alcaraz.

Sinner will next face Tommy Paul, who defeated Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets. He has won three of the four matches he has played against the American, including one on clay (the 2022 Madrid Open). The winner of the Sinner versus Paul semifinal will meet Carlos Alcaraz or Lorenzo Musetti.

Sinner trails 6-4 in the head-to-head encounter with the four-time Grand Slam champion but against his compatriot, he holds a 2-0 lead. Sinner reached the semifinals in Rome for the first time. Before this season, his best performance in the tournament came in 2022 when he progressed to the quarterfinal (lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas).

The 23-year-old had skipped the tournament last year due to an injury. The last European clay-court Masters 1000 is his second tournament of the season after the Australian Open in January as for three months, he stayed on the sidelines due to his doping ban given by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Also read: “Frustrated,” Jack Draper Explains the Reasons for His Loss to Carlos Alcaraz in Rome