Pope Leo XIV jokes he cannot invite Jannik Sinner to charity tennis match

A charity tennis match at the Vatican would have a small list of guests – but it wouldn’t even include the top men’s player in the world.

Pope Leo XIV recently said he considered himself “quite the amateur tennis player,” but one notable name would be omitted in this hypothetical match.

During a meeting between the new American pope and international media on Monday, journalists offered to play doubles, or to organize a charity match.

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Jannik Sinner in action against Marcos Giron at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Jan. 18, 2025. (Mike Frey-Imagn Images)

The pope is all for it, but the top-ranked player would be ousted through no fault of his own: his last name.

“But we can’t invite [Jannik] Sinner,” the pope cracked.

Sinner has won three grand slams, all of which have come since the 2024 Australian Open, and has quickly turned himself into the best player on the planet.

At age 23, Sinner has skyrocketed through the world rankings, and has won back-to-back grand slams.

But it doesn’t sound like he’s visiting Pope Leo XIV any time soon.

Pope Leo XIV delivers the Regina Caeli prayer from the main central loggia balcony of St Peter’s basilica in the Vatican, on May 11, 2025. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images)

In the pope’s defense, he does have a halfway decent excuse to exclude Sinner. 

Back in February, he was given a three-month suspension by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after twice testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid nearly a year ago. 

The ban came just weeks after the Italian tennis pro won his third Grand Slam title – the suspension, though, avoided any Grand Slams.

It was found that Sinner had not intentionally used a banned substance for competitive gain. 

Sinner tested positive for low levels of metabolite of clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid that can be used for ophthalmological and dermatological use, in March 2024. Eight days after the Indian Wells tournament, Sinner tested positive again in an out-of-competition sample. 

According to the ITIA’s initial findings, Sinner explained that he had tested positive after receiving a massage from a trainer who had used an over-the-counter spray that contained clostebol to treat a small wound after cutting his own finger. 

Jannik Sinner reacts after breaking the serve of Jack Draper at the U.S. Open, Sept. 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

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Sinner’s suspension was lifted on May 4, and he is currently playing in his home country at the Italian Open. He will be on the hunt for his fourth grand slam when the French Open begins May 25.

Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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