Richard Pagliaro | @tennis_now | Thursday, May 8, 2025
Image source: Dan Kitwood/Getty
Tennis has come into contact with the spiritual leaders of the Catholic Church.
Honorary Archbishop Robert Francis Prevost Today, history has become the first pope from the United States in the history of the Catholic Church in 2,000 years.
The new pope, he named it after this Pope Leo, Have a history of loyal tennis players and fans.
Indeed, Pope Leo’s father was a U.S. Navy veteran from World War II, graduated from Villanova University and received a degree in mathematics in 1977.
The new pope speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese and grew up with the Chicago Cubs fans.
These days, it is reported that Pope Leo is very big Carlos Alcaraz fan.
The new pope is a fan of Alcaraz! https://t.co/z8aj71p7tx
— José Morgado (@Jose Morgado) May 8, 2025
Pope Leo Xiv is stuffed with people of ability to every corner of St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, hoping for peace all over the world.
The 69-year-old pope, from Chicago, spent most of his career as a missionary in South America. Pope Leo stands on the balcony and speaks to the crowd in Italian and Spanish.
Pope Leo replaces the late Pope Francis, an Argentine Jesuit, and a devout football fan.
Robert Prevost, then honorary in Peru, told Peru’s archbishop of ethics that the archbishop of honor in Peru said a few years before the 133 voted cardinals in Peru Lanasion He is a “great tennis fan” and he longs to return to the court.
“I think I’m a great tennis fan,” said Archbishop Chicarlo at the time, Robert Francis Prevost Lanasion. “I have hardly had a chance to practice since I left Peru, so I look forward to returning to the court.”
Given his new role as Catholic president, Pope Leo praised his former Pope Francis and vowed to continue to take care of the miserable work, and probably wouldn’t have much time in tennis. The new pope has U.S. and Peruvian citizenship.
que al nuevo dad, prevost…€le gusta el tenis! 🎾“I think about tenista amateurs.
Se Banca Desde Ahora Mismo 😄 pic.twitter.com/kz49jasyg6
– Jose Moron (@jmgmoron) May 8, 2025
As thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square to watch and hear the new pope, thousands of tennis fans watched all the action of the red clay in Rome a few miles away and played the debut of the new pope on the video screen of the stadium.
The new pope is not: fabio fognini https://t.co/qsz7pkex8l
– Tennis (@tennis_now) May 8, 2025
Of course, some top tennis stars – including Roger Federer With wife Mirca and Juan Martin del Potero– Meet the previous pope. Del Potro’s rosary was lost on one of his international trips and he asked the Pope to bless his rosary.
This is a gallery of some stars traveling to the Vatican.
Embed into Getty Images
Twelve years ago this month, Del Potro went to the Vatican to meet his fellow Argentina, Pope Francis.
As a holy gift, Del Potro gave Francis his Wilson racket, who once shocked champion Roger Federer to win the 2009 U.S. Open. That gift brought a bright smile to the Pope’s face.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndjf7bektes
The experience from Pope Francis is incredible, and it’s something I’ll never forget,” said Del Potro from Tandil, about 250 miles from Buenos Aires, the hometown of Pope Francis. “It’s a dream come true for someone like me. This is an unforgettable moment.
“I was so nervous before meeting him, to be able to congratulate him and talk to him. He was very good. Everyone knew he was humble. Today is a day I will always remember.”
Del Potro meets the Pope in the Vatican. Argentinians Carlos Berlocq and Horacio Zeballos, Kevin Anderson of South Africa, Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico and Marin Cilic of Croatia also attended the meeting.
