Sinner has won three matches in Rome without dropping a set. He celebrated his on-court excellence by giving himself a day off on Wednesday. However, it was a day off like no other. Sinner began the day by meeting the new Pope, Leo XIV, who is reputed to be a huge tennis fan. Sinner ended the day at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, where he took in the Coppa Italia final.

In between, Sinner managed a quickfire training session at Foro Italico. His itinerary was picked up by the Janniksin Updates X account, accompanied by footage of him at the soccer match. The caption read:

“Stadio Olimpico, Roma. 12.00 Meeting with Pope. 17.00 Training at Foro Italico. 20.00 Coppa Italia Final #MilanBologna”

Jannik Sinner is the top seed at the Italian Open. Surprisingly, he’s never won his home tournament, and his quarterfinal appearance against Ruud will be the furthest he’s progressed at the event.

“We all felt the passion that Leo XIV has for our sport and this filled us with pride. We hope to embrace the Holy Father again soon, maybe on a tennis court.”

Later that evening, Sinner attended the Italian Cup Final, which saw Bologna beat AC Milan 1-0. The Italian has been an AC Milan supporter since he was a boy, so he would have been unsettled by the result. However, his experience at the Vatican earlier in the day would have more than compensated for his disappointment.