Rome, 9 May (LaPresse/Ap) – While competing in the Italian Open in Rome, Greek tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas said he would be happy to play a few balls with the new Pope Leo XIV if he could find the time. After defeating France's Alexandre Muller 6-2, 7-6 (3), Tsitsipas said, ‘I think figures like him can teach human beings something, and I feel lucky to have been here when the announcement was made.’ Tennis is the sport that the first American pope loves to play. In a 2023 interview with the Augustinian Order, the future Leo XIV said, ‘I consider myself a respectable amateur tennis player.’