Pope Francis calls tennis type of artistic dialogue
We just couldn’t let this stuff go …
Pope Francis congratulated Italy on Monday after tennis player Jannik Sinner became the country’s first man to win a Grand Slam singles title in nearly a half century.
Sinner won the Australian Open title on Sunday and Francis made the acknowledgment during an audience with the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona.
“Today we have to congratulate the Italians because yesterday they won in Australia, so we congratulate them, too,” the pope said.
Francis noted that since tennis is an individual sport or played as doubles, “it would seem that the objective of the game is to be better than the opponent.”
“However, looking at the history of your club you can see that, in reality, since its English origin, it is an expression of the openness of the founders to the good that can come from abroad and a dialogue with other cultures.”
The Barcelona club was celebrating its 125th anniversary.
“In tennis, as in life, we can’t always win,” Francis added. “But it’s an enriching challenge if it is played in an educated manner according to the rules. … Sports are not just about competing but also relations. And in the case of tennis, it’s a dialogue that often becomes artistic.”
In November, Sinner also led Italy to its first Davis Cup title since 1976. Sinner and the rest of Italy’s winning Davis Cup team are due to be honored by Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Thursday.
The last Italian man to win a Grand Slam singles title was Adriano Panatta in 1976.
While Sinner remains No. 4 in the rankings, Panatta said he’s shown over the past four months that he deserves to be No. 1.
“He’s an exceptional kid and one of the best export products we have,” Panatta told Italian radio. “He will surely win many Slams. He’s got a mix of great skill, great desire and great character. Plus, he knows how to handle himself in difficult moments. I’ve rarely seen a player like that.”
Sinner rallied from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s final.
Trivia question
Tennis was Sinner’s third priority growing up. What were his primary sports?
‘Gamesmanship’
As Ravens kicker Justin Tucker stretched on the M&T Bank Stadium field while Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes warmed up more than an hour before Sunday’s AFC championship game, Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce tossed Tucker’s footballs away and threw aside his helmet.
The moment — shared on social media by NFL Network — went viral and prompted criticism of both Tucker and Kelce. On Monday, after the Ravens’ 17-10 loss, Tucker explained that he thought the move by Kelce was “just some gamesmanship.”
Tucker said that Mahomes asked him to move his helmet, and Tucker “happily got up” and moved it out of the way.
“At least I thought it was enough out of the way. And then Travis comes over and he just kicks my stuff and he throws my helmet,” Tucker said. “I just thought it was all just some gamesmanship, all in good fun, but they seem to be taking it a little bit more seriously and I’m totally willing to let it all go.”
Trivia answer
Skiing, he won a national title in giant slalom at age 8, and soccer.