On the occasion of the Real Barcelona Tennis Club’s visit to the Vatican for its 125th anniversary, Pope Francis took the opportunity to send a message of best wishes to Jannik Sinner who became the first Italian champion of the Australian Open.
During the speech the Pope stated: “Congratulations to Italy and Sinner for the victory. Life lessons can also be learned from tennis.”. Francisco is not only a football fan and a supporter of San Lorenzo, but he likes sports in general.
The Italian Jannik Sinner poses with the trophy that accredits him as the winner of the Australian Open, the Norman Brookes Cup, during a pose with the press this Monday in Melbourne, Australia. EFE/James Ross Furthermore, it highlighted some qualities and contributions of tennis to society. “It would seem that the challenge between players has to do above all with the desire to prevail over the opponent, but in reality, since its English origins, it is an expression of the founders’ openness to the good that can come from the outside and to dialogue with other cultures”he noted.
He was also emphatic in his reflection on fair play: “How ugly and sterile is the victory that is achieved by cheating and deceiving others!”.
It is not the first time that Pope Francis refers to tennis, as he received it in 2013 Juan Martin del Potro and in 2015 to the authorities of the Italian Federation of this sport.
Source: Clarin
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