The red tennis court in Vatican City (circled) can be seen in this enlarged image from Google Earth.
Pope Leo XIV might be the first American to sit in Rome’s high seat but is he the first tennis player to do so?
Hard to say. But there is a tennis court in Vatican City. It’s not easily accessible (duh!) but it has been the site of some incredibly hard-fought matches among the clergy, the Vatican staff (and the Swiss Guards) over the years it has stood there.
Satellite images on Google Earth show a red court tucked into the northern corner of the Vatican City. Most don’t even know it’s there. But it has seen its share of action.
The New York Times notes, “the golden era of Vatican tennis was the late 1970s, after the court was renovated. Even the Cardinals got caught up in that first tennis boom of the modern era, according to archival research from the Pontifical Council for the Laity.”
The tournament flourished for years until participation waned. Now, say enthusiasts, the time is perfect to restart it.
The new pontiff, for his part, characterizes himself as an enthusiast – bit not a pro.
“I consider myself quite the amateur tennis player,” Leo, the Chicago-born Augustinian missionary Robert Prevost, said in a 2023 interview with the Augustinian Order after taking over the Vatican’s powerful Dicastery for Bishops following nine years as a missionary in Peru. “Since leaving Peru, I have had few occasions to practice, so I am looking forward to getting back on the court. Not that this new job has left me much free time for it so far.”
Of course, that was two years ago – and the papacy does consume a great deal of time. Still, in an interview published by the Associated Press, journalists at a press conference “offered to play doubles, or to organize a charity match. Leo seemed game but said, “we can’t invite [Jannik] Sinner,” in an apparent reference to the English meaning of Sinner’s last name.”
Sinner, for his part, took it in stride asking a reporter, “Why does (the pope) have to make it difficult for me?”
Pope Leo is already being hailed as being incredibly dialed into the sports world. He supports the Chicago White Sox (hey, he is from the Windy City, after all), cheers for Villanova hoops (he went to college there) and has also tweeted (yes, he tweets) about his hometown Catholic high school’s sports victories. He’s a cutthroat player of Wordle and Words with Friends, but there is no word yet on whether he supports the Chicago Bears.
Whether or not the pope gets to restart the Vatican’s tennis tournament or even to use the court, one thing is certain, noted the New York Times: He’ll have no trouble scoring tickets to the Italian Open.
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