Jan. 29 (UPI) — Pope Francis congratulatied Italy and Jannik Sinner on Monday morning for capturing their first title at the Australian Open. He also spoke about the values of tennis and importance of “integral growth.”
Sinner beat Russian Daniil Medvedev for his first Grand Slam title Sunday in Melbourne. The No. 4 seed rallied from an 0-2 set deficit for the 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 triumph over his No. 3 foe in his first major final appearance.
“Today, we must congratulate the Italians, because they won in Australia yesterday, didn’t they?” Pope Francis said in a speech given to the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona in Vatican City. “So, congratulations to them, too.”
Sinner’s victory resulted in the first Australian Open title for an Italian man or woman. It also was the first Grand Slam title won by an Italian man since 1976, when Adriano Panatta won the French Open. Sinner and Panatta are the only Italian men to win Grand Slams since 1968, the start of the open era.
“It means a lot and it’s maybe the most important,” Sinner told reporters Sunday in Melbourne, when asked about support from Italians. “The support I’ve gotten throughout the years is incredible. … I feel like they pushed me [so] I can believe in myself and having so much support is amazing.”
Real Club de Tenis Barcelona is a private sport club in Barcelona that has hosted professional tournaments, including the Barcelona Open. The club is celebrating its 125th anniversary.
Sinner, 22, received a $2.1 million prize for winning his first Grand Slam. He is the No. 4 player on the ATP Tour, his highest career ranking.
The Innichen, Italy, native made his professional debut in 2018 and failed to advance past the fourth round in eight of his first nine Grand Slam appearances. Sinner reached the quarterfinals in three of four Grand Slams in 2022 and advanced to his first semifinal at Wimbledon 2023.
“Tennis in particular, not being a team sport, but rather individual or in pairs, presents an interesting aspect of our reflection,” Pope Francis said.
“It would seem that the challenge between players has to do primarily with the desire to prevail over the adversary. … In tennis, as in life, we cannot always win, but it will be an enriching challenge if, playing politely according to the rules, we learn that it is not a battle but a dialogue that involves our effort and allows us to improve.
“Conceive of sport a little not just as a battle, but also as a dialogue. A dialogue is established that, in the case of tennis, very often succeeds in becoming artistic.”
Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone, who won the 2015 U.S. Open and 2010 French Open, respectively, are the only Italian women to win Grand Slam singles titles in the open era.
Sinner withdrew from next week’s Open 13 Provence in Marseille, France, tournament organizers announced Monday.
The 2024 French Open is the next Grand Slam tournament on the tennis schedule. The clay-court major will be held May 26 to June 9 in Paris.
