Leo XIV has a weakness for this sport. The Pope is a great fan of it

Since the death of Pope Francis on April 21, and his funeral five days later, there has been much debate about who the next Holy Father will be. Let us recall that Jorge Mario Bergoglio, from Buenos Aires, became pope on March 13, 2013.

Interestingly, Pope Francis was a huge sports fan, especially football, which he played in his youth. He supported San Lorenzo de Almagro from Buenos Aires until the end of his life. He even had a membership card and paid club dues.

Leo XIV is a sports fan. Robert Prevost on his passion for tennis

As we reported , after the passing of Pope Francis, the president of the aforementioned San Lorenzo club announced a special declaration. Marcelo Moretti wrote an open letter to the media after the death of the most famous fan, informing that a new stadium will be built named after "Pope Francis".

Today (May 8, 2025), in the late afternoon, a new Holy Father was elected. White smoke emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. The name of the new head of the Catholic Church and successor to Pope Francis was revealed after 7:00 p.m. It is Robert Prevost from the USA, who took the name Leo XIV.

The world media quickly began to bring closer the figure of the new Holy Father. As reported by the sports portal bolavip.com, Leo XIV is a declared tennis fan. As he admitted in one of the interviews, quoted in the text , he considers himself a great fan of tennis competition. What's more, when he lived for years in Peru, he played as an amateur tennis player.

Interestingly, a recording appeared on social media showing the new pope appearing on a large screen placed at the tennis courts in Rome.

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It is hardly surprising, the capital of Italy is currently the centre of attention, and at the same time there is a WTA and ATP tournament included in the 1000 cycle, in which on Thursday the defender of the trophy from last year, Iga Świątek, scored a victorious opening .