Carlos Alcaraz draws amusing admission from Catholic priest after their Vatican City tour ahead of Italian Open final

May 18, 2025

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Carlos Alcaraz, currently in Rome for the 2025 Italian Open, recently paid a visit to Vatican City. Here, the Spaniard explored the St. Peter’s Basilica with the help of a local priest. Later, the priest posted a hilarious reel featuring his exchange with Alcaraz. In the reel, he joked about not having been aware of Alcaraz’s stature in contemporary tennis while giving the four-time Major champion a tour of the iconic Italian High Renaissance church.

Ahead of Alcaraz’s men’s singles semifinal showdown against Lorenzo Musetti in Rome, the priest took to his Instagram and posted the amusing reel. In it, he added captions to inform viewers about his exchange with the Spaniard during the latter’s visit to the Vatican. One of the captions read:

“Explained St. Peter’s basilica to some guy who plays tennis”

The priest soon stated in the reel that he was only made aware of who Carlos Alcaraz is after their meeting had concluded. He also playfully hinted at challenging the Spaniard to a tennis match in future, before wishing the latter the best for his 2025 Italian Open semifinal outing.

"Next time I'll be sure to challenge him to a match," the priest added.

"Just kidding! Good luck brother, you got this!," he concluded.

Alcaraz would go on to register a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory against Musetti in the semifinals. Later, reigning No. 1 and home favorite Jannik Sinner overcame Tommy Paul's threat in the other last-four encounter. The Spaniard and the Italian are now set to fight it out for the prestigious ATP Masters 1000 claycourt title at the Foro Italico on Sunday, May 18.

Sinner himself spoke up about reigniting his rivalry with Alcaraz following his semifinal win.

"It's always special to share the court with Carlos Alcaraz" - Jannik Sinner after setting up Italian Open final clash against Spaniard

Jannik Sinner (left) and Carlos Alcaraz (right) (Source: Getty)

At a post-match press conference in the aftermath of his comeback victory against Tommy Paul in the semifinals of the 2025 Italian Open, Jannik Sinner laid bare his thoughts on facing Carlos Alcaraz in the final. Sinner and Alcaraz, despite being rivals, are on friendly terms.

"We know each other quite well now. It's always special to share the court with him. I feel like we both know how to play against each other a little bit, so we have to be prepared tactically. Of course, small things are going to be changed," Sinner said.

Alcaraz has a 6-4 win-loss record against Sinner in the pair's ATP Tour-level head-to-head. The Spaniard came out on top against the Italian on all three occasions they locked horns last year, with their most recent competitive meeting resulting in a thrilling 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3) victory for Alcaraz in the final of the 2024 China Open.

About the author

Sudipto is a Tennis journalist at Sportskeeda holding a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. He has an experience of 3+ years across the market research, travel, health, lifestyle and sports sectors.

Sudipto has followed Tennis since the early 2000s and stays up-to-date with the sport by following both active and former Tennis players, and seasoned journalists. He also follows ATP and WTA updates, watches documentaries and interviews of professionals, and only reads esteemed publications. He sources all information for his articles only from credible publications stays away from unsubstantiated claims. In just a matter of 3 months, he has gained a readership of almost 2 million at Sportskeeda!

Sudipto admires Rafael Nadal for his fiercely competitive on-court nature and his ability to make memorable comebacks after injury layoffs. The Spaniard may be the GOAT for him, but he also respects the accomplishments of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Beyond Tennis, Sudipto also has an interest in music, football, and video games alongside cooking and traveling.

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