PARIS (AP) 鈥� When Pope Leo XIV was elected last year and it emerged that he was , his love of the sport was quickly celebrated during .
In the ensuing months, Leo has tried to set aside time in his busy schedule to play the sport every week as part of his to .
The Rule of St. Augustine, an ancient guide for religious life, highlights the value of good habits.
鈥淗e鈥檚 trying to keep some regularity to his routine that comes from the Rule,鈥� said the Rev. Rob Hagan, Prior of the Augustinian Province of St. Thomas of Villanova and team chaplain for the men鈥檚 basketball and football teams at Villanova University 鈥� the pope鈥檚 alma mater in Pennsylvania.
Leo鈥檚 devotion to St. Augustine was evident when he made a pilgrimage during his Africa trip in April to the archaeological ruins in Algeria where the influential 5th century theologian and philosopher lived and died and wrote some of the most important works in Western thought.
The pope “highlights a very underappreciated Augustinian value 鈥� especially in this noisy world 鈥� and that is to develop your interior life,鈥� Hagan added in an interview with The Associated Press.
Leo likes to spend Mondays and Tuesdays at the papal retreat in Castel Gandolfo in the hills outside Rome 鈥� where he plays tennis with his secretary, Monsignor Edgard Iv谩n Rimaycuna Inga, and goes swimming and horseback riding, too.
Before becoming pope, then-Cardinal Robert Prevost talked about his tennis skills in an .
鈥淚 consider myself quite the amateur tennis player,鈥� he said, in the 2023 interview after taking over the Vatican鈥檚 powerful Dicastery for Bishops following years as a missionary in Peru.
鈥淪ince leaving Peru I have had few occasions to practice so I am looking forward to getting back on the court,鈥� he added.
Marin Cilic, the Croatian pro and 2014 U.S. Open champion, said it was 鈥渁mazing to hear that Pope Leo loves tennis.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a beautiful game. You enjoy it especially when you are playing without pressure of time, without pressure of tournaments,鈥� Cilic, who comes from the Bosnian pilgrimage town of Medjugorje, said in an interview ahead of the .
A mental game
Even without the pressure of a tournament, . Staying focused and avoiding unforced errors is one of the keys to being successful.
鈥淚f your opponent is going beat you, that鈥檚 fine. But don鈥檛 beat yourself 鈥� you know, the double faults, the smash into the net. The play that really had nothing to do with your opponent but had to do with you,鈥� Hagan said. 鈥淭hat does take a certain mental discipline, an ability to create good habits.”
Tennis also is a full-body sport that requires a high level of hand-eye coordination, cardiovascular exertion and stamina. And there’s a social aspect.
It鈥檚 the perfect preparation to enable the 70-year-old Leo to carry out his day job of presiding over prayer services to thousands of faithful, constant greetings in public and private audiences, and draining papal trips around the globe.
In April, Leo traveled more than 17,700 kilometers (about 11,000 miles) on 18 flights for an 11-day tour of Africa.
鈥淛ust look at his schedule. Look at the pace that he is keeping,鈥� Hagan said. 鈥淗e can sing the mass parts because he has a lung capacity. Hear him because he has a certain strength in his voice. It鈥檚 something that they don鈥檛 teach you in the seminary: To be a priest, to be a spiritual or really any leader for that matter, it is a physically demanding job.”
Before becoming pope, he would also two to three times a week, with hourlong sessions focusing especially on posture and cardiovascular health, according to his personal trainer at the time. Prevost鈥檚 workouts, described as suitable for a man in his 50s, would last up to an hour and focus especially on the treadmill and exercise bike, .
Augustinian values
Hagan noted that because of Leo, 鈥減eople are discovering who St. Augustine is. People are discovering who the Augustinians are.
鈥淎nd people are discovering and hopefully applying these Augustinian values. We don鈥檛 have a monopoly on these values, but certainly Augustine and now Leo are putting them up on a platform that people can see,鈥� added Hagan, who has preached Augustinian values to Villanova teams for more than two decades 鈥� including two national championship basketball teams.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 mean you鈥檙e going to win every game,” he said. “It doesn鈥檛 mean you鈥檙e going to win every tennis match. But what we鈥檙e trying to be is the best version of ourselves 鈥� mind, body, soul, and spirit. St. Augustine says, 鈥楧o not be content with what you are if you want to become what you are not yet. For where you鈥檝e grown pleased with yourself, there you shall remain.鈥欌��
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