Vacancies Around the Vatican

As Jannik Sinner returns in Rome, it's clear no man stepped up to fill his shoes.

The papal conclave to elect the next pope begins tomorrow, Wednesday, May 7. Catholic cardinals from around the world have gathered in Vatican City to decide which mortal to elevate to the church’s top spot. Once a suitable successor to Pope Francis emerges by acclamation of the group, white smoke will billow from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.

Also this week, only about a mile and a half north of the conclave, men’s tennis players from around the world have also congregated at the Foro Italico in Rome.

But the College of Cardinals shouldn’t look northward to that group for any advice: this is a collective which has resoundingly failed to put forward a clear successor while their own throne sat vacant, producing three months of nothing but hazy black smoke when a new leader could’ve stepped up.

Tennis players don’t need to know as much Latin for their jobs as do those cardinals at the Vatican. But safe to say, at a 101-level, that there was not a lot of diem getting carpe’d among top ATP players once Sinner became persona non grata.

The Big Guys Shrinking From Opportunity

When No. 1 Jannik Sinner agreed in February to serve a three-month absence from the tour to settle his case with WADA regarding positive tests for the banned substance clostebol at Indian Wells in March 2024, a window was wide-open for a successor to emerge. Several top players had big openings to either take over the top spot itself or to make serious headway toward unseating the stalled Sinner.

But instead, the absence of Sinner only revealed a series of men not reliably ready to meet the moment for various reasons.

For more on just how thoroughly the men’s field failed to seize the moment—and lots of great tables and charts and such in a ~2,000 word post—please subscribe to Bounces to read this subscribers-only post! Thanks! -Ben