Gauff and Swiatek want to check in on the papal conclave while in Rome for tennis

ROME (AP) — There could be some high-profile athletes joining the crowds in St. Peter's Square over the coming days to keep track of the conclave to elect a new pope.

With the Italian Open starting this week just up the road, tennis players Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek both said they will head down to the Vatican if they get the chance.

“I’m not Catholic. I would go because I feel like it’s an historic thing,” Gauff, the 2023 U.S. Open champion, said on Tuesday. “We talked about it. I learned a lot, because I don’t know anything about the Catholic religion. With the whole smoke thing, I thought that was cool. I would like to go and see it and be around it since we’re here.”

During the conclave, ballots are burned and black smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney means no decision; white smoke signals the cardinals have chosen a pope and that he has accepted.

Swiatek, the three-time Rome champion from Poland, said, “I would love to (go) just to have the experience. But I’ll see logistically how it’s going to look like.” She noted how there was no way to know exactly when a pope will be elected or how long the conclave will last.

The conclave starts on Wednesday and the Italian Open lasts through May 18.

Gauff is a devout Christian and often makes mention of her faith in post-match speeches, such as when she lost the Madrid Open final to Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday.

“It’s super important for me,” Gauff said of her faith. “I’m not out here trying to force anybody to believe in anything.

“Where you start criticizing people for saying anything, whether it’s religion, or pride in their sexuality or anything like that, that’s a bit of censorship. I think we all should be able to do what we want to do as long as it’s not harming other people. For me it’s important to share it and let other people know it helps me. It could also help someone else in their life."

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis