A tennis star was robbed in Paris after he stopped to sign an autograph at a railway station.
Thieves grabbed the bag that Juan Martin Del Potro, an Argentine tennis player, placed on the floor at Gare de Nord when he was signing the autograph.
The bag contained a rosary blessed by Pope Francis, in addition to Del Potro’s passport, and cash, reported AFP.
“I was doing the check-in to ride on the train and then I was asked for an autograph. I turned around to sign it and within 20 seconds (my bag) had been stolen,” Del Potro said through a spokesperson.
The rosary was blessed by the pope earlier this year at the Rome Masters, and Del Potro said he took it everywhere.
“It was weird and very fast. I don’t know if I was set up,” del Potro told www.atpworldtour.com.
“The Rosary was very valuable to me and I’m sad I lost it. I also lost my passport, some personal documents and money, but the Rosary was the most important thing. It’s the first time something like this has happened to me. I'll try to enjoy the tournament and not let this affect me.”
The tennis star, currently ranked number 5 in the world, was on his way to London for the World Tour Finals, which start on Monday.
