Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina celebrates after defeating Richard Gasquet of France during their ATP World Tour Finals tennis match at the O2 Arena in London, November 4, 2013. REUTERS/Toby Melville

Global tennis icon Juan Martin Del Potro may have just shrugged off the theft that happened to him in a Paris train station on Saturday. But he remains devastated because among the loot that the theft got was the rosary that no less than the Pope Francis blessed in Rome in May 2013.

"The Rosary was very valuable to me and I'm sad I lost it," Mr Del Potro said in a press statement. Apart from the holy relic, the professional tennis player also lost his passport, some personal documents and money, "but the Rosary was the most important thing."

Mr Del Potro hails from Argentina, the same birth country of the present 266th top leader of the Roman Catholic church, Pope Francis. He is likewise a devout Catholic.

En route to London for the ATP World Tour Finals, a fan supposedly ask for his autograph at the Gare du Nord train station in Paris. He then set down his bag.

"I was finishing the check-in and was asked for an autograph. I turned around to sign it and within 20 seconds, it was stolen," the 25-year-old global tennis star player, the world's number five, said.

Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina poses with his trophy after defeating Milos Raonic of Canada in their men's singles final match at the Japan Open tennis championships in Tokyo October 6, 2013. REUTERS/Yuya Shino

In May 2013, Mr Del Potro was one of those fortunate to meet and mingle face to face with the then newly installed Pope Francis.

"It was an incredible experience with Pope Francis, something that I'll never forget," he said. "It was a dream come true for a guy like me. It was an unforgettable moment. I was very nervous before meeting him, to be able to congratulate him and talk with him. He was nice. Everybody knows he is very humble. Today was a day that I'll remember for ever."

Video Source: Youtube/ romereports