"Can't wait to watch all the teams this year" - Leylah Fernandez, Kim Clijsters and Ons Jabeur declare their allegiances for 2022 FIFA World Cup
Tennis stars Leylah Fernandez, Ons Jabeur and Kim Clijsters recently declared their allegiances to the recently commenced 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicked off on Sunday in Qatar with a lavish opening ceremony that saw K-Pop band BTS’ Jeon Jungkook performing the anthem 'Dreamers.' It was followed by the first match of this edition between hosts Qatar and Ecuador.
Fernandez, Jabeur, and Clijsters took to social media to express their excitement and reveal which team they will be rooting for.
Fernandez took to her Instagram to post a video showing her football skills. She acknowledged her love for football and stated that she began playing tennis as a result of a football bet, adding that she will be supporting Ecuador and her home country, Canada.
"Fun fact...before tennis my first love was with futbol. The reason I started tennis was actually based off of futbol bet. Can’t wait to watch all the teams this year. I’ll be cheering on [Ecuador] and [Canada] extra loud from home. Who will you be rooting for?" Leylah Fernandez wrote.
Former tennis player Clijsters also took to social media to express her delight and state that she will be sitting on the couch for the next few weeks, "yelling & cheering" on the TV. While she did not explicitly name the country she would support, she did post her home nation Belgium's flag to indicate who she would be rooting for.
"Here we go ! For the next few weeks mom will be sitting on the couch more then normal , might order take out a little more, will not hear everything you say or ask , will be yelling and cheering at the tv, #QatarWorldCup2022, #besteventintheworld, #childhoodmemories," Clijsters wrote.
#QatarWorldCup2022 #besteventintheworld 
#childhoodmemoriesHere we go ! For the next few weeks mom will be sitting on the couch more then normal , might order take out a little more, will not hear everything you say or ask , will be yelling and cheering at the tv … 😉#QatarWorldCup2022 #besteventintheworld 🇧🇪❤️⚽️#childhoodmemories
World No. 2 Jabeur responded to Clijsters' tweet wondering if the final will be contested by her country Tunisia and Belgium.
"Tunisia, Belgium, in the finals?" Jabeur wrote.
Belgium @Clijsterskim Tunisia 🇹🇳 Belgium 🇧🇪 in the finals ? 🤣
How have Leylah Fernandez and Ons Jabeur fared at Grand Slams in 2022?
Leylah Fernandez did not get off to a strong start at the Grand Slam tournaments, falling to Maddison Inglis in the first round of the Australian Open. She bounced back at the French Open, defeating top players such as Belinda Bencic and Amanda Anisimova to reach the quarterfinals, where she was upset by Martina Trevisan.
The World No. 40 missed Wimbledon due to a foot injury before competing in the US Open, where she was eliminated in the second round by Liudmila Samsonova.
Meanwhile, Ons Jabeur, who has had a breakout season, withdrew from the Australian Open owing to a back injury and failed to make a mark at the French Open, losing in the first round to Magda Linette. She reached the finals of the other two Grand Slams - Wimbledon and the US Open, where she lost to Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek, respectively.