Stefanos Tsitsipas declares his allegiance to Lionel Messi's Argentina ahead of 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinal against Croatia
The fan club of Argentina and Lionel Messi now has the addition of Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has expressed his support for the team ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinals. The likes of Diego Schwartzman, Victoria Azarenka, and Andy Murray have been vocal in their support for Argentina or Messi, and Tsitsipas has joined the chorus.
There has been a lot of buzz among soccer fans within the tennis players' community regarding the ongoing World Cup. Argentina fans will be particularly thrilled as their team has made it to the semifinals, where the Lionel Messi-led side will face Croatia on Tuesday.
Ahead of the big game, Tsitsipas declared his allegiance, expressing a "Vamos" for the South American side while sporting the team's jersey.
"Vamos Argentina," Stefanos Tsitsipas wrote on Instagram.
Unfortunately for Tsitsipas, his home country Greece, the 2004 UEFA Euro champions, did not make it to the 2022 FIFA World Cup Finals. Tsitsipas still seems to be closely following the event and even praised the Japanese team a few days ago after they beat soccer powerhouses Germany and Spain to top their group at the ongoing World Cup.
The World No. 4 expressed his admiration for Japan and lauded them for their fighting spirit and work ethic.
"Congratulations #JPN. You guys are huge fighters with a big heart. Keep putting in the work, keep dreaming big!" Tsitsipas wrote on Twitter.
Congratulations #JPN! You guys are huge fighters with a big heart. Keep putting in the work, keep dreaming big!
When Stefanos Tsitsipas took soccer more seriously than tennis
Stefanos Tsitsipas once joked that he was more serious about playing football than tennis, sharing a picture of himself as a kid while playing on a football field. The Greek player was joined by his teammates during a practice session, suggesting that he regularly played the sport as a child.
"Back in the day when I took my football more seriously than tennis," Tsitsipas wrote in an old Twitter post.
Back in the day when I took my football more seriously than tennis. 😄 https://t.co/Ax5vV4GQyn
Tsitsipas took to the tennis court last week, competing in the Diriyah Tennis Cup exhibition tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He lost to Cameron Norrie in his singles quarterfinal match.
However, his doubles match created a lot of buzz as he teamed up with Nick Kyrgios, just a few months after their heated Wimbledon match and the war of words that followed. The duo lost to eventual title winners Hubert Hurkacz and Dominic Stricker.
The Greek player will begin his 2023 season at the United Cup, where he will join Maria Sakkari in representing Greece at the team event.