HEARTBROKEN: Diego Schwartzman and Victoria Azarenka amongst disappointed spectators at Lionel Messi and Argentina’s opening match defeat against Saudi Arabia at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
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Despite being stars in their own rights and in their own courts, tennis players are just as human as any of us. With that being said, they can be just as upset as normal FIFA fans upon watching their favorite sportsperson or team crumble down during a match. And that’s precisely what fans recently witnessed at the FIFA World Cup when Argentina suffered a 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia yesterday.
For the uninitiated, Schwartzman, 30, is an Argentine national, whilst the 33-year-old Azarenka is a longtime fan of Lionel Messi. Both tennis stars were spotted in the stands, cheering Argentina to victory. However, unfortunately for the duo, and for all Argentina fans for that matter, the team faced a rather shocking defeat at the hands of Saudi Arabia in the group-stage match, much to the disappointment of the fans
Schwartzman, who is currently ranked 25th in the world by the ATP, had traveled all the way to Qatar (the host nation) with unbridled enthusiasm. He even shared a series of pictures on his official social media accounts, which reflected his spirit. His family and his girlfriend accompanied him on this trip.
However, his hopes got crushed on D-Day as his compatriots, captained by none other than popular personality Lionel Messi, lost the opening day match against Saudi Arabia – a relatively weaker opponent than mighty Argentina. Schwartzman, who was seen sporting the jersey of his country’s football team, was visibly furious at how the match unfolded and was caught by the cameras while glaring as the match approached full-time.
Having had an average season himself, with a 31-26 win-loss record, one can assume Diego Schwartzman hoped for a better year-end for his country and countrymen.
“Life dream” to watch Lionel Messi play – Victoria Azarenka
2-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka claimed it was her “life dream” to watch Lionel Messi play for Argentina. Taking to her Twitter handle, The Belarusian shared a snap of Messi in action, claiming it was a long-time wish for her to witness this. Messi, 35, heads the Argentinian squad as their captain and plays in the forward position.
The 33-year-old also shared a video of Messi celebrating after scoring a penalty shot, the only point in Argentina’s favor. Unfortunately for Vika, Messi and his team would suffer and could not score another point against the Saudi Arabian team, eventually losing their opening-day match.
While the result might not have been the one she was hoping for, it must have been a wonderful moment for Azarenka, whose love for Messi has been well-documented. “Got a Messi signed Barca jersey as a gift for New Year. I was so happy and still am. Now I’m an official big fan lol” she tweeted over a decade ago. She had also stated on a different occasion that “What Messi does on a football field is simply unthinkable. The way he walks from side to side, and once he sees an opportunity, he simply creates magic.”
Read more: Why are the tennis balls yellow and not green or red? » FirstSportz
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Aradhana Nayak
(189 Articles Published)