"The reason I started tennis was actually based off of futbol bet" - Leylah Fernandez joins Clijsters, Jabeur in making FIFA 2022 World Cup allegiances

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 World No.1 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.

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.