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Center Court Love Match: Stefanos Tsitsipas invites his ‘favorite actress’ Margot Robbie to watch his Australian Open semi-final… even though the Greek star has a girlfriend!
Stefanos Tsitsipas continued his charm offensive to win over the fans at the Australian Open by inviting Margot Robbie to attend his semifinal.
The Greek has been open about his love for Australia throughout the tournament, even saying some Aussie slang to the delight of the spectators at Melbourne Park.
And following his 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-4 win over Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-final on Tuesday, Tsitsipas once again showed his appreciation for Australia and Australians, specifically Robbie.
Stefanos Tsitsipas invited Margot Robbie to watch his Australian Open semifinal
“Australia is a great country, I like a lot of things Australian,” he told Jim Courier during his on-court interview after booking a semi-final berth in Melbourne for the fourth time in five years.
‘One of my favorite actresses comes from Australia, Margot Robbie.’
Asked if the Hollywood star was being ‘launched’, Tsitsipas replied: ‘It would be nice to see her there one day,’ while gesturing towards the stands of Rod Laver Arena.
Determined to get a response from the world number 4, Courier took the already awkward exchange even further.
The world number 4 extended the wild card during an awkward on-court exchange with Jim Courier (above) shortly after the end of their quarterfinal match.
‘Are you officially extending an invitation to Margot Robbie? I just want to be very clear here,’ the four-time Grand Slam winner continued.
Tsitsipas’s response was as concise as it was eloquent, as he replied: ‘Absolutely’.
While the two-time Academy Award nominee may still accept the invitation, Tsitsipas’ public admiration could prove uncomfortable for his girlfriend, Theodora Petalas.
However, it remains to be seen if the Hollywood star is a fan of tennis.
A graduate of the City University of New York, Petalas lives in London but has often been seen cheering on the Greek star from the stands of courts around the world.
“It’s a bit difficult for us, because she lives in London,” Tsitsipas told Marie Claire earlier this month.
“But fortunately it has not taken us to extremes. She comes to some tournaments to support me so we can spend some time together.’
In 2021, Tsitsipas revealed that he had started dating Petalas in 2019, when she was living in the US. The two are believed to have met through family friends in New York, but the tennis star admitted that he it took a while to work up the courage to express his feelings.
Tsitsipas and his girlfriend Theodora Petalas attending a Los Angeles Lakers game
The Greek tennis player and Petalas met in New York through some family friends
“I liked him a lot, but then I was shy and didn’t express my feelings,” he said. Sun last year.
But two years ago, back in New York, I asked her out.
“I asked him to go to Brooklyn to take some photos and I think he liked that. I took a few photos, which to this day are my favorites.
By beating Lehecka, Tsitsipas maintained his unbeaten Grand Slam quarterfinal record with six wins from six matches.
Tsitsipas will face Karen Khachanov in the semifinals of the Australian Open on Friday
The Greek, who along with Novak Djokovic still has options to finish the tournament as world number one, will face Karen Khachanov in the semifinals this Friday.
Earlier, Khachanov reached a second consecutive slam semifinal after Sebastian Korda withdrew with a wrist injury while trailing 7-6(5), 6-3, 3-0.
‘I feel very good with my tennis. I don’t think I’ve felt this good in a long time. I will definitely say yes,” the Greek told reporters. I’m a different player, I play different.
‘My mentality is different. When I’m on the court, I don’t really think about negative things, to be honest. I just go out and play the game.