Stefanos Tsitsipas hilariously invited actress Margot Robbie to watch him play tennis while speaking about his love for Australia after beating Jiri Lehecka in the Australian Open quarter-finals.
Before the game, the Greek called the tournament his "home slam", highlighting Melbourne's large Greek community. "Wherever I look I see Greek faces, I see Greek people speaking Greek," he said.
"Of course, it's very important when you're far away from home to have that sort of feeling, to connect even more with the culture that you're at. It feels very welcoming when you're able to walk around and feel that. It's for sure my home slam."
And after beating Lehecka 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-4, Tsitsipas spoke to former Australian Open winner Jim Courier and caught him off guard with his mention of the actress. "Australia is such a great country," Tsitsipas said.
"I like a lot of Aussie things. One of my favourite actresses comes from Australia... Margot Robbie."
Tsitsipas' comment drew laughter from the crowd as Courier jokingly asked: "Are you pitching right now? What's happening? Are you making an offer? What are we seeing here?"
"It would be nice to see her here one day," he replied. The 24-year-old has now reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open for the third year in a row and is confident he can go on to win his first Grand Slam singles title in this year's tournament.
"I think I've matured a bit over the past few months," he told German outlet Wettfreunde. "So I'm aware that if I'm able to fulfill my potential in Melbourne, I'll have a good chance of winning my first Grand Slam title in my career.
"This also includes a bit of luck and certain details, such as how you are on the day, which will play an important role. I have a good feeling. I've been training hard in the last few weeks after my vacation, especially in the endurance area. Now I feel ready for this new season."
