Serena, Swiatek, Gauff and Jabeur lead the tribute to a classic World Cup final

It was a match for the history books: Lionel Messi and Argentina won the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar on Sunday in a dramatic final against France that was decided on penalties, with the tennis world watching every turn.

World number one Ons Jabeur, who had already been to Qatar to watch his Tunisian team play in the group stage, returned to the final on Sunday.

After defeated Emma Raducanu to win the Mubadala World Tennis Championship on FridayJabeur told his evening at Lusail Stadium live on Twitter, culminating in his view of Argentina’s victory celebrations.

As it turned out, Raducanu also traveled to Doha and called out the last “icon” in the aftermath on Monday.

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No matter which team they supported, the players loved the drama. Argentina led both at half-time 2-0 before France equalized in the second half with two goals from Kylian Mbapp within 90 seconds of each other, much to the delight of American teenager Coco Gauff, who was firmly in support of the French side.

But when the dust cleared, the blue and white won. Prominent Messi fan Victoria Azarenka was among those to congratulate the Argentina captain on his first ever World Cup win, while Argentina supporters Daria Kasatkina and his girlfriend Natalia Zabiiako were overcome with emotion at the final whistle.

However, there was no shortage of love for the runners-up, with French stars Caroline Garcia and Aliz Cornet among those who heaped praise on Les Bleu.

Former US Open champion Gabriela Sabatini and Roland Garros semifinalist Nadia Podoroska (along with ATP stars Juan Martin del Potro and Diego Schwartzman) were among Argentina’s crowd to lead the applause for their home team.

Away from Argentina, world number one Iga Swiatek led the cheers of those who arrived impressed by the all-time classic.