With professional sports all imposing new measures to allow a safe return to competition, tennis has been forced to face the severe uncertainty of managing an international tour during a pandemic
Since their return in August, Professional Tours have made international headlines for all good and bad reasons, with Naomi Osaka’s powerful advocacy for social justice and Novak Djokovic’s controversial failure at the US Open. dominating the headlines in recent weeks
With tennis in the spotlight, there is a player who has flown quietly under the radar – literally and figuratively – with her mighty five-foot stature
Despite a four-month suspension from the tennis calendar, the 18-year-old is in the middle of a 2020 season, a season that has seen her score one goal after another over the course of a year of unprecedented firsts
Born in Montreal to a Filipino mother and an Ecuadorian father, Fernandez originally grew up playing a variety of sports, including soccer, volleyball, and track and field, before learning tennis unexpectedly While she initially wanted to become a footballer to follow in her father’s footsteps, Fernandez admits it was her naturally competitive nature that really made her fall in love with tennis.
« I’ve always been a competitive girl Everything at home is a competition, so who got the best marks between my sister Bianca Jolie (who also plays tennis) and me, who gets up and down faster. stairs, even who cleans dishes better, ”she said En Fuego between tournaments in Europe “That kind of [competitiveness] made the transition to sport, so no matter who I played against – boys or girls younger and older than me – I always wanted to win and I always wanted to beat them »
With her father as the head coach, Fernandez quickly rose through the ranks as a promising junior, winning provincial, national and international titles, including the 2019 Roland Garros Women’s Singles Title In the process, she became the No. 1 junior ranked in the world and immediately decided to start making the full-time transition to the professional circuit
Despite growing outside of Tennis Canada’s traditional high performance program, Fernandez has had the opportunity to work with a number of national coaches, but his father has remained the biggest constant of his life, which the 18 year old admits she can be an extremely difficult balance
« It is really very difficult because he is very demanding as a father and a coach », explained the teenager « He always speaks the truth and he is there to help me and to push me to achieve my dreams and my goals, and I think some coaches don’t want to cross that line [to be extremely direct] «
It’s a complicated relationship that has always been present in Fernandez’s life, especially with the level of commitment both parents have made to supporting her and her sister’s in the tennis career. booming
A few years ago, the family moved from their home in Laval, Quebec, to a small apartment in Boynton Beach, Florida, where the sisters share a bedroom and have year-round access to public courts. While her father Jorge often travels with her abroad, Leylah’s mother, Irene, works full time and takes care of Bianca when she is not playing her own tournaments, leaving the family geographically divided for weeks.
« [My father and I] have had our moments with very intense discussions, but in the end I know I still have a lot to learn, » noted the 18-year-old, who does not take these sacrifices lightly « Honestly what really helped get through the tough times is I know he’s a loving dad and he’s really funny which is hard to believe He pushes me to be independent He doesn’t don’t keep me in a box He always teaches me to make decisions for myself and be accountable to them «
Ranked No 209 earlier this year, Fernandez successfully qualified for her first Grand Slam main draw at the Australian Open and turned heads weeks later when she upset the World No 5 Belinda Bencic in Canada’s Fed Cup draw against Switzerland
With renewed confidence in his abilities, Fernandez received a last-minute wildcard for the Abierto Mexicano TELCEL presentado por HSBC draw, which saw him make his way to Acapulco for the first time in mid -February Bolstered by support from both Canadian and Latin American fans who seemed to increase as the week went on, Fernandez tore himself apart, winning six straight games – all without dropping a set – to reach the final
« In the semi-final [against Renata Zarazua from Mexico] the crowd was not with me, but they appreciated the effort I put into the tennis match, » recalls the 18 year old with a smile “The crowd was so intense I loved the atmosphere, and just being able to experience that at 17 in a big stadium helped me [realize] that not everyone won’t be on my side, but i just have to keep focusing on my game and keep working harder «
While conditions ultimately suit her game, the Canadian credits the atmosphere for helping her mature while making her feel truly ‘at home’ on her inaugural visit Despite falling in three difficult sets to veteran Heather Watson in the final, Fernandez had won over audiences with her courageous play and touching finalist speech delivered in fluent Spanish – one of three languages she speaks in addition to English and French
« I didn’t feel like I was in a different country [or] an unfamiliar place, even though it was my first time in Mexico I felt so comfortable and I felt how loving and grateful they were to tennis and the competition, « she noted » See how our cultures – because [part of] my family’s culture is Ecuadorian-Peruvian and Mexican – connect to each other was cool «
During the four-month shutdown, Fernandez isolated herself with her family in Florida, where she continued to train while preparing for her high school diploma and learning to drive.
After taking the time to reconnect with her family, the 18-year-old later reflected on the role her diverse upbringing played in shaping who she is today, adding: » I never really felt the need to do anything more or needed to be someone specifically [to fit into a certain group] «
« I’m a proud Canadian, [and] I have a heritage of two amazing cultures My dad was a little more consistent because we spent a lot of time together, so I always spoke Spanish with him and we ate much more Ecuadorian-Peruvian food than Filipino food But just being able to explore these different cultures, I think it made me a better player «
She continued, « On my father’s side there is a lot of intensity and fire, while on my mother’s side it is more low-key and calm. My Latin roots, they’re really passionate and loud and sometimes I’m like that on the tennis court Other times I’m more like my Asian side where I’m calmer, think a little bit more and problem-solve at the instead of continuing with the emotions and intensity «
As she prepares to wrap up her season in Europe, likely at the rescheduled French Open in Paris, Fernandez is aiming for even bigger things, on and off the pitch Having won the junior title last year, the Canadian will be looking for similar success in the women’s draw, which was her « No 1 goal in the season »
While his long-term goals are to become No 1 in the world and to win as many Grand Slams as possible, Fernandez says his ultimate goals transcend the sport, especially in a nation that has seen a rise skyrocketing number of players over the past decade « What I really want is to set an example for the young generation, the young players I want to bring more players to tennis and make it an even bigger international sport, maybe even as popular as football » , she said
« With my heritage, I would like to inspire some federations to not always look at a player’s stature – how tall and strong he is – but more on the talents and the work on their game With time and age, one hopes that the body will get stronger So with the success [that] I hope I’ll be able to inspire them, inspire the next generation, inspire the smaller players so that they can also realize a big dream, even if it is not only in tennis, but it can also be in different sports «
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