Leylah Fernandez recently opened up on her physical ability as a young player and highlighted how her parents supported her when the coaches raised concerns. Fernandez picked up the racket when she was five years old and started competing at the age of 10.
At 16, Fernandez competed at the Australian Open girls’ singles, paving her way to the final before losing to top seed Clara Tauson. In the same year, she became the first Canadian female tennis player since Eugenie Bouchard (who won the 2012 Wimbledon as a junior) to win a junior Grand Slam. Fernandez achieved this feat at the French Open after defeating Emma Navarro.
Although the world number 36 found success as a junior player, it wasn’t easy for her as she wasn’t as swift as the other girls, which raised concerns among the coaches. In her post-match press conference at the Citi Open, Fernandez reflected on how her coaches were worried about her physical abilities, but her parents defended her, saying that although she might not be as fast as the others, she had the heart and determination to chase every ball with effort.
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"I was probably the slowest out of all of the girls there," Fernandez said. "The coaches were concerned, like she's not very good physically. They talked to my parents, and my parents said, Yeah, but if you put a tennis ball in front of her and you ask her to run for every ball, she's gonna do it. Her heart and her belief in herself is much bigger than most of the girls in that camp."
Fernandez defeated Elena Rybakina 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3) to reach the final round of the Citi Open.
Leylah Fernandez expresses her joy after advancing to the semifinals at the Citi Open
Leylah Fernandez reached the doubles semifinals with her sister Bianca at the 2024 Canadian Open and lost the round to Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe. In a recent press conference, she stated that reaching the semifinal round (at the 2025 Citi Open) after almost a year felt like progress. She further expressed her joy after stating that her hard work seems to be paying off, and she wanted to stay focused and enjoy the moment.
"I think it's been a while since I have reached a semis, almost a year," Fernandez said. "So for me, it's a good stepping stone. I see that the work that I have been doing all year is paying off now. We wish it would have paid off earlier, but we can't really complain. We have to take it one match at a time, one moment at a time, and stay present, enjoy our time, enjoy the good vibes that we're feeling in D.C."
After winning the semi-final in three sets, Leylah Fernandez will lock horns with Anna Kalinskaya in the final.
