Leylah Fernandez has revealed that her family went through a ‘scare’ earlier this year. The 22-year-old, who lost in the first round of the Canadian Open last week, confessed that her ‘mental state’ has been unbalanced in the wake of an incident.
Fernandez did not reveal what had happened, but she suggested that her family and team have been ‘challenged’ away from the court. Having now found a ‘balance’, the Canadian is hoping to improve her form. She rose to prominence after reaching the 2021 US Open final – losing to Emma Raducanu – but recently ended a 21-month trophy drought by lifting the Citi Open title.
“Mental state’s been a little up and down. My family and I, we went through a bit of a scare earlier this year, and same with my team,” Fernandez revealed ahead of the Cincinnati Masters. “I feel like this year we’ve been challenged a lot off the court.
“Now that we’ve found the balance, things are a lot better. We’re enjoying our time. We’re very grateful to be here, and now I’m just excited to be playing the North American swing. It’s been a while since I’ve been back in the U.S. and Canada, so it’s great to be playing near home.”
Fernandez, who is the world No. 24, has a bye to the second round of the Cincinnati Masters. She could come up against a 45-year-old Venus Williams, who has made a full-time return to the WTA tour.
Williams has 23 years on Fernandez and will face the youngster if she defeats Spain’s Jessica Bouzas in the first round. Fernandez revealed that she idolised Venus and her sister Serena while growing up and hopes she gets the chance to share a court with the seven-time Grand Slam champion.
“Oh man, it’s going to be an incredible match if it does happen,” Fernandez said. “Venus, she’s a legend. She’s an icon. Growing up, when I first started playing tennis, people asked me, ‘Who did you watch when you were growing up?’ I always said Justine Henin and the Williams sisters.
“I see a lot of similarities between their family and my family. They kind of built the path for us, and if I do have the opportunity to play against her, I’m just gonna be super happy, a little kid living her dream and playing one of her idols.”
