Leylah Fernandez counts Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz among players who excite her the most
Leylah Fernandez has named which tennis players excite her the most on tour, citing Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz as standouts.
After middling results during the recent Middle East Swing, with a quarterfinal finish at the Qatar Open and a second-round exit at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Fernandez is set to commence her quest for her first title of the season at the 2024 San Diego Open.
Ahead of her tournament opener at the WTA 500 event, Leylah Fernandez was asked to name her favorite players to watch across both the ATP and WTA tours.
However, the Canadian struggled to name the WTA players she enjoyed watching, disclosing that she viewed her colleagues' matches with a more analytical eye to glean insights on how to face them rather than for enjoyment.
"I don't know. It's a little hard because I'm watching tennis with kind of like a competitors eye, so not really much as a fan. So, sometimes when I watch tennis, I'm watching it to analyze each player's game, my game, to see what I can do against them so it's a little hard right now to say which player gets me excited to keep watching," Leylah Fernandez said.
In contrast, Fernandez found it easier to name the players that captivated her the most on the men's tour, promptly mentioning Carlos Alcaraz for his intensity and varied playing style.
"But on the men's side, that's a little bit easier because I'm not going to be playing against them. It's always exciting to watch [Carlos] Alcaraz play, how he brings the intensity, the variation he gives his opponents," she said.
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray also earned spots on the Canadian's list, with the 21-year-old expressing particular admiration for Murray's relentless fighting spirit.
"And then also Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Andy Murray has gone through so much the last couple of years and the way that he just keeps fighting and finding a way, like it's always entertaining to see what he does next," she added.
Rounding out her list, Leylah Fernandez named Alexander Bublik for his "crazy" on-court antics.
"And of course there is [Alexander] Bublik, he always does some crazy stuff on court. He always makes it in the highlight reel every year so watching him is always entertaining, he always brings a smile to my face," she concluded.
Leylah Fernandez to take on Tatjana Maria in San Diego Open 1R
Leylah Fernandez will kick off her San Diego Open campaign against Tatjana Maria in the first round. Maria holds a 1-0 lead in their head-to-head record, having defeated the Canadian 6-3, 6-3 in the 2023 Cleveland quarterfinals.
Should Fernandez emerge victorious against Maria, she will square off against Daria Saville in the second round. Saville claimed a 6-3, 6-3 win over Zhu Lin to book her place in the Round of 16.
The Canadian's potential quarterfinal opponents at the WTA 500 event include Emma Navarro, Katerina Siniakova, and Mai Hontama.