Leylah Fernandez recalls watching Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal's matches as a kid, says she wants to bring the same "energy" on court
Leylah Fernandez recently talked about how she wants to channel Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's energy so that she can make fans happy when they watch her play.
Fernandez had a fairytale run at this year's US Open, beating Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber, Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina en route to the summit clash. However, she came unstuck in the final against fellow teenager Emma Raducanu, losing in straight sets.
Nevertheless, Fernandez won quite a few hearts along the way with her passionate tennis and effervescent on-court personality.
During a recent conversation with Pia Ramos of Marca Claro, the Canadian revealed that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had been great role models for her with respect to how they play and carry themselves on the court. Fernandez also expressed a desire to bring a "smile" to her fans with her tennis, much like Nadal and Federer have done over the years.
"I remember when I was little and I watched Nadal and Federer's matches and I saw how the fans behaved with that kind of attitude," Fernandez said. "That kind of tennis and that's what I want to bring to the court, the same energy from them, give the fans a smile and they can have a good time looking at my tennis."
Leylah Fernandez then went on to reveal that she watched a replay of her defeat to Emma Raducanu the moment she got back home. Fernandez believes she failed to put forth her best tennis against the Brit, but expressed satisfaction at having had a successful run at the US Open.
"Directly when I returned from home I watched the game," the 19-year-old said. "Honestly it was not my best game, I know my level of play and I know that that was not my best day. But I am happy with the way I fought the last two weeks and now to go back to work and improve my tennis game."
Leylah Fernandez did better than both Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal as a teenager at the US Open
Leylah Fernandez was 18 at the start of the 2021 US Open; she turned 19 on 6 September, mere days before the final. The Canadian managed to make the summit clash of a hardcourt Major in her teens, something that neither Roger Federer nor Rafael Nadal did.
While Nadal won his first Major (2005 Roland Garros) as a 19-year-old, he did not make the final of a hardcourt Major until he was 22. That was when he won the 2009 Australian Open.
Roger Federer was also 22 when he reached his first hardcourt Major final, at the 2004 Australian Open. And like Nadal, Federer ended up on the winning side too.
While Leylah Fernandez managed to reach the final well before Federer and Nadal, it remains to be seen if she can go a step further and win a Slam.