"My dad said why not just try it out" - Leylah Fernandez on dropping Roger Federer's On sneakers for Breanna Stewart's signature basketball shoe
Leylah Fernandez recently switched her tennis footwear, ditching her go-to Roger Federer On sneakers for Breanna Stewart's signature basketball shoes. Fernandez's move has raised quite a few eyebrows, and she herself admitted to being asked a lot of questions about it in a recent interview with TennisOne.
Addressing her choice, the youngster said she stumbled upon the Puma Stewie 2 — Breanna Stewart's signature shoes — while browsing for new gear. She said the sneakers looked a lot like tennis shoes and that she was encouraged by her father to try them out on the court.
“I’ve been getting a lot of questions and comments about that,” Leylah Fernandez said. “Yes I am (wearing basketball shoes), I’m wearing Puma Stewie 2 and they feel super comfortable. They actually look a lot like tennis shoes—that’s actually where I saw them.”
“I saw it close to the tennis shoes and it looked like a tennis shoe, and I’m like, Ah, let me try this out. The clerk just told me, No, it’s basketball shoes," she continued. “And then, some funny statement my dad made… He said why not just try it out on the tennis court? I’m like, yeah I’ll do it! Let me buy it and let’s try it out. And I fell in love with it.”
Turning to her results with the shoes, Fernandez said things have been going "super well" for her so far on the court. She added that she even loves the colors as they match her latest Lululemon clothing range.
“So far it’s been going super well,” Leylah Fernandez said. “I’m feeling great on court. I love the shoes, I love the colors. It matches super well with the Lululemon outfit. I’m super happy that I get to experiment on a couple of things.”
Fernandez was using Roger Federer's On sneakers up until the 2023 US Open, but switched to her latest footwear midway through the tournament.
Leylah Fernandez rediscovers her form in Guadalajara
After a largely muted 2023 season, Leylah Fernandez rediscovered some of her best tennis on the courts of Guadalajara, Mexico, earlier this week.
The former US Open finalist reached the quarterfinals at the WTA 1000 event, posting wins over the likes of Elise Mertens, Emma Navarro and Asia Muhammad. She eventually fell short against the in-form Sofia Kenin.
The run will help Fernandez surge up the WTA rankings. She is projected to jump 14 places in the ladder to re-enter the top 60.