"Someone I would switch places with for a day? Cristiano Ronaldo, he is just a beast" - Leylah Fernandez
Leylah Fernandez recently picked football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo as the person she would want to trade lives with for a day. The Canadian remarked that she wanted to experience the emotions that came with being a "beast" on and off the field.
Speaking in an interview with the Tennis Channel as part of their Warm & Fuzzy series, the teenager expressed her desire to see first-hand how the Manchester United and Portuguese legend went about his daily routines.
"Someone I would switch places with for a day? Cristiano Ronaldo. He is just a beast off the field and on the field," Fernandez said. "So I want to switch places with him, see how he manages everything. I want [to learn from a champion like that]."
She also touched on other light-hearted topics over the course of the interview, such as how she kept herself calm during matches. The World No. 19 revealed that she cleared her head by singing her favorite songs like Billy Idol's Rebel Yell and Journey's Don't Stop Believin' to herself.
"I would just sing songs in my head [to get in a warm, fuzzy mindset on the court]," Fernandez said. "My favorite one would be either 'Don't Stop Believin'' or 'Rebel Yell' from Billy Idol."
Leylah Fernandez also spoke about an incident from her childhood, when one of her teachers advised her to give up tennis and concentrate on her education instead. The 2021 US Open runner-up said the criticism ended up serving as a source of motivation for her.
"There was a teacher who told me to ditch tennis. I would just tell her, "Thank you for telling me that", because that just brought more hunger for me to keep pursuing tennis." She wasn't the only one who told me to stop, but that was the [instance] I really remembered," Fernandez said.
Fernandez also credited her mother for helping her see negative feedback in a positive light. The Canadian recalled how her mother told her to pick herself up and work hard to prove the teacher wrong.
"I came out of the class after school, crying to my mom. She said, "You know what? Don't listen to that teacher. Just prove her wrong." I am glad I am doing just that," Fernandez said.
Leylah Fernandez is on the entry list for the upcoming Indian Wells Open
Leylah Fernandez has not hit the ground running this season. Following a second-round exit from the Adelaide International at the start of the year, the 19-year-old suffered a shock defeat in her Australian Open opener against home favorite Maddison Inglis.
@maddyinglis stuns No.23 seed and US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-2.There's nothing like your first Grand Slam win 🙌
A beaming 🇦🇺 @maddyinglis stuns No.23 seed and US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-2.
#AusOpen • #AO2022 https://t.co/J81SPjVjpc
Fernandez has not played a match since, but the World No. 19 is on the entry list for the Indian Wells Open. She made her debut at the tournament last year and reached the fourth round. Seeded No. 23, the teenager defeated Alize Cornet and ninth seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova before falling to Shelby Rogers in a tight three-setter.
Another (winning) fight from Fernandez!
Leylah Fernandez rallies past Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the round of 16 in Indian Wells.
It's another first for the Canadian, who had previously never reached this far in a WTA 1000 event.
Up Next: Shelby Rogers https://t.co/1NrjmZHsHL
The Canadian will be hoping to produce a similar run at the WTA 1000 event this year as well. The tournament, scheduled to be held from March 9-20, is headlined by World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and features the five top-ranked women on the WTA tour.