"I'd rather watch Leylah Fernandez than Juan Martin del Potro" - Tennis writer explains the importance of relatability in the sport
Tennis writer Joel Drucker says that he prefers watching Leylah Fernandez over Juan Martin Del Potro as he himself is a lefty, like Fernandez. He also relates to her more as a player and observed how people relate to tennis players based on their own personalities and characteristics.
On an episode of the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast, host and former WTA player Jill Craybas conversed with Drucker. The pair spoke about Drucker's preferred players and how he manages to write his pieces while keeping his biases aside.
Drucker also discussed how tennis is different from team sports as everyone can relate to the players at a fundamental level.
As a writer, he is expected to stay neutral, however, Joel Drucker discussed his own preferences when it comes to players. He spoke about preferring Leylah Fernandez over Juan Martin Del Potro due to the former being a southpaw.
"Del Petro is a great player, but it's like music, like Bruce Springsteen. Del Potro for me personally, I am left-handed, I'm 5'7", so you could see why Leylah Fernandez would appeal to me. I was like, wow, that's what I should be doing with my forehand but professional[ly] I would'nt be doing my job if I was constantly advocating 'Why isn't Del Potro playing left-handed?'"
He also delved into tennis fans being drawn to players who replicate their personalities and physical characteristics.
"I think the neat thing about this game more than the team sports is we could relate to it elementally. How many people go to tennis and they watch themselves. In tournaments I see, people I play with and they are talking to me about players, like my tall friends they like watching Del Potro. He liked Del Potro, he liked (Tomas) Berdych and my tenacious friends liked Kei Nishikori and David Ferrer and I'm looking for lefties, like I'm looking for disrupters," Drucker concluded.
A look at Leylah Fernandez's achievements in her tennis career
The 20-year-old Leylah Fernandez is a talent to watch out for on the WTA tour. In her young career, which began in 2019, she is already a Grand Slam finalist.
Fernandez and Brit Emma Raducanu scripted history at the 2021 US Open as both the finalists were teenagers. Fernandez beat Aryna Sabalenka, Elina Svitolina, and defending champion Naomi Osaka on her route to the finals. However, Raducanu got the best of her in straight sets.
Fernandez won her WTA title at the 2021 Monterrey Open by defeating Viktorija Golubic 6-1, 6-4.
At the French Open last year, the Canadian reached the quarterfinals but was outclassed by Italian Martina Trevisan. Her best result at the Australian Open was reaching the second round this year and playing the first round at Wimbledon.
The Canadian reached a career-high ranking of No. 13 in August last year.