“Brings a Smile to My Face”: Leylah Fernandez Reveals Childhood Memory With Father Helps Handle Adversities On-Court

After producing back-to-back top-seed upsets at the US Open this year, young Canadian tennis sensation Leylah Fernandez had a tough luck in the finals as she lost to the in-form Emma Raducanu. But, the Canadian gathered scores of fans during her incredible run in New York where she defeated the likes of Naomi Osaka, Elina Svitolina, and Aryna Sabalenka.

Fernandez reveals a childhood moment that she thinks of while facing adversities on-court

When asked about how she deals with pressure on-court after her third round matchup, Fernandez gave an adorable answer. She revealed an affectionate memory of playing football with her dad in a park and mentioned that going back to that moment eases all her pressure.

“Every time that pressure is going up on court, I think back to that moment. It always brings a smile to my face, calms me down. Just want to be a little kid who want to be playing in a park once again. That just helps a lot”, said Fernandez.

Even in the US Open final against Raducanu, Fernandez was smiling despite the match not being in her favor and only got a bit emotional towards the end of that contest. From what the Canadian explained, it’s evident that this innocent memory from her childhood keeps her serene under pressure.

Leylah Fernandez survives a three-set scare against Pavlyuchenkova at Indian Wells 2021

Leylah’s third-round opponent was the French Open runner-up, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

It was not an easy matchup for Leylah, but the Canadian showed immense grit in tense situations and got out of trouble with a courageous baseline game. Fernandez lost the first set and then bounced back in the next two to defeat the Russian, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.

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At Indian Wells, the youngster is enjoying the love and support showered by local fans as there have been packed crowds for all her matches so far. Also, her doubles matchups alongside Gauff have been equally enthralling as well.

Coming to Leylah’s upcoming match, she will face the American Shelby Rogers for a place in her maiden WTA 1000 quarter-finals. The duo met once on tour last year at the Top Seed Open in Lexington, where Rogers defeated Fernandez in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5.

Even though Fernandez enters the match as a favorite, her defeat to the American last year and the fact that Shelby Rogers defeated Ash Barty at the US Open might make this match an enthralling one to witness.

Also read: “Have No Regrets”: Leylah Fernandez’s Father Reveals Real Reason For Not Traveling With Her at US Open 2021