"Leylah Fernandez gets angry, she used to get mad at me" - When Canadian's father shed light on her 'not an angel' personality

Leylah Fernandez is known for her calm and composed demeanor on the court, but according to her father and coach, Jorge, she isn’t always as serene as she seems. He revealed that she has a competitive edge and can lose her temper at times.

Fernandez has been coached by Jorge since the very beginning of her tennis journey, benefiting from his experience as a former soccer player and coach. Under his guidance, she achieved the biggest milestone of her career at the 2021 US Open, reaching the final at just 19.

Jorge, however, wasn’t in New York to support Fernandez in person, as he was torn between attending her match or supporting his younger daughter, Bianca, in Spain. To stay neutral, he chose not to travel to either event but remained connected with Leylah over the phone, even speaking to her during match breaks.

During one such moment, Leylah Fernandez called her father during a rain delay in her second-round match against Kaia Kanepi at Flushing Meadows. Speaking to Radio-Canada, Jorge revealed that she was trailing in the second set when she reached out. He told her she wasn’t sticking to the game plan, which made her furious. However, that frustration seemingly fueled her, as she went on to turn the match around and secure the win.

"This conversation was lively," Jorge Fernandez said. "I told her she wasn’t facing a top 10 player, she wasn’t following the plan and that this game should be over already. Leylah was really angry. She hung up, then ended the game in 20 minutes at 7-5. I think her momentum came at that point."

He added:

"Of course, Leylah gets angry. She has character and she's not an angel. She used to get mad at me. Now she mostly gets angry with herself. I've been telling her for a year and a half that if she played on my soccer team, I would keep her on the bench because she doesn't want to do what the coach tells her to do."

Fernandez took down some of the biggest names in the sport, including Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber, Elina Svitolina, and Aryna Sabalenka, to reach the US Open final. However, she fell short against Emma Raducanu, who made history as the first qualifier in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title.

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Leylah Fernandez has not been able to get past Grand Slam QFs after US Open glory

Leylah Fernandez pictured at the 2021 US Open | Image Source: Getty

Leylah Fernandez had a fairytale run at the 2021 US Open, but luck hasn't been on her side since then. She has struggled to replicate that level of dominance, failing to progress beyond the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam in the years that followed.

Since then, Fernandez has competed in 12 Majors, with her best result coming at the 2022 French Open, where she reached the quarterfinals. Along the way, she secured wins over Belinda Bencic and Amanda Anisimova but fell to Martina Trevisan.

The Canadian competed at the Australian Open earlier this year but fell in the third round to Coco Gauff. Her next big opportunity will come at Roland Garros in May, where she will look to make a deeper run.