"The designer was inspired by Venus Williams' dress from a few years back"- Leylah Fernandez on her Met Gala outfit

In a recent interview with the Australian Open, Leylah Fernandez opened up about her experience at the 2021 Met Gala. The Canadian revealed that meeting Anna Wintour, Vogue's Editor-in-Chief, was a "dream come true" for her. She also said her dress was "inspired" by the outfit Venus Williams' wore at a Vogue photoshoot several years ago.

Fernandez made headlines with her phenomenal run at the 2021 US Open. The Canadian defeated three top-five seeds, including Naomi Osaka, en route to the final, where she was beaten by Emma Raducanu. Fernandez then made her first red-carpet appearance at the Met Gala.

Speaking about her preparation for the event, the Canadian said everything felt like a "Cinderella story."

“The preparation, the whole preparation, was like a Cinderella story. I never imagined myself to be in that situation or to even experience it. So to be able to visit the Vogue building to pick out my dress, to meet Anna Wintour during Met Gala was a dream come true," mentioned the 19-year-old.

Fernandez hit the red carpet in an elegant black-and-white Carolina Herrera dress, a tribute to Venus Williams, who donned a similar outfit in 1998.

"I was very lucky to have worn a dress by Carolina Herrera. And the designer was inspired by Venus Williams' dress from a few years back. So, I was very lucky enough to be able to represent them and represent the dress the best way I could," added the Canadian.

In the interview, Fernandez revealed that her family didn't inform her about the Met Gala invitation until after the US Open final as they didn't want her to lose focus.

“It was a nice surprise after the (US Open) finals when my mum told me, ‘oh, by the way, we’re invited to the Met Gala’. And right before my press conference, I was like 'really.' The funny thing is that I got the invitation during the tournament but nobody told me. They wanted me to focus on my matches. They didn't want to surprise me with anything," said Fernandez.

Leylah Fernandez will kick off Australian Open 2022 campaign against Maddison Inglis

Leylah Fernandez during a training session ahead of the Australian Open 2022

Leylah Fernandez will take on home favorite Maddison Inglis in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday.

The Canadian enjoys a 2-0 advantage over Inglis in the head-to-head, but this will be their first meeting at a Grand Slam. If she advances, she could face Caroline Garcia in the second round.