The thirty-minute meeting with tennis player Leylah Annie Fernandez ended on Tuesday in the offices of the IGA Stadium when a respected colleague asked her the age-old question about her name: What should she want us to call it?
“I prefer Leylah Annie Fernandez,” she replied quietly. With Annie.”
When speaking about her younger sister during the press scrum, the top Canadian tennis player also used the full name Bianca Jolie Fernandez.
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“She is 19 years old and a very good tennis player,” she immediately clarified.
In addition to Leylah Annie, her sister has also been in Montreal training since the beginning of December. Together they have already played doubles in the WTA tournament in 2022, most notably in Toronto. The Fernandez sisters celebrated their victory in the first round against a duo consisting of the Belgian Kirsten Flipkens and the Spanish Sara Sorribes Tormo.
Double with his sister at the 2028 Games?
When speaking about her future plans, Leylah Annie Fernandez admits that she has already thought about competing in the Olympics with her sister one day.
“It's a dream we've had for a long time,” noted the woman who is ranked 20th in the WTA in the doubles specialty. For me it is always a pleasure to share space with her. We had the opportunity to do that last year in Toronto and had a lot of fun.”
In the short term, it is more logical to hope to see Leylah Annie Fernandez alongside Gabriela Dabrowski at the Paris Olympics, if Canada can obviously qualify.
“A gold medal in singles, doubles and mixed doubles, that’s the dream,” summed up Leylah Annie Fernandez about the next Olympic meeting. We want to win! I still have no idea what events I could attend in Paris. First we have to see if I qualify, but for me the Olympics are a very, very important event.
Fingers crossed
Fernandez says he learned a lot from Dabrowski and remembers Canada's recent triumph at the Billie Jean King Cup in November.
“She taught me a lot about tactics, especially how to play at the net, always being ready and not being afraid to take risks,” she said. Every time I play with her I learn a lot.”
With Dabrowski at the Games in Paris in 2024, then with his sister in Los Angeles in 2028?
“We keep our fingers crossed,” replied Leylah Annie Fernandez, bursting into laughter.