Canadian star Leylah Fernandez has started her Porsche Tennis Grand Prix campaign in Stuttgart impressively. She’s entered the tournament after a defeat to Diana Shnaider in Charleston.
Her form and career’s trajectory have recently drawn the attention of Australian icon Rennae Stubbs, who has highlighted the changes she needs in her coaching setup to make her transition to the top of the WTA.
Leylah Fernandez Receives Advice From Rennae Stubbs
Fernandez, the World No. 25, exited Indian Wells early, facing a round-of-64 loss to Kateřina Siniaková. She then competed at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, losing in the round of 32 to Jessica Pegula in straight sets. At the WTA 500 tournament in Stuttgart, she defeated the Filipino star Alexandra Eala in her opener.
The Montreal native dominated the match against Eala, dismissing her with a final score of 6-1, 6-4, in one hour and 28 minutes; this marked the duo’s first career battle. Apart from her singles, she also competed in the doubles with Hungarian talent Fanny Stollár and lost the quarterfinal match to Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Liudmila Samsonova.
However, Stubbs, the former World No. 1 in doubles, has recently shared her thoughts on the significant changes Fernandez needs to make to evolve and transform her game.
On her recent ‘Euro Swing’ episode of ‘The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast,‘ the coach and TV commentator sparked curiosity by sharing what the young Canadian must do to truly transform her career and form on court.
She said, “Get a coach, a tennis coach, and maybe move away from her dad a little bit. I think at some point you’ve got to start like working on your game with somebody different, and not that her dad hasn’t done a great job. But I just think it’s time for her to get another coach and give her sort of thought process when she is on the court; she’s a great kid.”
Fernandez is coached by her father, Jorge Fernandez, an Ecuadorian-Canadian tennis coach. He is a former association football player and coach who began training his daughter despite having no experience in tennis. He assisted the player to her maiden Grand Slam final at the 2021 US Open. She’s also won five career titles under his guidance.
Apart from highlighting the changes the WTA star needs, Stubbs also shared her views on parents coaching and its impact on relationships. “Some do and some don’t. That’s the simplest way to put it. Some are terrible relationships, and some are fantastic. I don’t recommend it to be honest.”
Regarding Fernandez’s father, in February last year, Barbara Schett, the former World No. 7, shared with Kicker Magazine that the Canadian’s father treats her in an “insane” manner and that such behavior is “terrible.”
However, in July of the same year, while sharing her thoughts on going on a date during the Montreal tournament, Fernandez revealed that her father is “very welcoming” and is “funny to be around” and that individuals shouldn’t be afraid to ask her out. In her next match at the Stuttgart Open, Fernandez clashes against Zeynep Sönmez.
