Leylah Fernandez

Leylah Fernandez is a professional tennis player from Canada. She reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 13 in August 2022 and has won three WTA singles titles. Fernandez was a finalist at the 2021 US Open and played a leading role in Canada’s historic Billie Jean King Cup victory in 2023.

Player Profile and Personal Life

Leylah Annie Fernandez was born on September 6, 2002 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to Jorge Fernandez, a former football player from Ecuador, and Irene Exevea, a Filipino Canadian. She stands 168 cm tall and is left-handed with a two-handed backhand. She is coached by her father, Jorge Fernandez, and has earned over US$6 million in prize money.

Fernandez resides in Boynton Beach, Florida, and trains with her family. She has a younger sister, Bianca Jolie Fernandez, who also plays tennis, and an older sister, Jodeci. Leylah speaks English, French, and Spanish fluently.

She is studying business at Indiana University East while competing on tour. Fernandez is a fan of Real Madrid and Manchester City, enjoys dancing, solving puzzles, and has a passion for desserts, especially molten lava chocolate cake. She is active in charitable work through the Leylah Annie & Family Foundation.

Juniors

Fernandez achieved a career-high ITF junior ranking of No. 1 in 2019. She was the runner-up at the 2019 Australian Open girls’ singles and won the 2019 French Open girls’ singles title, becoming the first Canadian female junior Grand Slam champion since 2012.

She also won multiple ITF junior titles and was a member of the Canadian Billie Jean King Cup junior team.

Career

Fernandez made her professional debut on the ITF Circuit in 2016 and won her first pro singles and doubles titles in 2019 at the Challenger de Gatineau.

She made her WTA main-draw debut at the 2018 Tournoi de Québec, winning her first match. In 2020, Fernandez reached her first WTA final at the Mexican Open in Acapulco and made her Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open. She broke into the Top 100 after a strong run at Roland-Garros.

Her breakthrough year came in 2021, when she won her first WTA title at the Monterrey Open and reached the final of the US Open, defeating Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber, Elina Svitolina, and Aryna Sabalenka before falling to Emma Raducanu.

She was named the Canadian Press Female Athlete of the Year. In 2022, Fernandez defended her Monterrey title and reached the French Open quarterfinals, but missed the grass season due to injury.

In 2023, Fernandez won her third WTA title at the Hong Kong Open, reached the French Open doubles final with Taylor Townsend, and helped lead Canada to its first Billie Jean King Cup title, earning MVP honors.

She also reached the quarterfinals in singles at Guadalajara and Cleveland, and in doubles at the US Open and Miami Open. In 2024, Fernandez was a singles finalist at Eastbourne and reached the semifinals at Hong Kong. She made the singles third round at the Australian Open and quarterfinals at Abu Dhabi, and was a doubles finalist at the Catalonia Open.

Career Record

Singles

• Career record: 202–131
• Career titles: 3
• Highest ranking: No. 13 (August 8, 2022)
• Current ranking: No. 27 (February 3, 2025)

Best Grand Slam Singles Performances

• Australian Open – 3R (2025)
• French Open – QF (2022)
• Wimbledon – 2R (2023, 2024)
• US Open – F (2021)

Other tournaments

• Olympic Games – 3R (2024)

Doubles

• Career record: 86–61
• Career titles: 0 WTA, 2 ITF
• Highest ranking: No. 17 (October 23, 2023)
• Current ranking: No. 31 (February 3, 2025)

Best Grand Slam Doubles Performances

• Australian Open – 3R (2021, 2025)
• French Open – F (2023)
• Wimbledon – 3R (2024)
• US Open – QF (2023)

Other tournaments

• Olympic Games – 2R (2024)

Mixed Doubles

Best Grand Slam Mixed Doubles Performances

• Wimbledon – 2R (2023)
• US Open – QF (2022)