Team Fernandez no longer just a party of two
PARIS — Can Canadian Leylah Fernandez win Roland Garros?
“I hope so! However that victory is way away. I simply wish to respect this win, and focus on my subsequent match,” the 19-year-old from Montreal mentioned after a powerful three-set victory over American Amanda Anisimova within the fourth spherical on Sunday.
Can Leylah Fernandez win Roland Garros?
“Sure, that’s why we’re right here. However to be particular, I believe anyone who’s allowed to play right here is in a position, is able to successful it, as a result of they made it right here. So we by no means low cost the potential for anybody with the ability to win the French Open,” mentioned Jorge Fernandez, her father and coach.
The No. 17 seed — the best seed left in her half of the draw — will play unseeded Italian Martina Trevisan within the quarterfinals Tuesday.
If she will win that, she would meet one in all two People: unseeded veteran Sloane Stephens, whom she has defeated 3 times in three alternatives, or No. 18 seed Coco Gauff within the semifinals.
Fernandez and Gauff, 18 months youthful, met within the junior women singles semifinals of Fernandez’s very first journey to Roland Garros in 2018.
Simply 14 then, Gauff received the title.
A yr later, Fernandez succeeded her as the ladies’ champion.
Each have come a great distance in a really quick time.
Fernandez’s life now just isn’t solely night time and day from these junior days, it’s a wholly completely different universe even from a yr in the past — earlier than she reached the U.S. Open ladies’s singles last in September.
Till then, “Crew Fernandez” was a celebration of two, simply the participant and a coach. When it was possible, her father-coach would make a visit. Sometimes, her mom Irene would accompany her.
Lately, her participant’s field is normally packed stuffed with brokers, sponsors, members of the family and associates.
Fernandez signed a profitable endorsement take care of Canadian firm Lululemon, and different offers as properly, so as to add off-court incomes energy to the $2.6 million US she has already earned on the courtroom.
There may be normally a hitting accomplice on the workforce. And earlier this yr there was a bodily coach as properly.
And Jorge Fernandez has been on tour full-time.
“Clearly, the funds are in all probability the most important distinction, proper? Within the juniors, we by no means counted, as a result of there was nothing to depend. We knew what the reply was. And now we do not depend as a result of there’s greater than we might ever think about that we might have by means of tennis. So we do not make it about cash,” he mentioned. “However one side of that’s that I can undoubtedly plan for a yr, with none worries. What we’re attempting to do now could be make good enterprise choices in an effort to optimize her tennis — getting the fitting individuals, the fitting applications, the fitting know-how.”
Fernandez has had her ups and downs within the 9 months since that last on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
She started the 2022 season slowly after injuring her abductor in a warm-up event earlier than the Australian Open. It nonetheless wasn’t proper when she suffered a stunning first-round loss to Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis.
She returned solely in March, when she efficiently defended her first profession WTA Tour title in Monterrey, Mexico. And he or she reached the spherical of 16 at Indian Wells the next week.
Powerful losses adopted.
Roland Garros is the primary time Fernandez has received back-to-back matches since Indian Wells.
For Jorge, although, the large image just isn’t what his daughter accomplishes at 19. It’s the participant she will likely be at 21.
“That’s the target. When she’s 21, I’ll ask, ‘Have we carried out all the fitting issues that we needed to do between every now and then?’ That would be the actual measure of our teaching, our administration and our growth program,” he mentioned.
There have already been some turnover on Crew Fernandez in 2022.
The hitting accomplice she started the season with is gone, largely due to visa points. As a Moroccan, there have been difficulties in him with the ability to keep within the U.S. for lengthy durations of instances for coaching blocks.
Duglas Cordero — the boisterous bodily coach who was essentially the most seen member of Crew Fernandez throughout that U.S. Open last — can also be gone.
Cordero, who has been across the recreation for many years, seems to easily have taken up an excessive amount of oxygen.
“Nice man, unbelievable expertise. However we have been simply heading within the unsuitable course to what we see she wanted in tennis. As a result of we won’t overlook: we do not do tennis to be nice at health. It’s the opposite approach round,” Jorge mentioned.
“And in addition, we’re a bit of extra low-key. It simply created a couple of extra wrinkles than it ought to have. We’re simply so targeted; we simply didn’t need any distractions.”
Crew Fernandez has been in search of one other coach to interchange Romain de Ridder, who travelled with Fernandez for the higher a part of two years however left after final yr’s Wimbledon.
There may be one other Fernandez daughter with skilled tennis aspirations, Bianca. So Jorge now has two gamers to maintain.
However he isn’t an enormous proponent of bringing in a brand new coach throughout the season; he prefers a brand new coach are available in and do the pre-season so assist create the connection and take a look at out the chemistry.
“We sort of need to watch out, additionally. There are some coaches who do not wish to change. They actually do not wish to change. They’ve their approach. That’s what makes it sophisticated. It’s not a standard type; a whole lot of issues we do are completely different,” he mentioned. “The explanation why I wish to work with somebody is as a result of they’ve a wealth of data and expertise that may assist us clear up new issues. Not, ‘We’ve received to alter as a result of that is the best way it is carried out’.
“The sport has modified. The athletes have change into extremely gifted in lots of, many features. So now we have to additionally evolve in our teaching mentality … in our teaching methods. And actually, generally I really feel individuals simply wish to sit within the field and get their identify on the market.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Might 30, 2022.
Stephanie Myles, The Canadian Press
