Jorge Fernandez was not going to attend his daughter Leylah’s all-teen US Open final showdown yesterday with Britain’s Emma Raducanu over fears about messing with routines that are working.
Jorge Fernandez, a former soccer player from Ecuador who became a tennis coach for his daughter, was to watch from home in Florida — as he has for two weeks — when 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez was to meet 18-year-old qualifier Raducanu for the title.
“No, I’m not going to be there,” Jorge Fernandez told US Open reporters on a conference call. “I’m extremely superstitious. My daughter is as well. I’ve been using the same shampoo on game day, kind of using the same jeans on game day, I think the same socks and underwear — it’s taken to a completely different level.”
Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY
“It’s nothing new. You do your shoelaces a certain way. Leylah and I have always when we figured out what’s working, we don’t mess with it,” he added. “It’s working, so let’s not ruin it.”
Raducanu is the first qualifier to ever reach a Grand Slam final, while Leylah Fernandez ousted three of the world’s top five to reach the final.
“You’re playing another warrior in front of you. I don’t think the age, who it is or the ranking should even matter,” Leylah Fernandez said.
“It’s a finals. Let’s leave it all on the table. Let’s sweat it all out. Let’s make sure that no matter how it finishes, there are no regrets,” she said.
Jorge Fernandez painfully recalled the last time he watched Leylah in a final.
“It was Acapulco when she made it to the finals and she lost it,” Jorge Fernandez said. “I was hating myself for a good two months afterwards. I didn’t really want to talk about it.
“They say: ‘C’mon, it’s just a game, she made it to the finals,’ but inside me it’s like: ‘No, I shouldn’t have shown up. I shouldn’t have been there,’” he said.
“It’s really about superstition. She knows I’m supporting her from afar. I’m in her heart and she’s in mine,’ he added. “Everybody who has seen it from the stadium, fantastic, but I’m going to look at her right across the kitchen table when we’re going to have dinner and we’re going to be OK.”
They are also in touch often, with Leylah Fernandez receiving calls on a schedule: the night before a match for plans, the next morning for workout needs and for the pre-match pep talk.
“It’s more based on sentiments and emotions,” he said. “It’s almost like a virtual hug and a kiss. ‘Good luck, you know what to do.’ It’s more of a motivating conversation. What I say is what I’m feeling in the moment, what I’m feeling from her.”
It is a final boost for the mental fortitude Leylah Fernandez shows on court.
“She’s just unbelievable with her mindset right now. She shows so much fight,” he said. “But she is human, and she does feel those emotions.”
Leylah Fernandez has developed her toughness being a student of tennis.
“That poise has come from her watching a lot of tennis, watching some of the big names, the YouTube clips, watching the matches,” her father said.
“She’s constantly analyzing what happened,” he said. “She’s a great student of the game. I think that brings that poise that we see in her, able to do what she’s doing because she has watched it so much.
“She’s kind of acting with the same poise that past champions have done,” he added. “She has learned how they recuperate and keep their poise. That’s what we’re seeing.”
Both finalists have Asian heritage, with Leylah Fernandez from the Philippines on her mother’s side.
“Those two ladies are touching a lot of young girls. This can only be good for tennis,” Jorge Fernandez said.
“They bring a flair that is very unique for them. I’m glad that they’re touching the Asian community. That’s a huge opportunity in the women’s game just to be able to expand and have a new style,” he said.
He thanked a Filipino-Canadian group for their support of Leylah Fernandez.
“I truly appreciate the Filipino community backing up Leylah,” he said. “It’s so beautiful. I’m glad that they’ve embraced her. I hope that relationship can only grow between her and her community.”
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani on Monday wobbled through a 28-pitch first inning at home against the San Diego Padres in his first appearance on the mound since August 2023. Scheduled to throw as many as two innings, Ohtani went a single frame while allowing one run on two hits. He did not issue a walk nor strike out a batter. “Not quite happy with the results overall, but the takeaway for me is that I feel good enough to be able to make the next outing,” Ohtani said of his pitching performance. Ohtani still wound up with a positive impact
RSS