NATIONAL BANK OPEN

August 8, 2024

Leylah Fernandez

Press Conference

A. KRUEGER/L. Fernandez

6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Who has the first question for Leylah?

Q. How do you break down the singles match this afternoon start to finish?

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ: Well, you guys saw the match, it wasn't the prettiest match, it wasn't the greatest match. I think from the start to finish I wasn't able to take advantage of the points that were given to me. I had a couple break points early on and at the end of the sets, and I couldn't convert any of them. I think I should have been more offensive, and I wasn't. I wasn't there mentally, I wasn't there physically.

Q. Where is your serve at right now, are you working on things, where do you feel that part of your game is at?

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ: You know, we're working on every aspect of my game, not just my serve, we're working on the forehand, the backhand. Yeah, the serve has been a struggle the past couple of years, but it has improved a lot, tremendously, since I started working with my dad, so we just got to follow that process.

Q. On a day like this where the first match of the day is a loss, but then you have to come back and play a second one, how do you compartmentalize that to get refocused for the second match?

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ: I didn't (laughing). The reality was that my sister was the boss on the court in doubles. My dad gave her the green light to take over, and, you know, she, credit to her, she did an amazing job in snapping me out of my little rut. I was very disappointed with my singles loss, and to get back on court it was extremely hard for me.

She did some amazing points. She pumped us up. On some important points she looked at me and she gave me full confidence that I was going to do my part of the job, that helped me to kind of calm down, calm down those emotions.

Q. It's not very often that you play the same opponent twice in the same day. Was there anything going in that doubles match where you could think back to the singles and change a tactic facing against Ashlyn again?

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ: Nope. I didn't do anything, I didn't change anything. I was just like, Okay, well, whatever I did in the singles, for the doubles do the opposite, so, yeah.

Q. Just wondered, at the end of the doubles match, what did you and your sister say to one another? It looked like you shared some words out there.

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ: You know, I would like to keep that a secret, because for me that was a special moment that I want to keep it between us. I had a very tough day, so, like, when I saw the way that she carried us in doubles, that made me proud. I think she was the one that was MVP of the match. She gave me strength and she won the match for us.