Some players admire Serena Williams from afar, and then there is Leylah Fernandez. The 23-year-old Canadian witnessed Serena cry at her farewell US Open and was once told off by security at Roland Garros for asking her idol for a picture in the locker room. She didn’t have the slightest regret.

“I was still a junior, playing the French Open juniors, and it was my first time at Roland Garros in Paris,” Leylah Fernandez recalled. “I saw Serena in the locker room, and I didn’t know the rule that you’re not allowed to ask for pictures, and I just went up to her and asked. She was super kind. She said yes, she gave me a smile, we took a picture, and she wished me luck. It was just such a nice 10-second moment. Unfortunately, security told me off that I couldn’t do it again, but I’m glad that I did.”

This moment may have been fleeting for Serena Williams, but it shaped Leylah’s entire career. She recalls watching Serena win the Rogers Cup as a young girl in Canada.

“Every time I was watching tennis, she would win the tournament,” she said.

She recalls the Wimbledon final between Serena and Venus, and the sibling rivalry struck a chord with her because she has her own sister. She remembered her first visit to Wimbledon, where she watched Serena dominate an opponent in under an hour on Centre Court.

“It was my first time ever at Wimbledon. She was so dominant, and it stuck with me.”

Then there was the Hopman Cup Gala Dinner. “She came and said hi, and it was just a moment I won’t forget. She’s someone I’ve looked up to in sport my whole entire life. She’s such an icon but also just such a leader of this sport, and the fact that she came up to me and said hi meant a lot to me.”

Leylah Fernandez faced Serena for the first time on court in Madrid when she was only 16 years old. “Playing against her was a dream coming true,” she said simply.

The last time she saw Serena Williams was as a spectator at the 2022 US Open farewell. “I was pretty sure I was crying when she was playing because I knew it was going to be her last one. But now she’s back, and now we get to see her again, which I’m so thrilled about.”

The then-19-year-old Fernandez had openly hoped that she would get the chance to compete against Williams at the professional level before the latter retired. Now, four years later, her wish has been granted.

A Tough Exit in Singles, but the Grass Season Is Far From Over

The irony: Fernandez shared this tribute at Queen’s Club, where Serena is making her comeback. The local star Katie Boulter came from a set down to beat her 3-6, 7-6 (4), and 7-5 in a first-round match. The match stretched over two days, the second set having been postponed overnight due to fading light.

However, Leylah Fernandez and partner Laura Siegemund have managed to best the pair of Alexandra Panova and Demi Schuurs in the first round of the Queen’s Club. They will be facing the challenging pair of Serena Williams and Victoria Mboko in the next round.

Fernandez will now travel to Berlin for the WTA 500 from June 15 to 21. The Berlin Open is a tournament where she has previously demonstrated her ability to compete on grass. After that, she’ll be heading to Bad Homburg from June 22 to 29 for a final tune-up before Wimbledon.

Her Wimbledon record has not been as impressive as her hard-court game, with second-round exits in 2023, 2024, and 2025. However, the practice on the grass ahead of it allows her to change that. She is 23 and is very consistent with her gameplay. The surface suits her left-handed serve and aggressive return game better than her current results would indicate.

The girl who cried while watching Serena Williams’ farewell at the 2022 US Open will now be watching from a different location as her idol continues to play at the Queens Club. She passed up the opportunity to share a court with her here, but after a lifetime of Serena Williams memories, Berlin and Wimbledon are still ahead of her.