Leylah Fernandez Gets Real on Unexpected Romance Ahead of Cincinnati Open: ‘Stalked Him’

One day, Leylah Fernandez was sitting with her father-turned-coach Jorge when he asked her, out of the blue, “Have you been on a date yet?” The 22-year-old Canadian has been all about tennis since she was six years old and never really wondered about experiencing that side of life, despite having some long-distance relationships. Jorge simply suggested making a video and posting it on her Instagram account, welcoming dating offers. As Leylah bought the idea, Jorge turned into the usual ‘tough guy’ everyone saw and added one mandatory condition– “But, he has to meet me first!”

It was only fair for anyone who wanted to date a celebrity like Leylah to go through her father’s screen check. Before her Citi DC campaign wrapped up, on July 18, she followed the plan. In the video on her public Instagram account, she invited DMs to “go on one date for one hour in Montreal.” Fast forward to Toronto, she had to leave early after losing to Maya Joint despite carrying momentum from Washington’s win. While her on-court life took a break, her personal life found a spark.

The very first day of that post, Leylah already confessed to receiving over 100 messages. But her aim was simple as she took the ‘one game at a time’ approach off the court and into dating life– “I’m a tennis player but that’s not all I am. It’s just about having a little conversation and seeing if there’s a mutual interest.” She sifted through the messages and finally found the lucky one. Meanwhile, the tennis world eagerly waited to see who the star would finally choose. Although not spilling all the beans, Fernandez has finally revealed some parts of her very first date.

Tennis Channel tweeted a video of Fernandez’s interview where she talks about the first date with a caption that aptly suits the common sentiment, “we’ve been waiting for this !! 😂 dating update from @leylahfernandez 🌹.” In the video, the man behind the camera asks Fernandez, “How did the date go? What happened?” Laughing, the player answered honestly, “Oh man!!! (laughs hard before getting serious) I had a good time with the guy. He was funny, he is nice. So…”

Fernandez had already promised, “I just want to experience how it goes from there. We’re not going to think too much ahead.” Her throwing her hands in the air and smiling just might hint at some more dates. And then came the question of her selection process, which most of the participants might be wondering about. Again, replying honestly, she said,

“It’s a little hard because a lot of the guys who have been messaging me are international. So, they were going to fly in, and I was like, ‘I’m not going to do that to them.’ So I was giving it one more day, and then stumbled upon him, and his message kind of caught my attention. When I asked him like, ‘Did you even see my video?’ And he’s like, ‘No, I didn’t’. His first message was kind of caught my attention, and then afterwards I stalked him to make sure that he’s real.

“He’s a real person. Seemed like a nice guy. And then, got a couple of opinions from family, team members, (to) make sure they were okay with this too. There’s been a second date, and we’re keeping in contact. So… we’ll see.”

While talking about her family’s reaction to this earlier, she hilariously claimed that her father’s appearance tends to thwart people from asking her out. Later on, Leylah Fernandez described how she turned to her younger sister, Bianca, for her outfit selection for the date. Clearly, this has now officially become a family matter with everyone involved.

Amidst all the developments in her quest for love, the 22-year-old Canadian is also looking forward to getting back to her winning ways at the Cincinnati Masters.

Leylah Fernandez feels “much better” ahead of the 2025 Cincinnati Masters

Currently ranked 26th in the world, Leylah Fernandez has a win-loss record of 21-18 this season. Apart from winning the title at the Citi Open, her best runs this season came in Abu Dhabi and Nottingham, where she reached the quarterfinals. Before Washington, she hadn’t won more than two matches at a tournament this year.

During the recent Media Day in Cincinnati, Leylah Fernandez was asked if she could recover from the setback that she had in Montreal against Joint. Replying to that, the Canadian said, “My mental state has had some ups and downs.” She spoke about how she and her family went through a scare earlier this season.

However, despite these off-court challenges, she now claims, “We have found balance, things are much better. We are enjoying ourselves a lot, and we are very grateful to be here. I am very excited to play the North American swing. It’s been a while since I have been back to the United States and Canada, so it’s fantastic to play close to home.”

Can Leylah Fernandez bring her best version to the rest of the tournaments in the North American hard-court swing? Former pro CoCo Vandeweghe believes Fernandez is a real “threat at the US Open.” Even another tennis star, Steve Johnson, considers her an absolute threat for the rest of the summer and leading up to the US Open. At the same time, she is finding more happiness as she explores the world of dating a little more actively.