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.”
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
Rafael Nadal on Tuesday lost in straight sets to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round at the Madrid Open, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles. Nadal said that he was feeling good about his progress following his latest injury layoff. Nadal called it a “positive week” in every way and said his body held up well. “I was able to play four matches, a couple of tough matches,” Nadal said. “So very positive, winning three matches, playing four matches at the high level of tennis. I enjoyed a lot playing at home. I leave here with
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
When 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated worldwide. Spectators at the 45,000-plus seater venue witnessed one of boxing’s biggest upsets as unbeaten heavyweight champion Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round by the unheralded Douglas in February 1990. Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since that unforgettable encounter when Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue puts his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery. The 31-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a huge star in Japan and is just