Jorge Fernandez (tennis coach)

Jorge Fernandez is an Ecuadorian-Canadian tennis coach[1][2] and former association football player[3] and coach.[4][5] He is the father and coach of professional tennis player Leylah Fernandez who was a finalist in the 2021 US Open Women's Singles finals against Emma Raducanu.[6]

Early and family life

Fernandez was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador.[7] When he was four years old, his family relocated to Montreal, Canada,[7] and he became a Canadian citizen when he was 14.^[citation needed] His wife Irene Exevea is a Canadian of Filipino descent.[8]

Career

Fernandez was a semi-professional footballer and played football in local leagues in Montreal.[7][9] He is the father and coach of professional tennis player Leylah Fernandez and her younger sister Bianca Jolie.[8][3][10] He started coaching his daughter despite never having played tennis himself,[11][7] however he draws his coaching skills from his footballing career.[12]

References

1. Fraser, Stuart (26 September 2020). "Crazy training and a 'soccer mentality' – the unusual path of French Open debutant Leylah Fernandez". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
2. Masters, Mark (9 September 2021). "A teary-eyed Jorge Fernandez shares incredibly powerful words about his daughter Leylah's success". BARDOWN. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
3. "Roland-Garros : le titre juniors pour la Canadienne Leylah Annie Fernandez". L'Équipe (in French). 8 June 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
4. "Leylah Fernandez's Father Won't Attend The U.S. Open Final Because He's 'Extremely Superstitious'". Adam Zagoria. Forbes. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
5. Courtney Nguyen. "Why Leylah Fernandez's father Jorge doesn't have a ticket to the US Open final". WTA. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
6. Graham, Bryan Armen (10 September 2021). "Raducanu and Fernandez's extraordinary roads converge on final unlike any other". the Guardian. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
7. Waldstein, David (4 September 2021). "Leylah Fernandez, Who Beat Osaka, Leads a Canadian Charge". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
8. "Canadian Fernandez wins junior title in Paris". TSN. The Canadian Press. 8 June 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
9. "La relación de Leylah Fernández con el fútbol. Esto reveló en 2019 su padre, el guayaquileño Jorge Fernández" (in Spanish). El Universo. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
10. Helene Elliott (8 September 2021), "Elliott: Leylah Fernandez follows father's advice and fights for U.S. Open dream", Los Angeles Times
11. Merrell, Chloe (7 September 2021). "Meet Leylah Fernandez: the 19-year-old tennis sensation taking down champions at the 2021 U.S. Open". Olympics.com. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
12. Myles, Stephanie (7 June 2019). "The tennis philosophy of Jorge Fernandez". The Open Court. Retrieved 10 September 2021.