MUBADALA CITI DC OPEN

July 27, 2025

Leylah Fernandez

Press Conference

L. FERNANDEZ/A. Kalinskaya

6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Leylah, congratulations. Your thoughts on the match and your time here in D.C.?

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ: Wow. Where do I start? The match was very solid from my part. I was very happy the way that I held my nerves. I was definitely very nervous in the beginning, but I got to play my game in the important points and kind of push through those nerves, so I was super happy about that.

My time in D.C. has been tremendous. I had a lot of fun. Ate some good food. Met some amazing people.

You know, I can't complain about my time here in D.C. Hopefully I get to come back the next couple of years feeling healthy and playing in front of the crowd once again.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You mentioned yesterday how coming into this tournament after Wimbledon there was conversations between you and your dad about potentially taking a break. I'm sure any championship is gratifying, but how much more gratifying does that make this one, knowing that you were potentially stepping away from the sport for a little bit?

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ: Yeah, the funny part was that conversation was a two-minute conversation. It wasn't like that big of a deal.

But we did ask the questions. For me at that time, I was, like, No, I can't stop. Yeah, it's tough to lose and going through that little rut, but I just want to keep competing, keep playing, and put on a good show for the fans. You know, one of these days, results are going to come in.

I kept believing in it. But to happen so quickly, it feels very, very good. I'm very happy that I decided, that we both decided to keep going in this crazy adventure and to never give up.

I think getting this trophy means a lot to not only myself but to everyone in my team and family.

Q. Congratulations. Like you said, it's sort of a testament to how in any given week your fortunes can change. Do you think there are things you unlocked in your game or an insight you have that can make this success last, that can keep this going for a long time?

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ: I think the No. 1 thing is the 100% trust in myself, or at least the 99.9% trust in myself. I know in the beginning of the tournament was still a lot of doubt, but as the tournament progressed, I was starting to play better.

You know, I have gone through so many different challenges this week. You know, I think it just has made me stronger in a way that if I can get through this week, through the cramps, through the long matches, through the heat, the humidity, I can get through anything.

So I was just very happy that I got to not only push myself physically through the limits but also mentally. So that kind of will help me hopefully for future tournaments.

Q. Congratulations. Anna had entered the match 73% winning percentage on her first-serve points. You neutralized that really well. As low as 54% in the first set. It seemed the longer you could keep the rallies going, keep the ball deep in the court, that kind of tilted favor to your advantage. Was that intentional part of the strategy today, to make those first-serve points go longer?

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ: Actually, no. My intention was actually to be more offensive than her, but I think at the same time, I like long rallies. So that kind of helped me to settle in. You know, I knew she was going to be offensive from the get-go, so I had to counterattack as quickly as possible and then get it to the front foot once I had the opportunities.

So I was just glad I was able to take advantage of certain balls she gave me in certain moments. Balls were going in for me today. I know a couple of shots that I hit, I was even surprised that it went in. So it kind of feels good that this year, today was a good day for me (smiling).

Q. Leylah, I want to ask about something you mentioned on court during your champion's speech. You made a reference to your superstitions. Wonder if you could tell us a little bit more about that, what sorts of superstitions do you have, and why did you kind of make the comment like they can be, I guess, tough for others on your team to deal with?

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ: Yeah, I mean, so I'm actually -- I have gone a lot better with these superstitions. Normally I would have to eat at the same restaurant every single day before my match, but this week I was pretty good in selecting good food. So as long as I enjoyed my food, everything was going to be all right.

But I didn't tell my dad to his face, but I kind of like put it out there if he's gone for his run in the morning, because he likes to run. You know, on the first day he ran about six miles. It was a good workout for him, he was feeling great, and I was also happy.

Then once the quarterfinals hit, he woke up at probably 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning. We had breakfast at 8:00 a.m., and he went for a run. He did six miles.

From that day on, I was, like, Did you go for your run? Because if you did, I know I'm going to have a good day and we're all going to have a good day.

Kind of forced him to work out, which is very unfortunate for him. But, yeah, that's pretty much one of the superstitions.

Another one is I like to work out on my own in the morning, go to the gym, do a couple of stretches. And I do the same stretches at the same time for the same amount of time. So that's kind of how a little anal I am with superstitions (smiling).

Q. Have you always had those sorts of things? Do you remember when that started?

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ: Yeah, I have always had that. I do remember when it started, and it was all thanks to my dad, at a national championship, I was probably 12 years old, and, you know, we were just driving to the tournament, my dad and I. There was a song that came on. It was "All About That Base" from Meghan Trainor, I think. Yeah, right?

And the first match I played against was against a way older player, more experienced than I. And I won that match. I was, like, Okay, this song made me feel good. We're going to be listening to that song all week.

My dad is, I agree, because every time you listen to that song you play good and are happy, so we're going to be listening to that song every single day.

I ended up winning the tournament. So I guess it started there. Every few years there is like a different superstition that comes up. Same restaurant, same food, either it's a healthy food or junk food. Doesn't really matter. As long as I feel good, that's all that counts.

Q. I'm not sure of your history from your three prior titles how you did in the aftermath, but you're going home this week, going to Montreal to play. What do you think is going to await you there? Can you carry off this in front of those crowds?

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ: Well, Montreal is a whole different monster (smiling). You know, it's a different tournament, bigger draw, longer tournament. For me, it's going to be start from zero.

This tournament in Washington is going to give me a lot of confidence coming in, but then I also know that a lot of players are going to be, like, Okay, we're going to have to keep an eye on her now. So they'll probably bring their best tennis.

For me, start from zero, work hard, to fight, and to not take things for granted, because it's going to be a dog fight in Montreal. And I just want to enjoy my time on court in front of the fans, and hopefully also playing doubles with my sister.

Q. The hitting partner you singled out in James Madison gear, did you just hook up with him this week for the first time?

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ: Yeah.

Q. Or part of your team wasn't here?

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ: No, I just met him here this week. I mean, I hit with him on the first day when I was here. My coach was traveling because his flight kept getting canceled and delayed. I hit with him and I told my dad, Look, that kid hits well, so I enjoyed hitting with him.

After the first round I didn't have him as my hitting partner, but then on the second round, for practices we kept asking for Harrison, and he was always available. We like how hard he works, how much effort he puts into every single training session. He's super positive.

So we needed that in training sessions and warmup sessions. You know, he just brought in some very positive vibes prematch, pretournament. It was just a lot of fun that I got to meet a great guy. You know, hopefully we get to see him next year or the year after when I'm healthy and good to play here.

Q. You mentioned that you kind of tried to stay away from your superstition eating at the same place over and over again. Where did you eat out while you were here?

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ: Oh, my. So the first two rounds I tried to eat healthy. I went to an Italian restaurant, Officina. It was so good. I loved their tagliatelle bolognese and then their charcuterie board too there was delicious.

But then afterwards, because I had two days off, I was, like, Okay, I can't be eating Italian for three days in a row now. We're, like, okay. It's fine, let's go to a Mexican restaurant. Luckily one of the Canadian team members that was here with Vickie told me about this great restaurant called Mi Vida. We went there before I think Jess's match. It was very good. Ate some great steak. The guacamole was amazing.

But then after Taylor's match, the physio told me I need to eat a lot of salt. I asked her, Okay, so what should I eat? She suggested anything that has fries is very good.

So I told my dad, Okay, we've got two options for tonight. Either we' going to Mi Vida again to eat the chips and guac and put on some salt and all the steak, or we're going to Shake Shack, which is right beside.

We got back to the hotel, and if I remember correctly, it was about 8:00 p.m., 8:30. We thought, okay it's too late to go to Mi Vida. The food's going to arrive a little bit late.

We went to Shake Shack. We got burgers, hot dog, cheese fries, everything that an athlete should not eat before a match, but it did the trick. It gave me the right nutrients to recover from the cramps and get ready for the next round.

After my semifinals yesterday, my coach and I, we were messaging, and I was, like, Okay, what do you want to eat tonight? We both answered at the same time, Burgers.

So we knew we were going to go back to Shake Shack yesterday. That was kind of my diet for the whole week.

Q. (Question about eating in Canada.)

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ: I love poutine. I haven't had a poutine in so long. The first thing I do when I get back to Montreal or Canada is Tim Hortons, Harvey burgers, maybe an Orange Julius if I've got time, and I need to get a good poutine. And it's a classic poutine, just fries, cheese curds, and gravy, and a little bit of ketchup on the side. So yeah.