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. 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. 1 2 "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. 1 2 3 4 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. 1 2 "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.


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