Leylah Fernandez has had the honour of partnering the great Venus Williams in doubles, but the former world No 1’s support for the Canadian didn’t stop once their partnership came to an end.
The pair partnered for the first time at last year’s US Open and they upset the sixth seeds and 12th seeds en route to reaching the quarter-final before losing to Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend.
Fast forward to March and they teamed up again at the Miami Open, but this time their run was short-lived as they lost in the first round against Asia Muhammad and Erin Routliffe.
Yet the partnership didn’t end there as Williams, her husband Andrea Preti and the rest of the American’s team are always on hand to send messages of support.
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“It’s been super fun. Venus has definitely a welcoming aura where she always wants to support and help as much as possible,” Fernandez revealed.
“I always see her or her husband or someone from her team sometimes watching my matches. At the end of my matches, they would send me a message either congratulating me or, like, telling me to keep my head up.
“That definitely helps in those tough moments, in those good moments to keep going because I know she’s gone through those wins and losses, and she’s always found a way to bounce back.
“So it motivates me. It encourages me, and it definitely kind of brings me back to why I play tennis. It’s more like I just want to enjoy my time on court, just the same way that she’s doing right now playing tennis and competing and winning matches. I always see her smiling, so it’s always nice.”
It is unlikely that the Fernandez-Williams partnership will enter this year’s US Open as the seven-time Grand Slam winner is expected to partner her sister Serena Williams at their home major.
So, does Serena’s return to competitive action mean the end of the road for Fernandez and Venus as a team?
“I don’t know what the plan is. I’ve been taking it one tournament at a time, so we’ll see. We’ll see what’s in the cards for us, but it would be cool to run it back with her,” the 23-year-old said.
“If it does happen, it will be fun. If it doesn’t happen, I’ll always wish her the best of luck, and I’m sure she’ll do the same for me.”
