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Regardless of what happens against Shelby (who beat her in IW last year) I think it's time to call this one.
The jury quite frankly is already in.
As a lasor guided groundstrokes addict since peaktime Dani (2002-2008) I admit I'm already hooked on Leylah's groundies.
She already has eyecatching accuracy and power in her FH and her BH is good and improving.
Her game has organically developed around compensating for disadvantages (eg height and serve) with sparkling volleying and drop shots, early ball-taking and increasingly stunning forehand winners from all areas of the court. This has extended into an 'adapting to challenges' total programming as seen by her run of three set triumphs in New York and an ability to raise her level in tiebreaks and to win big points at the business end.
I feel this programming is probably her single biggest asset. She will adapt and rise to any challenge.
She's also an aggressive thinker, very much like a chess player with a tennis racquet. And this has already established her and will continue to establish her as a routine giantkiller.
She played doubles with her sister and I've enjoyed watching her burgeoning doubles partnership with Cornet. Barty's success has highlighted the value of a grounding in doubles.
She has a super strong travelling family support system around her so is unlikely to be challenged by travel aversion like Barty or to endure the existential angst of Osaka.
At Monterrey far from the spotlight glare of premium sports tournaments she was staying after matches for quarter of an hour signing and meeting with her fans. This is someone who knows they are heading for the top of the tree and is setting up their brand appropriately. She has taken on quite a few sponsorships but they seem well tailored to complement her. Seeing her despatching opponents in Mexico in her fluorescent yellow Lululemon top with a Morgan Stanley logo all fitted the 'funloving but serious businesswoman' optics.
She's the kind of person that considers every detail. She will put in the planning to fully exploit the inherent advantages of being a lefty and logically should get much better at taking first set leads as a result.
Unlike some who seem less keen on grafting to improve than on using the tour as a glorified vacation selfies package, Leylah really does put the work in. The improvement to the weakest part of her game (that serve) is already evidence of that.
There's conviction and commitment there that I'm not sure I've seen in more than ten players since Graf.
This is the next (lasting) WTA number one player.
I picked her out 3 years ago and posted last year she'd be number one but now I'll put a date on it. She'll get there by Flushing Meadows 2025.
Leylah Annie Fernandez is 1m68cm tall.
Her blood/sweat/tears work ethic is 3m36cm tall.
Her self belief and level of goal setting stretch round the block and will wallop you in the back if you don't get out of her way!
The jury quite frankly is already in.
As a lasor guided groundstrokes addict since peaktime Dani (2002-2008) I admit I'm already hooked on Leylah's groundies.
She already has eyecatching accuracy and power in her FH and her BH is good and improving.
Her game has organically developed around compensating for disadvantages (eg height and serve) with sparkling volleying and drop shots, early ball-taking and increasingly stunning forehand winners from all areas of the court. This has extended into an 'adapting to challenges' total programming as seen by her run of three set triumphs in New York and an ability to raise her level in tiebreaks and to win big points at the business end.
I feel this programming is probably her single biggest asset. She will adapt and rise to any challenge.
She's also an aggressive thinker, very much like a chess player with a tennis racquet. And this has already established her and will continue to establish her as a routine giantkiller.
She played doubles with her sister and I've enjoyed watching her burgeoning doubles partnership with Cornet. Barty's success has highlighted the value of a grounding in doubles.
She has a super strong travelling family support system around her so is unlikely to be challenged by travel aversion like Barty or to endure the existential angst of Osaka.
At Monterrey far from the spotlight glare of premium sports tournaments she was staying after matches for quarter of an hour signing and meeting with her fans. This is someone who knows they are heading for the top of the tree and is setting up their brand appropriately. She has taken on quite a few sponsorships but they seem well tailored to complement her. Seeing her despatching opponents in Mexico in her fluorescent yellow Lululemon top with a Morgan Stanley logo all fitted the 'funloving but serious businesswoman' optics.
She's the kind of person that considers every detail. She will put in the planning to fully exploit the inherent advantages of being a lefty and logically should get much better at taking first set leads as a result.
Unlike some who seem less keen on grafting to improve than on using the tour as a glorified vacation selfies package, Leylah really does put the work in. The improvement to the weakest part of her game (that serve) is already evidence of that.
There's conviction and commitment there that I'm not sure I've seen in more than ten players since Graf.
This is the next (lasting) WTA number one player.
I picked her out 3 years ago and posted last year she'd be number one but now I'll put a date on it. She'll get there by Flushing Meadows 2025.
Leylah Annie Fernandez is 1m68cm tall.
Her blood/sweat/tears work ethic is 3m36cm tall.
Her self belief and level of goal setting stretch round the block and will wallop you in the back if you don't get out of her way!
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Very high level of self-belief/confidence that exudes out of her when she's on it
Yes I've watched back the business end of the Anisimova a few times and I agree that she was totally unsettled by Leylah's conviction and self belief that was radiating out of her.
But having kicked off with an overlong post painting her as some kind of prospective tennis god, i should probably highlight two weaknesses (for now)
1 - The Leylah crash. This is a problemo! Far too often she starts strongly, gets on top of the opponent and either in the first 2 games of Set 2 or late in the first set her level takes a 'breather' and the opponent gets back in. This has happened against Shelby twice now (in the same tournament!). It makes for exciting matches, eg the Monterrey final but if she wants to gatecrash Top 5 then she has to address this dip. Because the timimg seems to be quite consistent she could plan to compensate for it by adding some kind of refocussing routine after the first eight games of any match. Something simple like that might make all the difference?
2 - The Chess player trap. Going back to the chess analogy, I think Leylah as a thinker gets so caught up with planning '2 moves ahead' and doesn't always consider her opponent doing the same, and this ends up in her being left stranded on court and looking a bit foolish in points, not just against solid and wily pros like Rogers but against anyone. This is a super common problem for real chess players. I wonder if Leylah plays chess in real life. Could give her some interesting perspectives and ideas. Maybe she should hook up with the Botez sisters?
Anyway her serve was amazing last night. The commentary team became fixated with it, the level of improvement in what 20 weeks has just been ridiculous. She won 17 points on serve in a row at the business end. Let's see how she copes with Badosa who is next level up.
But having kicked off with an overlong post painting her as some kind of prospective tennis god, i should probably highlight two weaknesses (for now)
1 - The Leylah crash. This is a problemo! Far too often she starts strongly, gets on top of the opponent and either in the first 2 games of Set 2 or late in the first set her level takes a 'breather' and the opponent gets back in. This has happened against Shelby twice now (in the same tournament!). It makes for exciting matches, eg the Monterrey final but if she wants to gatecrash Top 5 then she has to address this dip. Because the timimg seems to be quite consistent she could plan to compensate for it by adding some kind of refocussing routine after the first eight games of any match. Something simple like that might make all the difference?
2 - The Chess player trap. Going back to the chess analogy, I think Leylah as a thinker gets so caught up with planning '2 moves ahead' and doesn't always consider her opponent doing the same, and this ends up in her being left stranded on court and looking a bit foolish in points, not just against solid and wily pros like Rogers but against anyone. This is a super common problem for real chess players. I wonder if Leylah plays chess in real life. Could give her some interesting perspectives and ideas. Maybe she should hook up with the Botez sisters?
Anyway her serve was amazing last night. The commentary team became fixated with it, the level of improvement in what 20 weeks has just been ridiculous. She won 17 points on serve in a row at the business end. Let's see how she copes with Badosa who is next level up.
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