Leylah Fernandez took to social media with a bold request, turning her attention to dating after a disappointing Wimbledon display by calling on her fans to ask her out
Wimbledon star Leylah Fernandez is on the lookout for love and has invited one of her followers to ‘shoot their shot’ by asking her out on a date in Montreal. The Canadian tennis ace took to Instagram to share a video with her 349,000 followers, encouraging them to slide into her DMs as she tends to stay away from dating apps.
The 22-year-old addressed them by writing: “This will be fun, right? This isn’t a joke. I fully intend to go on a date in Montreal so go ahead and DM me… time to shoot your shot. PS: you may have to meet my dad beforehand (good luck with that).”
She elaborated on her bizarre ‘competition’ in a follow-up clip, saying: “In Montreal, I would like to go on a date. You know what I really want to do and that I haven’t done is going on a date. I am not a big fan of dating apps.
“So, I actually am gonna do things my way. I am gonna go on one date for one hour in Montreal. If you wanna be my date, DM me, let me know about yourself. See you there!”
Fernandez, who according to Forbes had earned $6.5million (£4.8m) last year as the 18th highest-paid female athlete, later offered an update after getting past rising Australian star Maya Joint in her opening round match at the Citi Open in Washington DC. “There’ve been a lot of responses,” said the former World No. 13.
“I think the first day, there were maybe over 100 messages. I’ve got a lot of options. My dad point blank asked me if I’d gone on a date yet, and I told him I hadn’t.
“I’ve never really had the time, and no one’s really asked me, which, I don’t know why! He suggested I post a video on Instagram and have a date in Montréal where you feel at home and you feel comfortable.
“I got responses from other athletes, including ones I went to the Olympics with, and they told me, ‘I know how you feel,’ or, ‘When I was 22, I hadn’t gone on a date yet, either.’
“At this age, we’re all either studying or going to sports competitions, so reading those messages not only makes me feel better and like I’m not the odd one out, but it’s also pretty cool that we’re able to have those conversations together.”
The request comes just weeks after Fernandez’s underwhelming performance at Wimbledon. The world No. 36 easily defeated Great Britain’s Hannah Klugman with a 6-1 6-3 victory in the opening round, reports the Express.
However, she suffered an unexpected second round exit after losing to Laura Siegemund in straight sets, 6-2 6-3. Fernandez also teamed up with New Zealand’s Lulu Sun for the doubles event.
But they too endured an early exit, losing in the first round to Demi Schuurs and Asia Muhammad, who themselves were eliminated in the next round.
Fernandez has had a shaky few months, with early departures from the French Open and Wimbledon indicating that she’s not currently playing at her best. However, she set up a round-of-16 clash with world No. 4 Jessica Pegula by beating Joint.
The hard-court tournament could provide Fernandez with an opportunity to find her groove before she heads back to Montreal. And victory would certainly give her something to chat about with any potential date back in her home country.