"I didn't notice when people would bully me": Leylah Fernandez opens up on being a shy child and bringing adjustment challenges

Leylah Fernandez opened up about her childhood, admitting to being a shy child who didn't realize when she was being bullied by others. The Canadian tennis player spoke with CBC Sports amidst her preseason training, gearing up for the upcoming Australian Open in a month.

Fernandez has struggled to establish herself on the WTA Tour since her fantastic run at the 2021 US Open, where she reached the final but fell to Emma Raducanu. Despite the ups and downs in much of 2023, a strong year-end push allowed her to regain positions and finish the year as the world No. 35.

The 21-year-old athlete revealed her personal side as she delved into her childhood and expressed pride in her heritage and traditions. She emphasized her shyness, saying, "I think, growing up for me, like I was a very shy person. I didn't notice when people would bully me," she claimed.

As the daughter of immigrants, with her father and coach being Ecuadorian and her mother of Filipino descent: "There were moments where I was sometimes embarrassed to bring my food like Guatita. It's a traditional food, Peruvian food, South American food, that's extremely hard to make, but it's super delicious and it does look very abnormal. So, that's like one dish where I did feel maybe a little bit shy or scared of what other kids would think," the former world No. 13 said.

Despite any reservations, Fernandez expressed pride in her roots: "I was just proud of where I came from, where my parents came from, and where my grandparents came from, because I knew that what they wanted us to experience was just happiness, love, and just acceptance," Leylah Fernandez added.

"For me, the one thing that I would say, like, be proud of the food that you are going to bring because it's part of your culture. It's part of where you come from, where your parents came from, and you know, you kind of bring a part of your home and you're presenting it to the world because you are proud of it," she concluded.