"It is terrible": Barbara Schett reveals bad treatment received by Leylah Fernandez at hands of father

Former player Barbara Schett has revealed that Canada’s Leylah Fernandez has been treated poorly by her father, Jorge Fernandez. The 22-year-old was once regarded as the one for the future, especially when she finished as the runner-up at the US Open in 2021 after losing in the final to Britain’s Emma Raducanu.

Since then, not much has gone right for Leylah as she has struggled massively to produce good results consecutively. Former American player Schett has been recently quoted in a report where she opened up about the bad treatment received about Leylah by her father, Jorge.

"The problem is that many players don't dare to say anything because they're afraid of personal consequences," she said. "For example, I was incredibly afraid of Jelena Dokic's father. I would probably never have said anything because I thought he would kill me. But I believe that a number of players have already spoken to the WTA about Rybakina and Vukov. It is important that anonymity is maintained because they are simply afraid. And I am also curious to see what happens to Leylah Fernandez's father because the way he treats his daughter is insane... It is terrible that something like this still exists today and is sometimes accepted."

Leylah had a tough start to the 2025 season. Her most recent appearance was in the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships, where she lost in the opening round to Elise Mertens in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-2. Before coming to Dubai, she was featured in the Qatar Open, where she lost to Amanda Anisimova in the round of 16 in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-0. Leylah also played in the first Grand Slam of the year—the Australian Open—where she lost in the third round to one-time Grand Slam winner America’s Coco Gauff in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-2.