"Nobody really knows what's going on in someone's head" - Leylah Fernandez speaks on mental health

In an interview with the WTA, Canadian tennis star Leylah Fernandez she spoke out on various topics, including mental health and recalled her first ever professional match on the tour.

The former US Open finalist stated that she was afraid to get on to the court as she didn't know if she was "strong" or "fast enough".

"I remember clearly the very first time I played my professional match, I was extremely terrified to get on court because I didn't know if I was strong enough, if I was fast enough and you know, I think all those doubts I played in my head and I was just kind of psyching myself up," recalled Fernandez.

"That match, I know I lost and I found out just how important mental health is. Back then, I was afraid to talk about it but now that I have experienced is, I am willing to say 'this moment I was nervous, it's normal, so what can I do to take away those nerves in those important moments or in the next match that's going to come.'"

The 20-year old stated that it has become clearer how big of a problem mental health is these days.

"Nobody really knows what's going on in someone's head, nobody has the right path," stated Fernandez. "So over the years, it has become more more clear that it (mental health) has become a problem, and because we're talking about it, that means we're in the right direction, that we're willing to find a solution to it.

"That's the beautiful part of it that we're willing to learn from our past mistakes and that we want to be better, we want our next generation to be better, to become better, to make this a better world."