Leylah Fernandez Explains Why Her Father Can No Longer Do It Alone After Adding Serena, Venus Williams’ Former Coach

Leylah Fernandez is gearing up for a homecoming as she arrives in Toronto for the 2026 Canadian Open. Following an early loss to Alexandra Eala at the Mubadala DC Open, the 23-year-old is looking to bounce back strongly on the hard courts at Sobeys Stadium. Recently, Fernandez added to her coaching team by bringing on board Eric Hechtman, the former coach of both Venus and Serena Williams, although her father, Jorge Fernandez, remains her head coach. In the latest presser, she talked about the new dynamic.

Leylah Fernandez Parts Ways With Solo Father-Coaching Setup by Adding Venus and Serena Williams’ Former Coach Eric Hechtman

Throughout her career, Fernandez has been guided by her father and longtime coach, Jorge. However, their dynamic had faced heavy criticism in May 2026 after a hot-mic incident during her match at the Internationaux de Strasbourg.

During her 6-4, 6-4 quarterfinal loss to Victoria Mboko, a court-side microphone caught Jorge’s harsh mid-match pep talk to Leylah during a timeout. Jorge was also heard questioning his daughter’s dedication and comparing her failure to make deep runs in Grand Slams to Mboko’s success.

And fans expressed their anger, with many openly calling for Leylah to fire her father and hire a new coach. In late July, she added Hechtman to the crew.

Speaking to the media, the World No. 34 explained the reasons behind hiring Hechtman.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s been a few years that my dad and I, we’ve been talking about adding another coach to help out, to share the weeks with him. The first reason was because my dad also has other projects,” Fernandez said. Her father also wanted to dedicate more time to coaching her sister and another player, Jaden, making it impractical for him to be present at every event.

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When asked how the relationship works with Hechtman and her father in the mix, she had a positive answer.

“What I like so far, what I see is that, they both have a good relationship, they talk a lot, they seem to be communicating well. That also helps me on court, where I can hear what Eric is telling me and then also hear what my dad is telling me, and there’s like no disagreements or anything that goes against with what either of them are saying because they seem to be getting along well,” Fernandez said.

Now, at the National Bank Open, having received a first-round bye, the No. 30 seed will play in the round of 64 on Tuesday, August 4, where she will face either Mexico’s Renata Zarazua or Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch. Should Fernandez secure an opening victory, a potential third-round match against Mirra Andreeva looms on the horizon.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.