Serena Williams could continue her tennis comeback at the Canadian Open.
Returning to singles action at Wimbledon, Williams suffered a knee injury that forced her out of doubles with her sister Venus Williams.
It’s unclear when and where she will return to tennis, although the Canadian Open organisers have said they are in discussions with Williams’ team.
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Canadian number one Leylah Fernandez has now shared her thoughts on the possibility of playing Williams at her home tournament.
Leylah Fernandez hopes she wouldn’t be ‘too nervous’ if she played Serena Williams in Toronto
During an interview with ‘TSN‘, Fernandez was asked about Williams’ recent return to tennis.
“It’s exciting; seeing Serena [Williams] playing is a joy,” she said.
“I feel like when I first started playing, she was kind of at the end of her career; she was thinking about retirement, so I didn’t see her much.
“But now that she’s back, I got to see her train a little bit, got to see her play some doubles and then some singles.
“It’s really exciting; she’s definitely a legend of the sport, and she’s continuing to prove that the love for the sport is greater than any age or any difficulties that you may face physically, so it’s just very inspiring what Serena and Venus [Williams] are doing.”
Fernandez has played alongside Venus Williams in doubles, but has yet to play either sister in singles.
She would, of course, relish the opportunity to take on arguably the greatest player of all time at her home WTA 1000 event.
“I did think about that for a little while, from the very beginning when I first started playing tennis, and I was watching Serena, I was like, how cool would it be playing Serena, Serena and Venus, playing against one of my idols, playing against the ones who have inspired us as a family,” she said.
“It would be an exciting match; hopefully I won’t be too nervous and give away too many easy points, but it will be a battle.
“Serena, she is a champion; she’s always going to find a way to win a match.”
Leylah Fernandez wants to play doubles with her sister at the Canadian Open
Fernandez was later asked if she would like to play doubles with her sister, Bianca Fernandez, in Toronto.
“I am hoping for a reunion there. We will see if we get the chance to play together and hopefully play as a family, represent Canada, and everyone on the big stage again in Toronto,” she said.
“We did so well two years ago, getting to the semis, and just going through some tough battles and just enjoying ourselves on the court.
Leylah Fernandez and Bianca Fernandez at the 2024 Canadian Open
- 1R [WIN] vs Demi Schuurs/Luisa Stefani, 6-2, 6-4
- 2R [WIN] vs Catherine Harrison/Ashlyn Krueger, 6-3, 4-6 [11-9]
- QF [WIN] vs Kristina Mladenovic/Zhang Shuai, 7-5, 5-7 [12-10]
- SF [LOSS] vs Gabriela Dabrowski/Erin Routliffe, 2-6, 4-6
“I feel like it was a dream come true, and hopefully we can reproduce that this year.”
The Fernandez sisters received a wild card into the Canadian Open women’s doubles event two years ago and reached the semi-finals.
However, they weren’t quite as successful in 2025, losing in the first round to Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini.
Whether they will be given another wild card this year remains to be seen.
The 2026 Canadian Open begins on Sunday, August 2.
