Canadian tennis star Leylah Fernandez has made an unconventional plea for love, urging her Instagram followers to ‘shoot their shot’ and DM her for a date in Montreal. The 22-year-old, who has amassed over $6.5 million (£4.8 million) in career earnings, shared a video with her 349,000 followers explaining that she is not a fan of dating apps and prefers to do things her own way.
In the post, Fernandez wrote: “This will be fun, right? This isn’t a joke. I fully intend to go on a date in Montreal so go ahead and DM me… time to shoot your shot. PS: you may have to meet my dad beforehand (good luck with that).” She later elaborated in a follow-up clip, stating she wants a one-hour date in Montreal and encouraging potential suitors to send her a message.
The former World No. 13 revealed that the response has been overwhelming, with over 100 messages received on the first day. She also noted that her father directly asked if she had gone on a date yet, which led to the Instagram video. “I’ve never really had the time, and no one’s really asked me, which, I don’t know why! He suggested I post a video on Instagram and have a date in Montréal where you feel at home and you feel comfortable,” she said.
Fernandez’s search for romance comes after a mixed start to her season. At Wimbledon, she defeated Hannah Klugman 6-1 6-3 in the first round but then lost to Laura Siegemund 6-2 6-3 in the second round. She also exited the doubles tournament in the first round alongside Lulu Sun. More recently, she beat Maya Joint in the opening round of the Citi Open in Washington DC to set up a clash with world No. 4 Jessica Pegula.
The hard-court tournament offers Fernandez a chance to regain form before heading back to Montreal, where she hopes to turn her online campaign into a real-life date. “At this age, we’re all either studying or going to sports competitions… it’s also pretty cool that we’re able to have those conversations together,” she added.
