LONDON | She is strong, Quebecer Leylah Fernandez, but on the professional tennis circuit, she is also one of those athletes with a rather small build. This did not prevent her from trying to push her limits at Wimbledon by facing… men.
And a man usually hits harder than a woman. Above all, it serves stronger than a woman.
On the men’s side, the fastest service in history in a match to have been approved (that of the American John Isner, at 253 km/h) exceeds the most powerful by a woman (the American Coco Gauff, at 213 km/h).
Of course, not all serve at the same speed. But there is a constant: the players generally concede several tens of kilometers per hour to the players when it comes time to place the ball in play.
Already a regular
Leylah recognizes it: it is an “interesting” challenge, even if, in training, she exercises with men “who serve at the same speed as in a match situation”.
“My goal is to try to get back well so my opponent can hit a good volley shot afterwards,” she explains.
In London, it was the second time in a few months that she had exercised. She had also done it at the United States Open, alongside American Jack Sock.
When she met The newspaper Monday at Wimbledon, the 20-year-old player had just lost her second round match with Dutchman Wesley Koolhof, who will also play in the men’s doubles final.
Hard to say, however, how fast Briton Jonny O’Mara’s serve was going. On court 17 of the All England Club, there is no sensor to record the data.
She is sometimes “a little scared”
In Leylah’s eyes, however, the real challenge is not the speed of the men’s serve. It’s more about knowing if the player will really go to the best of his strength against his female opponent or if he will temper his racquet stroke.
“It’s interesting, because you never know how fast they’ll serve,” she points out. Sometimes, the man serves less to be respectful towards the woman. Others serve harder.”
“My goal is also not to hit myself trying to return!” she adds.
Although she has had some very good times in women’s doubles, where she notably reached the final at Roland-Garros last month alongside the American Taylor Townsend, Leylah does not hide the fact that in mixed doubles, she sometimes has “a little fear”.
Especially when it is placed very close to the net. “I never know when the man is going to knock on me!”