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Leylah Fernandez was announced the winner of the 2022 Tennis Canada Player of the Year and Singles Player of the Year in the women’s category on Thursday.
The 20-year-old finished her 2022 campaign with a 21-15 win-loss record in singles while also defending her title at Monterrey. Her best Grand Slam result came at Roland Garros, where she was a quarterfinalist.
After claiming both awards, the former US Open runner-up expressed her joy on social media, where she also pointed out that 2022 has been a challenging year for her.
"Proud to be Canadian. Thank you again for all your support. This year has had its challenges but it's not about how many times you get knocked down but how many times you get back up," she stated on Instagram stories.
Michael Downey, President and CEO of Tennis Canada, congratulated all the recipients of the various Tennis Canada Excellence Awards -- which also included Felix Auger-Aliassime in the men's singles category.
“We would like to offer our congratulations to all of this year’s recipients of the Tennis Canada Excellence Awards. 2022 saw our athletes and organization reach new heights both on and off the court. Of course, having led Team Canada to its first-ever Davis Cup title and with four ATP singles titles to his name, Félix is a well-deserving recipient in the men’s category," Downey said.
Downey believes Leylah Fernandez is "one of the top talents" on the women's tour.
"On the women’s side, Leylah has continued to showcase her skills and prove that she is one of the top talents on the WTA Tour," he added.
A brief look at Leylah Fernandez's 2022 campaign
Leylah Fernandez endured a poor start to her year, winning just one match in two tournaments during the Australian hardcourt tour. She reached the second round of the Adelaide International but fell at the first hurdle at the Australian Open, losing in straight sets to Maddison Inglis.
The 20-year-old bounced back in style in her next event, winning the Abierto GNP Seguros in Monterrey. Her good form continued at Indian Wells, where she made the fourth round, but the Canadian failed to sustain her form in Miami, where she lost her opening match to Karolina Muchova.
Fernandez won two of her four matches in Rome and Madrid and went several steps further at Roland Garros, where she made the quarterfinals. She beat Belinda Bencic and Amanda Anisimova on her way to the last eight in Paris.
However, the youngster's season took a turn for the worse during her quarter-final clash against Martina Trevisan in Paris, where the former hurt herself during the opening set. It was later discovered that the Canadian suffered a grade three stress fracture to her right foot, due to which she missed the entire grass season.
Fernandez returned to action at the National Bank Open, where she fell in the second round. She struggled for form during this period, suffering early defeats at the Western and Southern Open and the US Open.
Following opening-round defeats in San Diego and Guadalajara, she made the last eight at the WTA 125 event in Tampico, Mexico. Fernandez finished the 2022 season with a win and a loss at the Billie Jean KIng Cup Finals.
