Leylah Fernandez attends Miami Heat vs Atlanta Hawks game, gives shout out to Trae Young and Kyle Lowry

Leylah Fernandez was in attendance for the thrilling Miami Heat vs Atlanta Hawks game at the Kaseya Center in Florida on Friday, December 22.

Fernandez capped off her 2023 season on a remarkable high note, leading Canada to its first-ever Billie Jean King Cup title. The 21-year-old played an instrumental role in the victory, defeating Italy's Jasmine Paolini in straight sets in the final. She also clinched her third career title this year, triumphing at the Hong Kong Open.

Ahead of the start of the 2024 season, the Canadian took advantage of her remaining time off by watching from courtside as the Miami Heat secured a 122-113 victory against the Hawks.

Tyler Herro scored thirty points for Miami, while Duncan Robinson contributed 27 points, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Bam Adebayo chipped in with 19 and 18 points, respectively. Although Trae Young and Dejounte Murray of the Atlanta Hawks scored 30 and 28 points, they couldn't get their team over the line.

Leylah Fernandez took to social media and shared some of the highlights of her experience at the game, giving shout-outs to Trae Young, Kyle Lowry and Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Leylah Fernandez: "I was a very shy person, I didn't notice when people would bully me"

In a recent conversation with CBC Sports, Leylah Fernandez opened up about her shy nature and admitted to being bullied as a child. She candidly recounted her feelings of embarrassment and fear of judgement from her peers when bringing a traditional dish like "Guatita" to school.

"I think, growing up for me, like I was a very shy person. I didn't notice when people would bully me," Fernandez said.

"There were moments where I was sometimes embarrassed to bring my food like, Guatita. It's a traditional food, Peruvian food, South American food, that's extremely hard to make, but it's super delicious and it does look very abnormal. So, that's like one dish where I did feel maybe a little bit shy or scared of what other kids would think," she added.

The 21-year-old then expressed profound pride in her roots and urged everyone to do the same and confidently present their culture to the world.

"I was just proud of where I came from, where my parents came from and where my grandparents came from, because I knew that what they wanted us to experience was just happiness, love and just acceptance," Fernandez said.

"For me, the one thing that I would say, like, be proud of the food that you are going to bring because it's part of your culture. It's part of where you come from, where your parents came from and you know, you kind of bring a part of your home and you're presenting it to the world because you are proud of it," she added.

Leylah Fernandez and Felix Auger-Aliassime are set to lead Team Canada at the 2024 United Cup. The team event is scheduled to commence on December 29 in Australia.