Leylah Fernandez draws motivation from Billie Jean King’s “feedback, not a failure” message; thanks legend for “wisdom” ahead of 2025 season

Leylah Fernandez received encouragement from tennis icon Billie Jean King after her loss at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup finals. Fernandez was representing Canada, who entered the event as the top seed, having won the competition last year.Canada faced off against Great Britain in the quarterfinals in a tough faceoff. Representing their respective countries, Fernandez squared off against Katie Boulter from the opposite team. In a one-sided battle, the Brit won the match 6-2, 6-4. Previously Canada’s Rebecca Marino had fallen to Britain’s Emma Raducanu, and therefore the defending champions were shown the door in the last eight this year.Billie Jean King, in honor of whom the event is named, penned an encouraging message for the Canadian in her comments. The American legend urged the young player to take the loss as a lesson in the form of feedback and focus on her upcoming season in 2025.In response, the World No. 31 thanked the legend for her advice and promised to give her best in the upcoming season.Leylah Fernandez might have lost her match this year, but she was instrumental in Canada’s Billie Jean King Cup title last year. In the group stages, Canada faced off against Spain and Poland. Fernandez won both her singles ties against Magda Linette (Poland) and Sara Sorribes Tormo (Spain).