With his mesmerizing performances and long list of on-court accolades, Roger Federer has served as an inspiration for the next generation on the tennis circuit. The Swiss maestro’s profound influence transcends the spheres of the ATP Tour, as he has a slew of admirers on the women’s side as well. Leylah Annie Fernandez was recently fangirling over Federer as she opened up about a dreamy scenario.

Despite leaving Federer’s ‘On’ sneakers in 2023, the Canadian WTA star recently expressed her admiration for the 20-time singles Grand Slam champion. When asked about hosting a dream dinner party, Annie Fernandez didn’t hold herself back from picking Federer as one of her guests.

Leylah Annie Fernandez bends the game’s rule to pick Roger Federer for her dream dinner party

In the latest episode of the Sky Sports Tennis podcast show, the former US Open finalist was asked about who she would like to choose if she were to host a dinner party with five guests. Leylah Annie Fernandez was questioned, “You’re hosting a dinner party with five guests, two from the WTA, two from the ATP, and one celebrity, who gets an invite, and what do you cook?”

When it comes to the WTA, the 21-year-old picked her American colleague Taylor Townsend and her compatriot Gaby Dabrowski. She said, “I feel like that is hard, that is actually very hard, so I think WTA, does it have to be from singles or also doubles? So, I think I’ll stick with Taylor Townsend and Gaby Dabrowski,  for WTA. They have always been super nice to me and I have always enjoyed our conversations.”

Get instantly notified of the hottest Tennis stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

While talking about the ATP players, Annie Fernandez said, “And then ATP, so let’s go with…, if he’s retired…” before the host intervened and said, “No, it’s fine, you can say Roger.” After that, the Canadian player added, “I was gonna say, you knew it right away huh? I would pick Roger, yes and then I think, umm…and Frances, he is always like fun conversation, so it’s always fun to have to spend time with him, just having him there would make the night fun.”

As she has also had to choose one celebrity, Annie Fernandez named her ‘favorite actress,’ Zendaya. She stated, “Well, the celebrity would be Zendaya, she is my favorite actress.” And for her five guest, the WTA player disclosed that she would like to cook lasagna as she said, “You know, I think I would cook uhh….lasagna. Like, I would have vegetable lasagna and beef lasagna cus I know some people are vegan.”

What do you think of the Canadian tennis star picking Roger Federer for her dream dinner party? Let us know in the comments section. 

WATCH THIS STORY | Serena Williams pays tribute to Roger Federer.