Leylah Annie Fernandez of Canada returns a backhand against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia during her first round singles match on the Internazionale BNL D’Italia at Foro Italico on May 9, 2022 in Rome, Italy.
Alex Pantling | Getty’s paintings
Leylah Fernandez is not any odd 20-year-old. She is certainly one of the highest tennis players on the planet. She won two Women’s Tennis Association titles and was a US Open finalist in 2021.
But Fernandez can also be making a reputation for herself off the pitch – and she or he’s enthusiastic about financial literacy.
This week Fernandez was in Recent York as Morgan Stanley and the WTA announced a recent multi-year one global partnership. This system fosters integration and extends access to tennis. As well as, the partnership will include financial expertise and planning resources for players.
“Morgan Stanley’s partnership with the WTA is an important step forward for girls’s sport generally. I like firms that support women’s sports because there’s a lot we will do together and improve together,” Fernandez, Morgan Stanley’s brand ambassador, told CNBC in an interview Wednesday.
Fernandez said lots of her colleagues are apprehensive in regards to the career-ending injury and do not know what to do. She added that the Morgan Stanley program will help prepare them.
“We have been focused on tennis all our lives. It is the only thing we all know, but it surely’s not something we will at all times depend on. I would like to have this stability, this thought that all the things will probably be effective and we want to have these resources,” she said.
Given her ties to Morgan Stanley, Fernandez said she felt an added responsibility not only to ask financial questions for her own sake, but additionally to encourage others on the road to have the identical confidence.
“It might be great if we could hold conferences to start a conversation in a healthy environment where WTA players are free to say what they think. I believe the problem is that we wish to be seen as strong and we all know all the things, but that is not the case,” she told CNBC.
Fernandez’s example of leadership attracted Morgan Stanley.
“She is a job model that individuals can see themselves in. It also reflects our brand values, including commitment to the community and an appreciation of equality and inclusion,” said Alice Milligan, Chief Marketing Officer, Morgan Stanley.
Alice Milligan, Leylah Annie Fernandez and Micky Lawler attend the launch of the Morgan Stanley x Women’s Tennis Association partnership on March 1, 2023 in Recent York City.
Mike Coppola | Getty’s paintings
As well as to Fernandez’ involvement with Morgan Stanley, she worked with Lululemon, AlphabetGoogle and Subway. Fernandez said she learned loads from her experience within the business world.
“At first I used to be afraid to ask questions because I used to be afraid it was silly or too easy, but asking questions is an important thing. After tennis, I would like to be financially stable, so the chance to take part in them was an eye-opener for me. my eyes and mind to a recent world,” she told CNBC.
Traveling around the globe to tennis tournaments and climbing m profession high of 13 last summer Fernandez, who’s from Canada, makes her education a priority. He studies business at Indiana University East, which works with the WTA and the Women’s Tennis Advantages Association to enable players to earn their A-levels online while competing on the road.
As for her future ambitions outside of tennis, she said it’s still very early, but she wants to learn more about business and the stock market. She said working with the Wall Street giant helps on that front.
“I don’t need to make drastic decisions so quickly without knowing all the small print. That is why it is so great to be working with Morgan Stanley to help me understand that you would be able to’t just put all of the coins in a single warehouse,” said Fernández.