Leander had her love (4)

I believe the answer is:

hero

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'leander' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are singular nouns.
Perhaps there's an association between them I don't understand?

'her love' is the wordplay.
'love' becomes 'o' (love means zero in tennis).
'her'+'o'='HERO'

'had' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for hero that I've seen before include "Principal male figure in a story" , "Lion" , "object of adulation" , "Illustrious person" , "Man of valour" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.