fernandezmaryj

As a child living in Miami, Florida, Dominican born Mary Joe Fernández showed an interest in tennis. But her first tennis victory did not take place until she reached ten years of age and won the U.S. Tennis Association Nationals title for players twelve and under. By the time she completed high school, Fernández had already distinguished herself on the tennis courts with a string of victories. In 1990 she turned professional and won the Tokyo Indoors but the major triumph in her young career was the Olympic Games in Barcelona where in 1992 she won the Gold Medal in the Women’s Tennis Doubles competition with her Puerto Rican team mate, Gigi Fernández, and a Bronze Medal in singles competition. At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, she won the Gold Medal in Women’s Doubles again with Gigi Fernández. She is a sports analyst for women’s events on ESPN, and writes for women’s sports magazines.