Former tennis star Gigi Fernández is now a pickleball pro
Former tennis star Gigi Fernández is now a pickleball pro
Gigi Fernandez won 17 Grand Slam doubles championships, including two Australian, six French, four Wimbledon, and five US Open titles. From 1990 to 1997, she won a doubles Grand Slam, and from 1992 to 1994, she won three of the four tournaments. Together with Russian player Natasha Zvereva, she won 14 of her 17 Grand Slam doubles championships.
She recently took up pickleball and has been competing internationally. She just climbed into the top ten of the senior women’s doubles world rankings.
“Tennis is my passion and my life and my business. It’s given me everything I have, but pickleball is my hobby, so I love pickleball,” Fernández said.
The 58-year-old is unsurprised by pickleball’s meteoric growth in popularity. It’s a wonderful workout, she remarked.
It took her some time to choose her profession
After retiring in 1997, the shrewd woman took some time to determine exactly what made sense for her professionally.
“When I retired from tennis at 33, I was just searching for something to be passionate about,” she once said. “I started some businesses, got my real estate license, finished my undergraduate degree, and got my MBA. I fought it for 15 years. I was just hellbent on doing something different.”
“I finally realized: you know what, tennis is my passion, and tennis is what I love.”
In 1999, Fernández was voted Puerto Rico’s “Female Athlete of the Century” after quitting the professional tour in 1997.
Also Read:
