The Open Era
Puerto Rico · born San Juan, 1964 · four times Wimbledon doubles champion · Wimbledon singles semi-finalist 1994
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4
Wimbledon doubles titles, 1992 to 1997
6
Wimbledon women's doubles finals, 1991 to 1997
17
Major women's doubles titles
99
Her ranking at the 1994 Wimbledon semi-final
2
Olympic doubles gold medals, 1992 and 1996
Born in San Juan on 22 February 1964, Fernández played one season at Clemson University, reaching the NCAA singles final, and turned professional in November 1983, the first woman from Puerto Rico to become a professional athlete. She won two singles titles and rose to No. 17 in 1991, but her record was made in doubles: 69 titles, 17 major women's doubles titles with four partners, 14 of them with Natasha Zvereva, and the world No. 1 doubles ranking from March 1991. She won Olympic gold for the United States with Mary Joe Fernández in 1992 and 1996 and was in the American team that won the 1990 Federation Cup. She retired in 1997, coached Rennae Stubbs, Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur, and entered the Hall of Fame with Zvereva in 2010.
| Wimbledon doubles titles | 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1997 with Natasha Zvereva |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon doubles finals lost | 1991 with Jana Novotná, 4-6, 6-3, 4-6 to Larisa Savchenko Neiland and Zvereva; 1995 with Zvereva, 7-5, 5-7, 4-6 to Novotná and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |
| Wimbledon mixed | Finalist 1995 with Cyril Suk, lost 4-6, 4-6 to Martina Navratilova and Jonathan Stark |
| Wimbledon singles | Semi-final 1994, ranked 99: lost to Martina Navratilova 6-4, 7-6 |
| Finals to remember | 1993: with Zvereva beat Savchenko Neiland and Novotná 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 for a second Wimbledon in a row and a sixth straight major |
| Eastbourne | Doubles 1993 and 1994 with Zvereva |
| Newport | Doubles 1987 and 1989 with Lori McNeil |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Women's doubles | with Natasha Zvereva |
| 1993 | Women's doubles | with Natasha Zvereva |
| 1994 | Women's doubles | with Natasha Zvereva |
| 1997 | Women's doubles | with Natasha Zvereva |
| Newport, Rhode Island | ||
| 1987 | Women's doubles Virginia Slims of Newport | with Lori McNeil |
| 1989 | Women's doubles Virginia Slims of Newport | with Lori McNeil |
| Eastbourne | ||
| 1993 | Women's doubles | with Natasha Zvereva |
| 1994 | Women's doubles | with Natasha Zvereva |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. † single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"The most fun I have each year is walking into the gates of Wimbledon with people who have never been."
The person behind the player.
San Juan 1978
At 14 she watched the 1978 Wimbledon final on television in San Juan and first understood that tennis could be a profession. Her parents paid for lessons at a country club and later built her a court at home. "There wasn't a female athlete I knew about who was Hispanic in any sport," she said.
Source: espnWClemson 1983
Clemson gave her a scholarship despite a modest junior record, and she said it was the first time she had practised in an organised way. In her one season there she reached the NCAA singles final, losing to a player ranked 27th in the world. She turned professional that November.
Source: espnWUS Open 1990
Chosen as Navratilova's partner after Pam Shriver, she felt the pressure, and a quarter-final defeat at Wimbledon left her wanting to "vindicate" herself. During a changeover in New York, Navratilova smashed her racquet. "She just looked at me with these big eyes," Navratilova recalled. They went on to win the title.
Source: espnWBarcelona 1992
She had played the 1984 Olympics for Puerto Rico, but chose the United States for 1992, since there was no Puerto Rican partner who could take her to a medal. With Mary Joe Fernández, no relation, she won gold in Barcelona and again in Atlanta. The choice made her a controversial figure at home. "It was a tough decision," she said.
Source: espnWWimbledon 1994
She arrived at 30, ranked 99 and thinking of retirement, and reached the singles semi-finals. By then hamstring and quadriceps strains had slowed her, and she admitted, "I have no legs." Her opponent was Martina Navratilova, her neighbour in Aspen, for whom she had been cheering. Navratilova won 6-4, 7-6.
Source: Sports IllustratedTampa 2025
When Hurricane Helene flooded her house in Florida, she turned the experience into a charity. In January 2025 she founded Tennis for Hope, a nonprofit that helps people in the tennis community hit by natural disasters. Within a year more than 50 members had pledged $500,000 to it.
Source: WikipediaFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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