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Gigi Fernandez: 17 Grand Slam doubles titles
The Puerto Rican who dominated women's doubles for a decade, with two Olympic golds and a Hall of Fame place.
Measured in titles, Gigi Fernandez is the most successful tennis player Puerto Rico has produced. Born in San Juan in 1964, she built a career that placed her among the finest doubles specialists in the sport's history.
17 Grand Slam titles
Fernandez won 17 Grand Slam titles in women's doubles. Her best-known partnership was with Belarus's Natasha Zvereva, forming one of the most dominant teams the tour has seen.
Two Olympic golds
She won doubles gold at Barcelona 1992 and again at Atlanta 1996, partnering Mary Joe Fernandez and competing under the United States flag.
Before that, at the 1988 Seoul Games, she had represented Puerto Rico. That dual representation is part of her story and of a conversation the island still has.
The Hall of Fame
In 2010 she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the sport's highest honor.
Why doubles matters
Doubles usually sits in singles' shadow, but it is where the finer parts of tennis show: the volley, net play, anticipation and coordination with a partner.
For a club player, watching high-level doubles teaches more than watching singles, because the points look far more like what you actually play.
Read next: tennis in Puerto Rico and Charlie Pasarell.