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Puerto Rico
Tennis in Puerto Rico: the names to know
Monica Puig and the Rio gold, Gigi Fernandez's 17 Grand Slams, and the longest match in Wimbledon history. Puerto Rico's mark on world tennis.
For an island of three and a half million people, Puerto Rico has left an outsized mark on tennis. Three names tell most of the story.
Monica Puig and the Rio 2016 gold
On August 13, 2016, Monica Puig won the gold medal in women's singles at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, beating Angelique Kerber, then world number two, in the final.
It was Puerto Rico's first Olympic gold medal in any sport, ever. Puig was not favored in a single round and reached the podium beating several top-ten players. It was the first time La Borinquena played at an Olympic medal ceremony.
Born in San Juan in 1993, she retired from professional tennis in 2022 after several elbow and shoulder surgeries.
Gigi Fernandez, one of the greatest doubles players ever
Also born in San Juan, Gigi Fernandez won 17 Grand Slam doubles titles, a career that places her among the finest doubles specialists the sport has produced.
She also won two Olympic gold medals in doubles, at Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996, partnering Mary Joe Fernandez and competing for the United States. At Seoul 1988 she had represented Puerto Rico. In 2010 she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Charlie Pasarell and the longest match at Wimbledon
Charlie Pasarell, born in San Juan in 1944, rose to become the number one player in the United States in 1967.
His name went into the record books for the opening match of Wimbledon 1969 against Pancho Gonzales, who was 41. It was played across two days, ran 112 games, and stood as the longest match in the tournament's history until Isner against Mahut in 2010. Pasarell won the first two sets and lost.
After retiring he was one of the founders of the Indian Wells tournament, today one of the biggest events on the calendar outside the Grand Slams.
Puerto Rico as a tennis nation
Puerto Rico competes with its own team in the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup, and has its own national federation. The climate allows outdoor play twelve months a year, something only a handful of mainland states can claim.
That weather advantage is real and underused: a player on the island can train on court all year without losing a single week to snow or cold.
Read next: where to play tennis in Ponce.