![]() What is going on?’ I was shocked.”įernandez started attending USPTA and USPTR conventions in 20. “It was just not how you play doubles," she says. I made a lot of friends when I was teaching in Connecticut.”Īnd yet, she was appalled at the way her beloved game of doubles was being predominantly taught. Tennis was not social when I was playing the tour at all. They took a chance on me, which I really appreciated. "I had never held any type of administrative position and had never managed anything. “I had this wonderful opportunity to become director of tennis at a facility in Stamford, Connecticut called Chelsea Piers," she says. The turning point for Fernandez in that quest came in 2012. You live in a bubble, but at some point you have to come back to the real world and have a normal job working Monday to Friday.” "Frankly, the life of a professional tennis player is not real. It just wasn’t viable for me to continue to travel. You have to go to the doctor like every third day and you have to go through months and months of injections and checkups. "You can’t be traveling much because it is very intense. “I was trying to become a mom and going through infertility treatments," she says. They are my peers and they don’t talk back.”īut Fernandez was reluctant to travel during that stretch, for personal reasons. "I also taught juniors, but I realized how much I enjoy coaching adults. “Lisa and Sam won a Grand Slam title when I was coaching them, and coaching my college team was fun," Fernandez says. She also coached Rennae Stubbs, another outstanding doubles player. "I finally realized: you know what, tennis is my passion, and tennis is what I love.”įernandez coached the University of South Florida women’s team from 2002-05, and worked with Lisa Raymond and Sam Stosur when they were one the best women’s doubles teams in the world in 20. ![]() I was just hellbent on doing something different. "I started some businesses, got my real estate license, finished my undergraduate degree and got my MBA. “When I retired from tennis at 33, I was just searching for something to be passionate about," she says. To be sure, it took her some time to figure out exactly what made sense for her professionally after retiring in 1997, but this perspicacious woman eventually sorted it out. They have been shielded in many ways from the outside world, becoming prisoners of their private universes, living their own version of reality.Įnter Gigi Fernandez, one of the great doubles players of all time. I-Formation – I don’t recommend this formation on weak serves as it can be very difficult to pop up from the crouch position to hit a ball that is slammed towards you, however, a change of position is sometimes all it takes to disrupt your opponent’s rhythm so it might be worth a try.The toughest task for any athlete is to no longer be out there, fighting for prestigious prizes.In this case, their partner would stand near the ad side alley while the partner serves and shifts over to the deuce side. He/she would prefer to go to the deuce side and hit forehands. Another reason for this formation is when, for example, the server has a better forehand and when serving to the ad court is getting pinned hitting cross-court backhands. In this case, you will definitely be able to hit the next ball and then play from there. If your partner is getting picked on, they can stand on the same side of the court that you are serving from. ![]()
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