Initially pairing up with Larisa Savchenko, with whom she won two titles, Zvereva won a title with Pam Shriver before partnering Puerto Rican-American Gigi Fernandez in one of the most successful women’s doubles pairings in tennis. 5, making the finals of the French Open in 1988.īut it was in the doubles that the outspoken Zvereva truly shone. Like a number of successful women’s doubles players of her time, she was one of the top-ranked in the singles as well, reaching a career high of World No.
They won 79 of the 104 tournaments they participated in over the course of their partnership, finishing with a win-loss record of 390-25.Perhaps one of the most successful doubles partnerships in tennis history started only because of a phone call from Navratilova asking Shriver to partner her.īelarusian Natasha Zvereva had success as a youngster in the singles, winning the Wimbledon girls’ singles title in 1986, then the US Open girls’ singles the following year. The pair ended their partnership with a staggering twenty one doubles Majors titles on every possible surface. That year, the Navratilova-Shriver combine won the Calendar Grand Slam – winning every Major doubles title that year.Over the next five years, the two added another ten titles to their kitty. Navratilova won three Majors in 1982, two of them with Shriver, and three Slams with the American the following year.But it was 1984 that would prove to be their biggest year yet. The two won the 1981 edition of Wimbledon, and for the next two years took top honours at both the year-opening Australian Open and Wimbledon. But it was the beginnings of her partnership with American ace Pam Shriver in 1981 that proved to be one of the most fruitful doubles partnerships of all time. Navratilova would win a doubles title a year over the next two years, twice with WTA founder and tennis legend Billie Jean King. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2010.The pair would team up again the following year, winning Wimbledon. Fernandez was also a distant cousin of actor José Ferrer. Her long-time partner was Jane Geddes, a former LPGA golfer who became an executive with the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). She is director of tennis at Chelsea Piers in Connecticut.
In all Fernandez won 69 WTA Tour doubles titles, adding two singles titles.įernandez became a tennis coach and entrepreneur, and earned a college degree from the University of South Florida in 2003. She won 14 of her 17 Grand Slam doubles titles alongside Russian player Natasha Zvereva. She won a doubles Grand Slam each year from 1990-97, and in 1992-94, won three of the four titles. Gigi Fernandez won 17 Grand Slam doubles titles – two Australians, six French, four Wimbledons, and five US Opens. Gigi also won two gold medals, in both singles and doubles at the 1983 Pan American Games, representing her native Puerto Rico. Fernandez later became one of the world’s top players, especially in doubles, and competed at the 19 Olympics for the United States, winning the doubles gold medal both times alongside her namesake Mary Joe Fernandez, who is no relation. Gigi Fernandez was a Puerto Rico native who played for the island nation at the 1984 Olympics in the tennis demonstration event.
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