Mary Joe Fernández was a professional tennis player in the past. She also works for the ESPN network as an analyst and commentator. She competed in the Olympics for her country, the United States.
Mary Joe Fernández has won the gold medal two times and the bronze medal once. The Dominican Republic native has won numerous titles in the Women’s Tennis Association.
In 1996, she and fellow professional tennis player Lindsay Davenport won the year-end WTA championship title. In the year 2000, the legendary player announced his retirement. Aside from that, she was named in Sports Illustrated’s article “100 American Athletes Who Failed Drug Tests.” Nonetheless, she was not prosecuted under US law for her misconduct.
Furthermore, prosecutors did not pursue any legal actions against her because she was retired and there was insufficient evidence.
However, she received a lot of negative press as a result of the article. The professional player denied all of the allegations. She enjoys golf, waves running, and water skiing in addition to tennis.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Mary Joe Fernández Godsick |
| Birth Date | August 19, 1971 |
| Birth Place | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
| Nick Name | Mary Joe |
| Religion | Christian |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Mixed |
| Education | Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart |
| Horoscope | Leo |
| Father’s Name | José Fernández |
| Mother’s Name | Silvia Pino Fernández |
| Siblings | One; Sylvia Fernández |
| Age | 52 Years Old |
| Height | 5 feet 9 inches |
| Weight | 141lbs |
| Hair Color | Brown |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Build | Athletic |
| Profession | Tennis Player, Analyst, and Commentator |
| Former Team | The US team |
| Broadcasting Network | ESPN |
| Active Years | 1986-2000 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Husband | Anthony “Tony” Godsick |
| Kids | Two; Isabella and Nicholas Godsick |
| Net Worth | $10 million |
Mary Joe Fernández Biography
Mary Joe Fernández was born in Santo Domingo, the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic. She is the daughter of real estate broker Silvia Pino Fernández and attorney José Fernández. Her father also owns a real estate company in South America.
Her parents are both immigrants, José from Spain and Silvia from Cuba. The ESPN analyst attended Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami, Florida.
She excelled in both academics and sports. Furthermore, she maintained a GPA of at least 3.0 in high school. She may not have attended college because she was a professional tennis player before graduating from high school. There is also no information available about her college tennis career or education.
Mary Joe Fernández Age, Height And Weight
The two-time gold medalist is 52 years old and was born under the sign of Leo. She weighs about 141 pounds, or 64 kilograms, and stands 5 feet 9 inches tall. When it came to her personal appearance, she had Brown hair and Brown eyes.
Unfortunately, the professional tennis player’s body measurement is currently unavailable. Mary is of American nationality, of mixed ethnicity, and of Christian faith.
Career
The analyst began her professional career at the age of 14 years. The then-teenager went on to win four Orange Bowls, which opened many doors for her.
In the United States Open Tennis Championship, she defeated an English tennis player named Sara Gomer. She was the youngest tennis player to win the main draw in 1985. She was a professional tennis player by 1986.
With Betsy Nelsen, the 49-year-old won her first double. Furthermore, in 1989, she reached the semifinals of the French Open, a Grand Slam tennis tournament.
However, in the 1990 Australian Open, the Dominican American player reached the finals but lost. She did, however, win a single Women Tennis Association (WTA) title later that year at the Tokyo Indoor Championship. Furthermore, she was ranked No. 4 in the world in single matches, a career high.
The following year, she could only make the Australian Open semi-finals. She was defeated by Monica Seles in the singles match. Despite this, she won the Australian Open’s Doubles with Patty Fendick. She lost again in the Wimbledon Championships after reaching the semifinals.
She reached the finals of the Australian Open again in 1992 before being defeated. She also advanced to the semifinals of the US Open before losing.
However, when she represented the United States in the 1992 Olympics, she won a gold medal in doubles and a bronze medal in singles.
In 1993, the analyst won the WTA Indian Wells Open and went on to defeat world Nos. 3 and 5 in the French Open. Despite her strong start, she was defeated in the finals. Nonetheless, she won the Grand Slam Doubles at the French Open in 1996.
She also won the WTA Tour Championships at the end of the year in doubles with former World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport.
Mary also competed for the United States in the 1996 Summer Olympics. Her previous Puerto Rican American partner, Gigi Fernández, helped her win her second gold medal. Aside from that, she defeated the world No. 2 player in the singles semifinals, but she lost and did not advance to the finals. She also won the Federation Cup with the US team.
She lost in the semifinals of the 1997 Australian Open, but she won her only WTA Tier I tournaments in May. Later that year, she defeated No. 2 Lindsay Davenport. Furthermore, she defeated Serena Williams a year before retiring.
Fernández’s last Grand Slam defeat came in 1999. She eventually retired from tennis in the year 2000. Following her retirement, she became an ESPN tennis analyst and commentator. She will also cover the US Open 2020 with other commentators.
She is also covering the ongoing Southern and Western Opens. Every year, she travels for at least two months to attend the WTA tennis tour. She has also interviewed many well-known tennis players, including Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, and Coco Gauff.
Mary Joe Fernández Husband, Marriage
The ESPN commentator is married to Anthony “Tony” Godsick, a sports agent. Tony is the founder and CEO of Team8, a sports and entertainment company. In addition, he represents professional Swiss tennis player Roger Federer.
The couple married in April of 2000 at Miami’s Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. Mary. The wedding was attended by all of their loved ones, including their parents and siblings.
The couple has two children, Isabella Godsick and Nicholas Godsick. Their children are both tennis players. Isabella won Division II doubles state tournament in Ohio, and Nicholas was ranked in the top 15 nationally when he was 13 years old.
Mary Joe Fernández’s Net Worth
As of March 2024, Mary Joe Fernández is worth more than $10 million. She made the majority of her money by winning tennis matches. She also works as an analyst for ESPN. Although her exact salary is unknown, the average analyst earns $70,959 per year.
We can only assume she earns more than that because of her extensive experience. Her husband, a sports agent, is also worth $17.3 million. Tony is also the CEO of Team8, which represents three top tennis players.
