Gigi Fernandez: Grand Slam champion, Hall of Famer, ambassador for tennis

Live tennis on your screen is like an ice cream sundae, but Tennis Channel 2's Second Serve show puts the cherry on top of that delicious dessert by combining the scintillating on-court action with long-form interviews featuring the very best players, commentators, and legends.

Gigi Fernandez fits into that last category as a Hall of Famer, two-time gold medalist and former doubles world No. 1. But her current role is ambassador of the game, a position she cherishes and takes very seriously. Fernandez appeared on Second Serve during the BNP Paribas Open to discuss her efforts to grow the sport worldwide, the current product at the professional level, and so much more with Jan-Michael Gambill, Nick Monroe, Geoff Chizever, and fellow Hall of Famer Tracy Austin.

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Fernandez had an unparalleled skill-set in doubles, but her mind may have been her biggest asset. In the present day, she provides virtual lessons to players of all levels looking to improve their prowess on the court.

Sitting right next to her follow icon, Austin asked Fernandez for three tips to share with the viewing audience.

“Don’t follow the ball. People want to follow the ball in the doubles, but that’s a mistake. Pros know where to stop when they’re following the ball, recreational players continue and end up in the alley,” she professed. “If you get lobbed, go back. Always go back.”

The final tip from Fernandez was perhaps the most important: “You can’t win or lose until the last point, so why worry about it? Just try to detach.”

Fernandez found her passion for tennis in Puerto Rico, but her trajectory really began to blossom when she played college tennis at Clemson University. When asked if it was strategy or part of a grand plan to go the scholastic route, she explained, “I had no idea about anything when I was 18."

"I grew up on an island in Puerto Rico, I didn’t even know what pro tennis was,” Fernandez continued. “I played a full year at Clemson, and it was the first time in my life I played tennis every day. Before that I would just hit a couple times when there was a tournament coming up, and then I would win the tournament because there was nobody else. So I figured, why practice if I’m already winning everything?”

In her one season at Clemson, she was an All-American in singles & doubles, and reached the national singles final.

“When I played tennis every day, it was like, wow!” she continued.

Second Serve continues to be the perfect destination for real-time reactions and analysis, but Fernandez dove into other topics such her biggest regret as a pro, why therapy is a great tool for every player (including Nick Kyrgios) and why she was inspired to create “Tennis For Hope,” to assist communities that have been ravaged by natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires.

Second Serve revealed what those in the tennis ecosystem already knew to be true: Few people speak as freely and use their platform for more good than this tennis legend.