- Category:
- Richest Athletes › Tennis Players
- Net Worth:
- $10 Million
- Birthdate:
- Aug 19, 1971 (53 years old)
- Birthplace:
- Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- Gender:
- Female
What is Mary Joe Fernández's Net Worth?
Mary Joe Fernandez is an American retired professional tennis player who has a net worth of $10 million. Mary Joe Fernandez turned professional in 1986 and retired in 2000. During her career, Fernandez won $5.26 million in prize money. She has a career singles record of 437-203 with seven WTA titles. Her highest ranking was #4 in October 1990. Mary Joe Fernandez reached the final of the Australian Open in 1990 and 1992 and the final of the French Open in 1993. She reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in 1991 and of the US Open in 1990 and 1992. Fernandez won a bronze medal representing the U.S. at the Olympic Games in 1992. She was very successful in doubles with a record of 344-141 with 17 WTA titles and 2 ITF titles, and a career-high doubles ranking of #4 in February 1991. As a doubles player she won the Australian Open in 1991 and the French Open in 1996 and reached the final of the US Open in 1989. She won Gold medals at the Olympic Games in 1992 and 1996.
Early Life
Fernández was born on August 19, 1971, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Her father, José, was originally from Spain, while her mother, Silvia, was from Cuba. The family later moved to Miami, Florida, where Fernández was raised. She attended Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart. She began playing tennis at a young age, and her proficiency in the sport was quickly apparent.
Career
Fernández became prominent in the tennis world as an outstanding junior player. She won four straight Orange Bowl junior titles. In 1985, at the age of 14 and eight days, she became the youngest player to win a main draw match at the US Open when she defeated Sara Gomer in the first round.
She turned professional in 1986 but did not win her first tour title until 1989, when she won a doubles title in Dallas with partner Betsy Nagelsen. The same year, she was also a semifinalist at the 1989 French Open before losing to Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.
In 1990, she reached her first Grand Slam singles final at the Australian Open. She was ultimately defeated by Steffi Graf. Later that year, she won her first WTA Tour singles title at the Tokyo Indoor championship. That year, she finished with a career-high number 4 ranking in the world women's singles ranking.
The following year, in 1991, she reached the semifinals at the Australian Open. She was a match point up from opponent Monica Seles before eventually losing to Seles in the third set. The same year, she teamed up with partner Patty Fendick to win the women's Australian Open doubles title. At Wimbledon that year, she also reached the semifinals where she then lost to Steffi Graf in straight sets.
In 1992, she reached the Australian Open singles final by beating Gabriela Sabatini in the semifinals before losing to Monica Seles. During the 1992 US Open, she again beat Sabatini in the quarterfinals but then was defeated by Seles in the semifinals. The same year, she was selected to represent the United States at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. She won both a gold medal in women's doubles with partner Gigi Fernández and a bronze medal in the singles competition.
In 1993, she won the title in Indian Wells by defeating Amanda Coetzer in the final. The same year, at the French Open, she defeated Sabatini in the quarterfinals and Sanchez-Vicario in the semifinals. In the finals, she was close to defeating Graf but ultimately lost the match. In 1995, she won against Sabatini at the Internationaux de Strasbourg. The following year, she won against Natasha Zvereva at the Indian Wells Masters and against Amanda Coetzer at the Brighton International. In 1996, she won her second Grand Slam doubles title at the French Open with partner Lindsay Davenport. The two went on to secure the year-end WTA Tour Championships doubles title later that year.
For the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Fernández was a late replacement for Chanda Rubin on the United States team. She won a second straight women's doubles gold medal, again with partner Gigi Fernández. She also competed in the singles competition when another player withdrew and reached the semifinals, defeating Conchita Martinez in the quarterfinals. She was then defeated by Jana Novotná for the bronze medal. She also was part of the American team that won the Fed Cup later that year.
In 1997, she reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, ultimately losing to Martina Hingis. In May of that year, she won her first and only Tier I tournament in Berlin when she beat Jana Novotná in the semifinals and Mary Pierce in the final. She defeated Lindsay Davenport at the end of the year WTA Finals.
In 1999, Fernández defeated Serena Williams in the third round of the French Open. In her last Grand Slam appearance, she lost to Venus Williams in the fourth round of the US Open the same year. She officially retired from the tour in 2000, having won a total of 24 titles, seven of which were WTA singles titles and 17 of which were doubles titles.
Following her retirement, she began working as an analyst and commentator for ESPN. She also coached the US Fed Cup team from 2008 to 2016 and served as the women's coach for the 2012 U.S. Olympic tennis team in London.
Personal Life
In April 2000, Fernández married Anthony Godsick, a sports agent working with International Management Group. They have since had two children, one of whom later became a tennis player. Her husband is the agent of Roger Federer.
Real Estate
Mary Joe and Anthony have homes in Cleveland, Ohio, and Key Biscayne, Florida. They bought their Key Biscayne property in 2013 for $905,000 and proceeded to perform a major renovation. The 1-acre property features a resort-style swimming pool and requisite tennis court.