When I teach clinics now I really don't get involved in the players' technique. My coach was my mentor, my companion, dinner-mate, my tennis coach who helped me with my strokes, scouted my opponents, made sure I was drinking enough water. When I was playing my coach was all of the above. Tennis Now: When you were a pro player what did you value most in a coach? Was it technical, tactical, psychological, emotional guidance? Now that you're a coach what do you value most imparting to your players? Gigi Fernandez: You have to consider the audience. And that positioning starts working at the 3.5 level, from the 3.5 level up, it works. Look at the best pro players, they close the middle, they cut off the angles. Everybody has been taught to follow the ball so if the player in front of you moves to the alley then you're taught to move to the alley.īut that's backwards. You leave the alley open and if the opponents want to thread the needle then let them have at it. What I teach is: You don't follow the ball. Some players make the mistake of leaving the wrong area open. So there's one area that you kind of have to leave open. Tennis Now: Court positioning is key to doubles, but how can you help players make that part of the game instinctual, especially in doubles where things happen so fast and reaction time is reduced? Gigi Fernandez: Basically, you have two people covering three areas of the court. I've been coaching recreational players for about the last four years and I really enjoy it. It's kind of like Wilander on Wheels, only it's focused on doubles. What do you aim to achieve with Masters ? Gigi Fernandez: I've been doing clinics for about the past three years where I go around and give clinics to bring my teaching knowledge to different areas, different clubs. Tennis Now: You launched a website devoted to doubles. We caught up with Gigi for this interview where she discusses her doubles philosophy, the secrets to Hingis' doubles success, the key to a good partnership and how Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova and Deepak Chopra helped change her career. Mark Kovacs to stage her first Doubles Boot Camp at Chelsea Piers in Stamford, Connecticut. In June, Fernandez will team with fitness expert Dr. She launched to focus on her passion and conducts doubles clinics around the country. These days, Fernandez is a coach, devoted exclusively to doubles. Fernandez partnered a 14-year-old Hingis to her first career doubles title at the 1995 Hamurg tournament. ![]() The first pro to come from Puerto Rico also recognized the brilliance in a young Martina Hingis. Fernandez, who won a total of 17 Grand Slam doubles crowns with four different partners, also paired with Mary Joe Fernandez to Olympic gold medals at the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Games. Together, the feisty Fernandez and more stoic Zvereva won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles during a five-year tear from 1992 to 1997. 1 Lindsay Davenport said of the Hall of Fame pair. "They were the best team I faced," former world No. ![]() Parting can be painful and parting can be empowering.Ī sudden split forged the union that became one of the game's greatest doubles partnerships.ĭumped by their respective partners before the trophy ceremony at the 1991 Wimbledon, Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva came together quickly and complemented each other brilliantly. "The emotional part of a partnership is a challenge," said Hall of Famer Gigi Fernandez with partner Natasha Zvereva above.
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