Mary Joe honored for Orange Bowl HOF induction

l-r: OB Ceo Eric Poms, OB Comm. Pres. Henri Crockett , OBIE, Mary Joe Fernandez & OB Comm. member Doug Wiley.
Photo by Emily Puia

By Harvey Fialkov

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – On Wednesday at the Miami Open presented by Itau, Miami’s Mary Joe Fernandez was honored for her recent induction into the Orange Bowl Tennis Hall of Fame for winning all three age divisions in the 12s, 14s, 16s, and 18s.

The prodigy won the 12s at 11; the 14s at 12; the 16s at 13, and the 18s at 14, an unprecedented feat.

She went on to have a spectacular professional tennis career, reaching No. 4 in both singles and doubles, while winning a Gold medal in doubles in the 1992 Olympics with Gigi Fernandez (no relation). She won seven singles titles and 17 doubles titles on the WTA Tour, including two Grand Slam doubles titles in the 1991 Australian Open and 1996 French Open.

“Being inducted into the Orange Bowl Tennis Hall of Fame is a huge honor,’’ Fernandez said. “The tournament has been a springboard for so many great players, and I’m proud to be part of its rich history. I’m deeply grateful to the Orange Bowl Committee for this recognition and for their unwavering dedication to growing the game of tennis.”

These days when Fernandez isn’t broadcasting tennis on television, she’s watching her son Nicholas Godsick at Stanford, and also carry on the family tradition when he won the Orange Bowl 16s title.

There was another exciting tournament with a racket on the grounds outside Hard Rock Stadium other than the women’s semifinals and three men’s quarterfinals.

PADEL IS HERE

The debut of the Publix Padel Cup (Thursday through Sunday), in collaboration with RedPADEL and Padel Lux , along with the elite Miami Open Wheelchair Tennis Invitational, were fun to catch for the spectators while wandering the grounds between the thrilling tennis matches on Stadium Court.

The groundbreaking Miami circuit offers $25,000 to the winners (16 Division One Mens’ teams and 8 Division One Womens’ teams.

Padel is the fastest growing sport in America. Throughout the two-week Masters 1000, spectators took turns playing Padel on the three official courts and participating in Padel clinics.