Mary Joe Fernández, aka Mary Joe Fernández Godsick, is a former professional tennis player with a #4 career-high ranking in both singles and doubles.
She serves as an analyst and commentator for the ESPN network and was part of the ESPN Tennis Team for the 2023 Australian Open.
Recently in 2023, Fernandez appeared on the “Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe podcast,” where she praised Djokovic and quoted him as a ‘Dominant’ factor.
Fernandez has won the gold medal twice (1992 & 1996) and is a one-time bronze medalist (1992). The Dominican Republic-born is the winner of several Women’s Tennis Association titles.
She and her fellow professional tennis player Lindsay Davenport won the year-end WTA championship title in 1996.
The legendary player retired in 2000. She was among the names in Sports Illustrated’s “100 American Athletes Who Failed Drug Tests” list. Nevertheless, U.S. law didn’t prosecute her for the misconduct.
Also, prosecutors didn’t pursue any legal actions due to her retirement and insufficient proof.
However, she received several bad presses following the article. The pro player denied all the allegations.
Apart from tennis, she also plays golf and water skiing.
Before getting into details about the American player, here are some quick facts about her.
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′ 9″/1.75 m/175 cm |
| Weight | 141lb./63 kg |
| Hair Color | Brown |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Build | Athletic |
| Profession | Tennis Player, Analyst & Commentator |
| Former Team | The U.S. Team |
| Broadcasting Network | ESPN |
| Active Years | 1986-2000 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Husband | Anthony “Tony” Godsick |
| Kids | Two; Isabella & Nicholas Godsick |
| Net Worth | $10 Million |
| Merch | Photos, Biography |
| Last Update | December 2023 |
Early Life, Family & Education
Mary was born in the Dominican Republic’s capital, Santo Domingo.
She is the daughter of attorney José Fernández, who also has a real estate firm in South America, and real estate broker Silvia Pino Fernández.
Her parents are immigrants; José is from Spain, while Silvia is from Cuba. The ESPN commentator attended the Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami, Florida.
She was as good at academics as she was at sports, as she maintained an above 3.0 GPA in high school.
Since she was an active professional tennis player even before graduating high school, she might’ve not attended college. Also, there is no information about her college tennis career or education.
Age & Height
The two-time gold medalist is 52 years old and born under the Leo sun sign.
She weighs around 140 lbs, with a height of 1.75 meters. When talking about her appearance, she has brown hair and brown eyes.
Mary belongs to the American nationality with mixed ethnicity and follows the Christian religion.
Tennis & Broadcasting Career
Tennis Career
Professional Career From 1995 To 1992
The analyst started her professional career when she was just 14 years old. The then-teenager became a four-time Orange Bowl junior champion, which opened several doors for her.
She defeated an English tennis player named Sara Gomer in the U.S. Open.
So in 1985, she was the youngest tennis player who won the main draw. By 1986, she was already a professional tennis player and won her first tour double with Betsy Nagelsen.
In 1989, she made it to the semifinals of the French Open.
In the 1990 Australian Open, the Dominican American player made it to the Australian Open’s finals but lost.
Although later that year, at the Tokyo Indoor Championship, she won a singles WTA title. She ranked No. 4, a career-high in singles worldwide, on October 22, 1990.
The following year, she could only be the Australian Open’s semi-finalist. In the singles match, she lost to Monica Seles (3-6,6-0,7-9.)
Nevertheless, she won the Australian Open’s Doubles’ paired with Patty Fendick. Again, in Wimbledon, she lost after reaching the semifinals.
In the 1992 Australian Open, she again reached the finals before being defeated. Also, she made it to the semifinals before her loss in the U.S. Open.
When she represented the USA in the 1992 Olympics, she earned a gold medal in doubles and a bronze in singles.
Professional Career From 1993 To Retirement
The analyst won the WTA Indian Wells Open in 1993, defeating world No.3 and No.5 in the French Open.
However, she lost in the finals, although she started strong. Nevertheless, in 1996, she won the French Open’s Grand Slam Doubles.
She also won the year-end WTA Tour Championships in the doubles with former world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport.
Mary was part of the U.S. team in the 1996 Olympics when she won her second gold with her previous Puerto Rican-American partner Gigi Fernández.
Besides that, in the same year, she played against the world No. 2 player, Conchita Martinez, to reach the singles semifinals; however, she lost and failed to make it to the finals.
Later that year, she also won the Federation Cup with the U.S. team.
She lost in the 1997 Australian Open semifinals but won her only WTA Tier I tournament in Berlin.
Later on that year, she won against then-No. 2 Lindsay Davenport. Further, a year before her retirement, she won against Serena Williams.
Fernández lost her last Grand Slam to Venus Williams in 1999. Eventually, in the year 2000, she retired from tennis.
Post Career
Before going to broadcasting, Fernández coached the U.S. Fed Cup team (2008-2016) and was the woman’s coach for the 2012 U.S. Olympic tennis team in London.
Following retirement, she serves as a tennis analyst and commentator for the ESPN network. She covered the U.S. Open 2020 with other commentators.
Mary also reported the Southern and Western Open. She travels yearly for at least two months to attend the WTA tennis tour.
She has interviewed famous tennis players like Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff, etc.
Fernandez praised Djokovic and quoted him as a ‘Dominant’ factor on the “Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe podcast.”
Mary Joe Fernandez believes Novak Djokovic is still the man to beat on the ATP Tour and noted that a healthy Djokovic would be a formidable opponent in 2023.
After winning a record 10th Australian Open title, Djokovic underlined that he is still very motivated and determined to succeed; he says, “Of course, I’m motivated to win as many as possible.”
Fernandez also discussed Gauff’s early loss during the 2022 Australian Open and, as a veteran, warned the 19-year-old about sticking to just one game plan.
Drug Use
In 2003, rumors suggested that she had used drugs in the Olympics. A report from the former United States Olympic Committee (USOC) director, Dr. Wade Exum, showed Mary’s name.
According to the report, despite showing a positive result for banned drugs, they were still allowed to play.
Moreover, several people and critics, including the World Anti-Doping Agency head, Dick Pound, suspected the USOC of covering up.
Before winning gold and bronze in the 1992 Olympics, the ESPN analyst received a positive result for pseudoephedrine; nevertheless, she was allowed to play and faced no consequences.
However, USOC called Dr. Exum’s accusation and reports released to the press ‘baseless.’ Like everyone on the list, she later addressed that she took cold medicine with a trace of the drug.
As a result of the reports released to the Sports Illustrated and Orange County Register, she received a lot of bad press. Nonetheless, U.S. law didn’t take decisive or disciplinary actions against her.
Marriage & Kids
The ESPN commentator is married to sports agent Anthony “Tony“ Godsick. Tony is the CEO and president of the sports and entertainment company Team8.
Besides that, he is an agent who represented the former Swiss tennis player Roger Federer.
In 2019, Tony was on the #41 Sports Agent list of Forbes.
The duo tied the knot in April 2000 at the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. Mary in Miami. All their loved ones, including their parents and siblings, attended the wedding.
The pair have two children, namely Isabella Godsick and Nicholas Godsick. Both of their kids play tennis.
Isabella won the Ohio High School’s Division II doubles state tournament, while Nicholas ranked in the top 15 nationwide when he was 13.
Net Worth & Salary
In a 2023 interview with Godsick with CNBC, he spoke about Roger, the 20-time Grand Slam champion winner, and his killer instinct on the court.
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