The United States Tennis Association announced on Monday that former Grand Slam doubles champion Mary Joe Fernandez will be the new Fed Cup team captain in 2009.
Fernandez will replace outgoing captain Zina Garrison in the 2009 season, but will begin working with the team in 2008 as a coach. Fernandez will work closely with Garrison and the team for the 2008 Fed Cup campaign as she transitions from Coach to Captain.
“I anticipate an exciting final year as Captain in the hopes of bringing the Fed Cup home to the U.S.,” said Garrison in the USTA’s announcement.
“Mary Joe and I are looking forward to building a strong transition as she evolves from Coach to Captain over the course of 2008. I can think of no better person to assist as Coach in 2008 and serve as Captain in 2009.”
During her professional career Fernandez reached the singles final at three Grand Slams and won two major doubles titles. She also won two Olympic gold medals in doubles.
Since retiring from professional tennis in 2000, Fernandez has worked as a commentator for ESPN and CBS Sports.
“I am thrilled to be part of the U.S. Fed Cup team once again,” said Fernandez. “Fed Cup was one of the most important and memorable times of my career. I am excited to be working with Zina in 2008, and then taking on the Captain’s role in 2009.”
Fernandez played for the USA in Fed Cup during the 1991 and 1994-1999 tennis seasons. She was a member of the winning team in 1996 that defeated Spain 5-0 in the final.
She may coach one of her former teammates from 1996, Lindsay Davenport, during the USA’s opening round in February. Fernandez is married to Tony Godsick, Davenport’s long-time agent.
The La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, which hosted sold-out crowds for a U.S. Davis Cup first round tie in 2006, has been selected as the host site for the quarterfinal between the United States and Germany, February 2-3.
The team has not yet been named, but possible participants include Davenport, and Venus and Serena Williams.
Yes! Yes! Yes! I am Mary Jo’s biggest fan, and this is a perfect fit for her! Listening to her commentary all these years, I get the feeling that she has great interpersonal skills and knowledge of the game.
I have a couple of concerns however. First thing, Mary Jo doesn’t command the respect that Zina Garrison does, at least with the Williams sisters. I have ready many qoutes from Venus and Serena where they said “Zina really convinced me to play” or something to that effect. Zina is a living legend to African Americans in the tennis community. I’m afraid Mary Jo doesn’t have that clout, but hopefully Venus and Serena will respect her as a great person and a great coach.
The other issue is (I don’t know if I’m the only one who feels this way), but I don’t think the Fed cup or Davis Cup captains should be allowed to commentate at all. It’s a big distraction because I believe their opinions are biased because everyone who isn’t American is their competition, so how could they give a fair assessment? I think Patrick McEnroe does an ok job dealing with this, but it’s still a distraction for me. I’m always saying to myself “He must be biting his tounge!”. Patrick tries so hard to be politically correct that it becomes a distraction.
With that being said, Mary Jo is my favorite commentator and I don’t care how biased she is, I could listen to her all day. Congrats Mary Jo!