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| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) |
| Turned pro | 1986 |
| Retired | 2000 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | US$5,258,471 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 437–203 |
| Career titles | 7 |
| Highest ranking | 4 |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | F (1990, 1992) |
| French Open | F (1993) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1991) |
| US Open | SF (1990, 1992) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 344–141 |
| Career titles | 17 WTA, 2 ITF |
| Highest ranking | 9 |
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's Tennis | ||
 |
1992 Barcelona | Doubles |
|
1996 Atlanta | Doubles |
 |
1992 Barcelona | Singles |
Mary Joe Fernandez Godsick (Maria Jose Fernandez) (born August 19 1971, in the Dominican Republic) is a former professional tennis player from the United States and is of Spanish-Cuban descent. She was the runner-up in three Grand Slam singles tournaments and won two Grand Slam women's doubles titles and two Olympic gold medals.
Career
Fernandez first came to the tennis world's attention as an outstanding junior player who won four straight Orange Bowl junior titles. In 1985, aged 14 years and 8 days, Fernandez became the youngest player to win a main draw match at the U.S. Open when she defeated Sara Gomer in the first round 6–1, 6–4.
Fernandez turned professional in 1986. She won her first tour doubles title in 1989 at Dallas, partnering Betsy Nagelsen. Her first top-level singles title came in 1990 at the Tokyo Indoor championships.
Fernandez reached her first Grand Slam singles final in 1990 at the Australian Open, where she was defeated 6–3, 6–4 by Steffi Graf. She finished 1990 ranked a career-high World No. 4 in singles.
In 1991, Fernandez teamed with Patty Fendick to win the women's doubles title at the Australian Open.
Fernandez was back in the Australian Open singles final in 1992. This time, she lost to Monica Seles 6–2, 6–3.
Fernandez was selected to represent the United States at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. She won a gold medal in women's doubles, partnering Gigi Fernandez (no relation), and a bronze medal in women's singles.
In the quarterfinals of the 1993 French Open, Fernandez staged a dramatic comeback against Gabriela Sabatini after Sabatini took a 6–1, 5–1 lead. Fernandez saved five match points during the 3-hour, 36-minute match and eventually won 1–6, 7–6(7–4), 10–8. She then defeated Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 6–2, 6–2 in the semifinals to reach her third Grand Slam singles final. In a close match against Graf, Fernandez lost 4–6, 6–2, 6–4
Fernandez won her second Grand Slam doubles title in 1996 at the French Open, partnering Lindsay Davenport. The pair went on to capture the year-end WTA Tour Championships doubles title later that year.
Fernandez was a late replacement for Chanda Rubin on the United States team for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. She won a second straight women's doubles gold medal, again in partnership with Gigi Fernandez. She was also entered in the singles competition due to a withdrawal and reached the semifinals, where she was defeated in the bronze medal match by Jana Novotna. Later that year, Fernandez was a member of the U.S. team that won the Fed Cup.
Fernandez won her final tour singles title in 1997 at the German Open in Berlin. Her final doubles title also came that year in Madrid. She retired from the tour in 2000, having won 7 singles titles, 17 WTA doubles titles, and 2 ITF women's doubles titles.
Since retiring from the tour, Fernandez has served as a tennis commentator for ESPN and joined CBS Sports as an analyst for the 2005 U.S. Open.
Personal
Fernandez completed her high school education at the Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, in Miami, Florida.
On April 8, 2000, Fernandez married Anthony Lewisohn (Tony) Godsick, a sports agent with International Management Group. The pair were married in Miami. They have two children: Isabella Maria (born December 11, 2001 and Nicholas Cooper (born September 15, 2004).
Grand Slam finals
Singles
Runner-ups (3)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1990 | Australian Open |  Steffi Graf |
6–3, 6–4 |
| 1992 | Australian Open | .svg){kind=small} Monica Seles |
6–2, 6–3 |
| 1993 | French Open | Steffi Graf |
4–6, 6–2, 6–4 |
Women's doubles
Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | Partnering | Opponents in Final | Score in Final |
| 1991 | Australian Open |  Patty Fendick |
Gigi Fernandez Jana Novotna |
7–6(4), 6–1 |
| 1996 | French Open | Lindsay Davenport |
Gigi Fernandez Natasha Zvereva |
6–2, 6–1 |
Runner-ups (5)
| Year | Championship | Partnering | Opponents in Final | Score in Final |
| 1989 | U.S. Open | Pam Shriver |
 Hana Mandlikova Martina Navratilova |
5–7, 6–4, 6–4 |
| 1990 | Australian Open | Patty Fendick |
Jana Novotna Helena Sukova |
7–6(5), 7–6(6) |
| 1992 | Australian Open | Zina Garrison Jackson |
 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario Helena Sukova |
6–4, 7–6(3) |
| 1996 | Australian Open | Lindsay Davenport |
Chanda Rubin Arantxa Sanchez Vicario |
7–5, 2–6, 6–4 |
| 1997 | French Open | Lisa Raymond |
Gigi Fernandez Natasha Zvereva |
6–2, 6–3 |
WTA singles finals
Wins (7)
Runner-ups (9)
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- American tennis players
- Tennis commentators
- Australian Open champions
- French Open champions
- Olympic tennis players of the United States
- Olympic gold medalists for the United States
- Olympic bronze medalists for the United States
- Tennis players at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Tennis players at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- 1971 births
- Living people
- Women sports announcers
- People from Miami, Florida
- Cuban-Americans
- Spanish-Americans