Olympics, Puerto Rico, Rio: 10 questions about Monica Puig
Monica Puig is the first athlete from Puerto Rico to win an Olympic gold medal. Here are the responses to some common questions you might have about the 27-year-old
Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match – JO2016 – Olympics – Rio de Janeiro – 08/13/2016
Credit: Action Images / Panoramic
Who is Monica Puig?
Monica Puig is a professional tennis player and was born on September 27, 1993, which makes her 27 years old.
Which country is Monica Puig from?
Monica Puig is from Puerto Rico. She was born to a Cuban American father, José Puig, and a Puerto Rican mother, Astrid Marchán, and has an older brother Ricky (works in the aeronautical industry as an engineer). Puig was Introduced to tennis by her mother as a youngster and she speaks fluent Spanish and English.
Puig is one of the most successful female tennis players form Puerto Rico, after Gigi Fernandez, who later played under the American flag.
Was Monica Puig a good junior?
Puig peaked at No 2 in the world junior rankings. She finished as runner-up at the Australian Open and French Open girls singles event in 2011.
Which year did Monica Puig win the Olympic gold medal?
Puig won the Olympic gold medal in women’s singles event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Ro de Janerio. Puig came into the event unseeded and scored wins over Polona Hercog, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Garbine Muguruza, Laura Siegemund, Petra Kvitová, and Angelique Kerber to win the gold medal. Thus, she became the first athlete from Puerto Rico to win a gold medal in any sport.
“Puerto Rico has gone through its tough times and it’s my responsibility to give them that bit of good news every once in a while,” Puig said in an interview to CNN in 2016. “The fact I did that with the Olympic medal really does say a lot and I feel very responsible for giving this island exactly what it needs when it needs it the most.”
Puig is also a Central American and Caribbean champion and Pan American silver medalist.
Is Monica Puig defending her Olympic gold in Tokyo?
Unfortunately, Puig will not be defending her Olympic gold in Tokyo after undergoing surgery on her shoulder last month.
“This does put me in a very difficult position and having to sit out of the Tokyo Olympics this year,” Puig said at the time. “It is very difficult, and it was with a very heavy heart that I took this decision. Obviously, my team and I are thinking long term and prolonging my career for as many years as possible and hoping to play in the Paris 2024 Olympics.”
What is Monica Puig’s highest career ranking?
Puig peaked at No. 27 in the singles rankings in September 2016, soon after winning the Olympic gold. You can find her current ranking and ranking history on her WTA Tour profile page.
How many WTA titles has Puig won in her career?
Besides her Olympic title, Puig has won one WTA singles title – Strasbourg in 2014. She also finished runner-up at the WTA events in Sydney (2016) and Luxembourg (2017).
How much prize money has Puig won in her career?
Puig’s total career prize money prior to the Tokyo Olympics was a little over $3.5 million. You can find her updated prize money statistics on her WTA profile page.
What is her best performance at a Grand Slam event?
Puig’s best performance at a Grand Slam has been reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2013. She has also reached the third round at the Australian Open and French Open.
Is Monica Puig on social media?
Puig is on Twitter, where he has more than 188,000 followers; on Instagram where she has more than 519,000 followers, and on Facebook, where she has more than 594,000 followers.
