20th Annual Hall of Fame Gala Wrap-up
2020 marks the 20th anniversary of Colorado’s Tennis Hall of Fame. This year’s Gala celebrated past inductees as well as welcomed long-time Aspen resident Gigi Fernandez.
See the night in photos and BlackTie Colorado wrap-up
Gigi Fernandez is a native of Puerto Rico, and was a pioneer for female sports on the island. From a young age, her natural ability coupled with her instinct on the court, were signs that Gigi would reach levels that no one on the island had ever dreamed possible. Upon graduating from high school, Gigi accepted a scholarship to Clemson University where she reached the singles finals of the NCAA Championship as a freshman. The success of her first year in college prompted her to turn professional in 1983 becoming Puerto Rico’s first female professional athlete, in any sport.
Gigi won the first of her 17 major championship at the US Open in 1988, and after moving to Aspen in 1989, she continued her illustrious professional career, winning 2 Olympic Gold Medals in doubles with Mary Joe Fernandez (no relation) and 16 additional Grand Slam doubles titles. With an astounding 71 titles on the WTA tour (2 singles, 52 doubles plus the 17 majors) Gigi is recognized as one of the best doubles players of all-time. In 2000, Gigi was honored as the Puerto Rican Athlete of the Century and was inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2010.
Annual Award Winners announced
USTA Colorado is excited to celebrate the 2019 Annual Award winners, who were honored for their contributions to the Colorado tennis community at the Colorado Tennis Hall of Fame Gala.
Players of the Year:
Male Player: Ethan Hillis/Centennial
Female Player: Rebecca Weissmann/Loveland
Senior Male Player: Bob Litwin/Lafayette
Senior Female Player: Rita Price/Aurora
Sportsmanship Awards:
B14U: Will Moses/Littleton
B15-18: Neil Wilcox/Longmont
G14U: Karolina Jacobson/Broomfield
G15-18: Valerie Negin/Centennial
Parks: Eileen Tran/Westminster
Service Awards:
Organization: Steamboat Tennis Association
Volunteer: David Jensen/Littleton
Media: Barry Gutierrez/Denver
Family: Chris Stevens Family/Littleton
to Under-resourced: Pam Rogers/Colorado Springs
to Rec players: Laura Ecton/Fort Collins
to Tennis community: Kris Johnson/Larkspur
