Overcoming Adversity Like an Olympian
Professional tennis player MONICA PUIG is celebrated for her historic gold medal win for Team Puerto Rico, overcoming adversity and developing a mindset for success. When Monica was forced into an early retirement due to injuries, she reframed the setback as an opportunity to grow her skillset and expand her career. Now a key commentator for ESPN, Monica brings her actionable lessons to this motivational talk, inspiring audiences of all kinds.
Women in Sports: Pushing Boundaries and Building a Legacy
Tennis player MONICA PUIG broke barriers in her professional career, with a career high rank of #27 and winning the gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games. Now, Monica is expanding into sports broadcasting, business, and philanthropy, continuing to celebrate and uplift boundary-breaking female athletes. In this inspirational talk, Monica amplifies the role of women in sports, and shares lessons she learned on her journey to a historic gold medal win.
Women Making History: Monica Puig, Olympic gold medalist, gives back to the tennis community
Professional tennis player and ESPN commentator MONICA PUIG is celebrated for her historic gold medal win for Team Puerto Rico and using her fame to give back. Puig partnered with Athleta’s “The Power of She” initiative, which provides tennis resources and equipment to girls from underserved communities. Puig represents the ultimate champion mindset, from her boundary-breaking win to serving as a team player for the tennis community.
Watch Monica Puig on Tennis Channel Live >>
Watch Monic Puig in conversation on Telemundo Latinx Now! >>
Monica Puig was born September 27, 1993, in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico and currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She began playing tennis at the age of 6 and turned pro in 2011 following a highly successful junior career, in which she reached as high as world #2 and made the finals of two Junior Grand Slams (Australian Open & Roland Garros).
Monica’s professional career, which spanned for over a decade and with a career high ranking of #27, saw her win one WTA title (Strasbourg, 2014) as well as reaching the finals of four additional WTA events. Monica’s biggest victory, and the one that changed her life forever, came on August 13, 2016, when she became the first ever Gold medal winner for Puerto Rico by winning the women’s singles title at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The win in Brazil captivated a nation and propelled her to overnight stardom both in her home country of Puerto Rico as well as in many other parts of Central and Latin America.
Following several years away from professional tennis due to lingering shoulder and elbow injuries, Monica announced her retirement from tennis in the spring of 2022 and has since transitioned into a role with ESPN, where she covers a number of tennis events around the world as both a commentator, host, and guest analyst. She has also fulfilled roles for ESPN around the 2022 MLB All-Star Game and is further looking to expand her role into other areas of sports, business, and the entertainment world.
Hobbies include fashion, modeling, presenting, and giving back through charity initiatives.