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.