RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Monica Puig isn't the first Puerto Rican women's tennis player to win a gold medal at the Olympics. She's just the first to win one for Puerto Rico.
And Gigi Fernandez was thrilled to see it happen.
Fernandez, a Puerto Rican who won Olympic gold in doubles in 1992 and 1996 but did so while representing the United States, has dealt with plenty of social-media criticism in recent days as the wounds caused by her decision from a generation ago seemed to be reopened. But after watching Puig's historic win on television from her Connecticut home on Saturday, Fernandez said her only regret was not being in Rio de Janeiro to watch it live.