Monica Puig temporarily sets aside racket for microphone in role as tennis broadcaster

Following surgery that has seen her take an extended hiatus, tennis star Monica Puig seems to be thriving in her new role as a tennis broadcaster on television.

The Olympic gold medalist has only played in three matches since undergoing elbow surgery in 2019, but revealed she is on track for a comeback sometime in April. However, after spending months being restless due to the lack of tennis, Puig got the opportunity to showcase her personality as she was invited for a three-day stint as an analyst for ESPN Deportes’ Wimbledon coverage.

“You get bored and you want to find something to do when you’re not out on the courts,” she said. “Tennis is so prevalent in my life, and it’s always going to be, that I just wanted to do something in this sport. The beautiful thing about it is that tennis opens so many doors.

“Sometimes opportunities present themselves in certain moments. For me, it was right time, right place.”

After a successful audition, the 28-year old was brought in for two weeks on the big stage that is the US Open in New York.

“The chemistry,” Puig said, “was insane. Those two weeks literally flew by.”

She had three different roles: Doing analysis from a set location outside Arthur Ashe Stadium, working along host Carolina Guillen, commentary in the broadcast booth – and courtside analysis for the important matches on Arthur Ashe, including men’s matches and the final between Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez.

Puig closed out the season with another varied week at the WTA Finals in Guadalajara, Mexico. The experience on the other side of the camera and microphone was beyond merely educational.

“It was a lot of work,” Puig said. “It made me appreciate the journalism side of things, the long hours that they put in. They have to be there watching all the matches, studying all the facts. I thought being a tennis player in a Grand Slam was crazy, but being a journalist at a Grand Slam is truly out of this world. I tip my hat to them.”