Monica Puig knows very well that she made ​​Olympic history for her country. Born in Hato Rey—located in San Juan, Puerto Rico—22 years ago, this young tennis player of long blond hair became the first athlete to win a gold medal for the “borinquen” island, by defeating Germany's Angelique Kerber in the women's singles tennis final at  Rio 2016.

“Just to get to the end, I knew I had made ​​history. But I also wanted to be the first gold medalist at Olympic for Puerto Rico, so I had another reason to win: not only for me but for Puerto Rico," Puig said in an interview with Telemundo filmed on Copacabana beach the next morning of her victory.

The young tennis player, rated at No. 34 globally in the WTA rankings, appeared under the Copacabana sun with the Puerto Rico national team sweater, jean shorts, and a gold medal around her neck. Without taking her smile off her face, she explained to the audience of Telemundo that her historic feat was not simply a matter of luck, but the result of "many hours of training and many hours in the gym".

The relaxed and quiet atmosphere on the beach of Copacabana had little to do with the outbreak of emotion that Puig was a victim of the night before, after beating the German rival and win the gold. Puig knelt on the floor of the court and could not hold the tears for long while in her birthplace of Puerto Rico, where the streets were empty while the match was broadcasted, there was an explosion of joy and emotions. On Twitter and Facebook were dozens of videos showing a huge crowd shouting and sounding horns of cars through the streets of San Juan to celebrate the first gold medal in the history of Puerto Rico.

"It is our way of celebrating—screaming with happiness, shouting "yes we can", "I am Boricua" [...] Puerto Rico is a unique island, we have a massive heart for our country, and that is very visible," Puig said, overwhelmed by the multitude of congratulatory cards and messages she received in the following hours of dozens of boricua followers.

The message that got her the most emotional was a message from her maternal grandparents, who still live in Puerto Rico: "I love you so much and thank you for being tremendous grandparents", she said with teary eyes during the television show Un Día Nuevo (Telemundo) issued last week.

Despite having grown up between Miami and Boca Raton, Fla.— her training location—

Puig has always wanted to stay loyal to her native island and has rejected the possibility of competing with the US team, as did other boricuas medalists. Tennis player Gigi Fernandez, for example, won the gold medal in the doubles final at the Games in Barcelona and Atlanta, but competed under the American flag.

"The delegation of Puerto Rico is very small, but we are united, we eat dinner dinner together, spend a lot of time together [...] That is what the Games are all about— being united," said Puig under the sun of Copacabana. Puerto Rico competes with its own delegation since 1948.

Monica Puig started one competing in the world of pro tennis in 2010, and had so far only accomplished one title under her belt (International Strasbourg in 2014). However, the tennis player has managed to surprise the world in Rio, defeating two of the top ten international players: German tennis player Angelique Kerber, who is ranked second in the world and the reigning Australian Open champion, who Puig stole the gold from to win in three sets (6-4, 4-6 , 6-1), and Spain’s Garbine Muguruza,  French Open champion, who was defeated by Puig in two sets (6-1, 6-1) in the elimination round.

“I was very impressed by the level of calmness and intensity that Puig has maintained throughout the competition,” said former U.S. world champion Chris Evert to The New York Times, who’s known the player for some time and continues training in Boca Raton, Fla.

Puig’s official coach is Argentine Juan Todero, a member of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), and one of the architects of her two-handed backhand of Boricua strength.

"Puig came to the Olympic Games without pressure, and this has allowed her to play the best weeks of his career, and her life," said Kerber to reporters after losing the match against her Puerto Rican rival.

From Catalan grandparents who emigrated to Puerto Rico (hence her last name, "Puig"— pronounced "Poo-tch" and not "Puich" as journalists from US television say, are Latino or Anglo-Saxon), Monica says she feels a strong attachment to the island.

"I have family still in Puerto Rico and have returned many times. It's my favorite for when I want to go to the beach or to see family. The island has given me so much, so much love and support throughout my career, that I simply owe them this medal," she told The New York Times.

The gold medal Puig has been like an injection of optimism for the island, which is facing serious financial and economic problems , coupled with the threat of Zika virus.

"I know my country really appreciates this achievement, and I really wanted to give this victory to them," said Puig told reporters.

"All the joy you brought, @MonicaAce93," posted one of her followers on Twitter, attaching a video that featured a group of young, shirtless people jumping in the trunk of a pick-up and screaming with joy in the streets of San Juan to celebrate the first gold medal of Puerto Rico.

Thousands of kilometers away in Rio, Puig could not contain her excitement. In the seconds following her victory over her German rival, Puig knelt on the floor of the court and began to cry, offering one of the most emotional moments of the Summer Olympic Games. The athlete was still crying on the podium as she received her gold medal to the tune of Puerto Rico’s national anthem, "La Borinqueña.” Her father had sent her the lyrics via email that morning, "just in case," Puig said in the press conference. She came to memorize some verses, although she had to admit that the effort was in vain. "If I had stopped crying, I would have begun begun to sing, but the fact is I could not. I had a knot in my throat the whole time," she said.

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Pica Power!

The night of August 13, just minutes after the Puerto Rican tennis player Monica Puig won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Rio, the #PicaPower— meaning “sting power— hashtag became a trending topic on Twitter, making the digital world forget for a few hours the negative topics that dot the island, such as the financial crisis or threat of Zika virus.

"#picapower History for PR! Our first gold medal in the Olympics. Terrific Monica!”

“The best moment in the history of Puerto Rican sports @MonicaAce93 thanks...coqui #picapower.”

“IT FEELS TO BE BORICUA!!! ARRIBA  #PicaPower.”

“What does "PicaPower" mean, though?” people asked the Puerto Rican tennis player during a recent interview on Un Nuevo Día, issued by Telemundo. Puig explained that the hashtag #PicaPower is derived from a phrase she always uses: "In life, sometimes you have to sting many stones to get what you want."

A descendant of Catalan immigrants in Puerto Rico (hence her last name), Monica Puig has become a source of pride and excitement for her fellow islanders, although she grew up in Miami.

Her father, a Cuban-American engineer, decided to move to America for work and the family has ever since lived there. Her older brother, Ricky, is an aeronautical engineer.

"Obviously, I never forgot my roots. I would go to Puerto Rico every summer, and speak Spanish fluently," Puig said in a press conference at the Wimbledon tournament in 2013, when she had not yet won any title.

It was also in Miami where Puig started playing tennis. "My mother played tennis when she was small, so I joined classes. I was hooked  I never thought, however, that I was going to turn pro. It was a bit like a last-minute gaffe in the sense that I was not a person who got immediate results. It took me a while to see that all the pieces were falling into place. It was then that I began to notice something special for the sport.” Puig explained during a press conference in Wimbledon in 2013. Puig became a professional tennis player in 2010 and four years later won her first official title, winning the singles final at the Strasbourg International Tennis Tournament.

When asked if she has an idol in tennis, Puig replied that she’s always been inspired by Jennifer Capriati and Serena Williams. "But now I’m more focused on the men's tournaments, because there is much more consistency," she acknowledged in 2013, three years before winning gold in Rio.

According to the WTA website, Monica also likes going to the beach, relaxing at home, reading, writing, or spending time with her family and dogs. Her Twitter account shows several photos and videos of the player next to a blue-eyed puppy named Rio. "Rio does not like rackets," she jokes in one of her tweets in a video she posted where the dog seems afraid of her tennis racket.

The days of rest after the Summer Olympics have finished for Monica as the tennis player returned to her daily workouts in Boca Raton to compete in the U.S. Open in New York, which starts on 29 August.

"I'm still super excited. Rio was an unforgettable experience, and I do not know what else to say because I feel like I'm still living a dream," Puig said in Un Nuevo Día, with a short dress, the Boricua flag in hand, and the gold medal around her neck.

"I've sacrificed a lot this year; long hours on the court and very few with my family, but things have gone very well, so I can’t complain," she said.