Mary full of grace. Carried by her faith, she reached bliss on June 11, 2000 at Porte d'Auteuil. "The best moment of my career," she says. Roland-Garros, a must-see for spring, was due to start on May 24. Postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the French Open is expected to fight from September 20 to October 4. Meanwhile, Mary Pierce, 45, remembers. Twenty years ago, she became the first French woman to win the French Open since Françoise Dürr in 1967: “I have the impression that it was yesterday. It went by too quickly, ”she tells Le Figaro .
LE FIGARO. - Twenty years later, what image do you keep?
Mary PIERCE. - The highlight is the match point in the final against Conchita Martinez. All the positive emotions crossed me at the same time. I tried to think that it was a point like the others. It was wonderful to see all this work, all these tears, all these efforts, rewarded. When I won my first Grand Slam (the Australian Open, in 1995), I was obviously very happy, but winning in France as French, in front of my audience, it was unique, something strong , powerful, magic.
When did you think: "This Roland-Garros is for me"?
When I won my first round on Central (against Tara Snyder), it was as if I had heard a little voice inside me saying to me: "It may be this year ..." said nothing to anyone, I kept that for myself. And, finally, it was true, it was my year.
Do you still have specific memories of your victories against Seles in the quarter, Hingis in the half and Martinez in the final?
I generally don't have a very good memory (smiles). I remember certain points, certain moments, but not like those who remember the score, the moment when they broke… What I remember most is the emotion and the highlights on the Central. This is the place I love the most in the world.
We still imagine that you have not forgotten this famous lob between the legs against Seles in the quarterfinals
Yes, it is the best shot of my career. I sometimes did it for fun in training. In the exchange, she made me run from right to left, and the ball then hit me, and there was nothing to do but a reflex shot. I jumped, kicked the ball between my legs. I did not expect to touch her and that it was also a winning lob. When I see the images again, I am amazed myself, I did not know that I could jump as high (smiles) !
How did you approach the final, six years after your lost final against Arantxa Sanchez?
I was young, in 1994 (19 years old), I was extremely nervous, I had not slept. Then, I won the Australian Open (1995) and played a final (1997). So I had some experience. I thought to myself, "Try to be as relaxed as possible, not stressed, to take advantage of this moment. Anyway, I can't control how well I play and if I win, I can just have fun on the field, and the rest is God who controls it.
"The highlight of my life was when I met the Lord."
Mary PierceDid your Christian faith help you in this epic?
The highlight of my life was when I met the Lord. I was raised in the Catholic religion, but in March 2000 my faith deepened, and this is where my life completely changed. My heart was healed from all my injuries from the past, and I was then able to forgive my father (who died in 2017, this former prisoner had been excluded from the tournaments for regularly excessive behavior, note). God gave me the talent to play tennis, and I wanted to do my best for the Lord. So I came to Roland-Garros that year with a different spirit, another mentality, and that took away a lot of pressure and stress from me.
How important was the presence of your brother David?
He was my coach, and it was also thanks to him that I won the tournament. He led me to develop my game and play better on clay. He also helped me mentally and emotionally, while making me laugh every day. He had seen me go through the hard times on the court with my father. It was fun and light with my brother. In your career, you were not spared from injuries.
During this fortnight where you won the single and the double, your body nevertheless held the shock ...
Roland-Garros is very physical. I was very fit. I had worked a lot on strength, speed, endurance… But I had an injury just before the tournament, and I didn't know three days before if I could play it! There was a lot of care to be taken before the warm-ups and after the games. I was often the first arrival and the last from the stadium. Against Hingis, in the semi-finals, I had cramps at the end. I was given infusions to recover, otherwise I cramped everywhere ...
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That year, you also won it twice with Hingis. What partner was she?
Martina has become a girlfriend. I was happy to play with her. We had a lot of fun. We trained together, also with his mom, who was very serious, who didn't laugh. I learned a lot from Martina, the way she works, she is a very intelligent player on the court, like a chess player. I relied more on my power and my attacking game. Our games complemented each other well.
The relationship with the Parisian public changed in 2000. He had not always been kind to you…
When the public or the press were not nice to me, it hurt me. It was hard for me to feel that I was not loved by the French. Then their eyes changed and I grew and matured. I understood why the audience was hard on me, and saw that I was doing my best.
It was said: "Mary Pierce is French when she wins and American when she loses. Did it hurt you?
You have to accept me as I am. I am not a hundred percent French. I was born in Canada. I grew up in the United States. My dad was American. My mom is French. My father chose for me when I was 13 years old. I left to live in France, when I had never studied French. English is my mother tongue. Even today, I have an accent and I make mistakes when I speak. The American Federation was ready to help my family, provided that I work with a federal coach, and my father refused. My mom then asked for help from the French federation, which responded positively. I trained at CNE in Paris, and from there I was loyal to France. I have lived half of my life in the United States and half of my life in France. I am a mixture, and I think that is what makes my strength and what makes me unique. And I managed to manage the pressure mentally when I approached Roland-Garros, which was not always the case with our best players…
"Even today, I feel that I am not accepted as Mary the Frenchwoman."
Mary PierceWhile we still talk a lot about the success of Yannick Noah in 1983, we evoke less of yours. How do you explain it?
France is a country where men count more ... This is how it is. But the last time France won the Roland-Garros singles title was me. I played three finals (1994, 2000 and 2005). Who is the French representative who did this in the history of modern tennis? Even today, I feel that I am not accepted as Mary the French. I do not understand it. In L'Équipe Magazine, which will be released on Saturday, in one, there is a small photo of me and a large photo of Guga (Kuerten, winner in 2000). I have a lot of respect for him, but it is not normal. If it was Amélie (Mauresmo) or Yannick who had won twenty years ago, we would still put them in big photos… I have played for France all my career, won two Fed Cups in 1997 and 2003 and competed three times the Olympics…
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19, uncertainty reigns over the holding of Roland-Garros this year. If it takes place in the fall, can you imagine it behind closed doors?
Playing in camera, as a player, I would not like. We want to play in front of the public, in a packed stadium. But I also understand the urgency. Players need to get back to work…
What is your view on current French women's tennis?
Since Amélie and I, without forgetting the victory of Marion Bartoli (Wimbledon 2013), there have not been great successes. Just lightning with Kiki (Mladenovic) and Caro (Garcia) in singles. In doubles, they were number one in the world, it's a shame they didn't keep playing together. I do not see who will take over, even if the young Diane Parry, has an interesting game that reminds Amélie (Mauresmo).
Still involved in tennis
Removed from the courts since 2006, and entered the Hall of Fame of tennis, last season, Mary Pierce is on the board of directors of the international federation. Even if her base camp remains Florida, where she has just spent her confinement, she settled in 2008 in an evangelical community of Mauritius. While preparing humanitarian projects for the children of Africa, she created several tournaments in the Indian Ocean and in particular trained young Mauritians. In France, she was Yannick Noah's assistant in 2017 for the Fed Cup. And that's all. A regret ? “Only Yannick Noah did it when he was captain of Fed Cup (2017-2018). He needed an eye to follow the players on the tournaments, as Cédric Pioline did with the men in the Davis Cup. " For now, the double winner of the Grand Slam has in particular a book on his life. “I want to do something that will have an impact on people's lives and that will touch hearts. "
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