4th round interview

M. PIERCE/Justine Henin-Hardenne

6‑3, 6‑4

An interview with:

Q. Maybe one of the best wins you've had in a long time, do you think?

MARY PIERCE: I don't know. I think I played well also. During the French I had a couple good wins, when I beat Lindsay. You know, I don't know. Probably one of my best wins this year, yeah.

Q. How much did that French Open final motivate you to continue your hard work and avenge this loss?

MARY PIERCE: French Open final I think just kind of started confirmation, you know, what I really believed in myself, what I had been working really hard for over a year for.

And then, you know, as far as avenging or whatever, revenge or whatever, for that loss and coming into this one, I wasn't thinking about that at all. Yeah, I just wanted to do better than the last time I played against Justine. And I just feel that I've improved since then and I'm playing really well lately.

You know, just talking with my brother before the match, and that helped a lot. You know, just going on the court, just playing my game really.

Q. I guess serve return and keeping the point short, every short ball you needed to, you hit hard, played well at net. Did it all pretty much click for you? Very few points in that match where you were loose.

MARY PIERCE: Yeah, I think the first five games I just played great. I don't know if I could have played much better than that. You know, I think Justine started to pick up her game a little bit at that point. You know, she's a fighter. She never gave up.

If my game dropped a little bit, started making some mistakes, whatever, she would have been right back in that match. I know that I needed to try to stay ahead, stay on top, stay aggressive.

Q. How good did it feel to serve the game out the way you did? I think you hit the first serve every single point there.
MARY PIERCE: Yeah, I knew I needed a hold to win that match. If I didn't, it was 5 All. You know, anything can happen at that point. So, you know, I think I did the same thing for the first set. I think I held in the first set.
I feel like I've been serving well. I'm pretty confident with my serves. You know, they came through for me today.

Q. Justine said you're playing better than you have been throughout your career. That's spanning a lot of years. How would you talk about where you are now as opposed to where you were?

MARY PIERCE: Well, that's really nice to hear Justine say that, you know, because she's a great player, and I guess a lot of great players, and played me over the years as well (sic).

It's really kind of neat because it's just really what I had hoped for and believed but probably more hoped for, that my best years were still ahead of me when I had my injuries. I said, my last years will be my best years. You know, I'm feeling pretty good about that.

Q. Not only you're playing well, you seem to be in a lot better shape physically.You seem to be having fun in the game in comparison to a couple years ago. What did you do to make that transition? What did you work at?

MARY PIERCE: Everything. I think when I had my injuries, you know, I was out of the game, just a lot of things happened in my life. Basically just started all over kind of in all areas and just rebuilt myself and changed a lot. You know, I guess that's kind of like that story or expression, you know, if you have a house and it's not really built on a solid foundation, it will get swept away pretty quickly in the storms. You know, to build a house with a strong foundation to last, it will take time, but it will last.

I think that's kind of how I feel now, that I just had to rebuild, and it took some time, but probably stronger and better than before.

Q. Sometimes people have used the expression that youth is wasted on the young. Do you think at this point in your life how good it would be if you were back to being 15 and 16, knowing what you know how, starting out again?

MARY PIERCE: Don't we all wish that. If I knew now what I know and I was 20 years younger, but that's not the case. I'm just happy every day that I have the opportunity to actually just be here, hopefully contribute in some way and get better in myself.

Q. We've heard that you've reconciled with your father. Is that something that was important to you, as well?

MARY PIERCE: Very important to me. I mean, that's been years now. It's nothing new. You know, that's just very, very important. I think, you know, after my relationship with God, then comes my family, and then my friends. You know, it's such an important thing in life. It just creates such a balance. You know, those relationships I think in life is what it's all about.

Q. What is it like to have him back watching you practice? You spoke the other day about your brother being there, Nick coming on court as an adviser?

MARY PIERCE: It's fun. He's funny. He always comes and laughs and jokes and tells jokes, tells stories. Just loves to watch me play and practice. You know, just always telling me how good I am, how amazing it is what I do every day, to be able to do it, to be training as hard as I do.
Yeah, it's just nice.

Q. If you reached the final here, would you consider flying him up?

MARY PIERCE: No.

Q. Because?

MARY PIERCE: Because the tournament started a certain way, and I just feel that's how it should go. If there were different circumstances, maybe I thought, "Oh, this is my last one," or, "He's dying of something." I don't know. But not right now.

Q. You're kind of superstitious that way, if things are going well?

MARY PIERCE: No.

Q. No what?

MARY PIERCE: No, I'm not superstitious. I just feel that I don't need added things, even other people or other things or whatever. Just don't need any extra distractions or to change anything. This is how it was in the beginning of the tournament and that's just how it will be in the end.

Q. Has he talked about wanting to come back to actually see you in a tournament?

MARY PIERCE: I think he might. I mean, he hasn't really said that too much. His wife has kind of mentioned it more because she's never really seen me play a tournament. He might. But he gets too nervous, you know, and it makes me nervous (laughter).

Q. When you look at how many of these you're going to play, obviously it's not your last one, but there is a finite number of them, when you get to this point, you cross these hurdles, do you think to yourself "Let's make this one count" a little more than you may have 10 years ago?

MARY PIERCE: Oh, yeah, every match counts a lot more, means a lot more to me than, of course, 10 years ago. You know, I mean and you never know, this could be my last one, not because I want it to be, but who knows what can happen in life. So, you know, each time that I get farther and do better, yeah, it means a lot more to me now than before.

Q. When you were winning at La Costa, Pancho Segura said he thought you could win The Open. Do you suppose he's a pretty good prophet?

MARY PIERCE: I don't know. We'll see. It's nice to hear him say that. I feel like I'm playing pretty well.

Q. Can you talk about Amélie, the difficulty playing her.

MARY PIERCE: Yeah, I think I had some troubles in the past just because we're friends, Fed Cup teammates, just know each other so well, spend so much time together. You know, she's a great girl. We always laugh and talk and have a good time when we practice or workout together, stuff like that, see each other in the locker room.

I think I had a difficult time when I'm on the court and I'm really playing her. I feel like I've improved in that area since then. Played her twice this year and lost. You know, she's just been playing really good. She's real aggressive, just comes forward, you know, good serves, returns. Since I've lost to her, I played her in indoors this year two weeks in a row, I feel like I've improved a lot since then.

You know, who knows. I have nothing to lose. I feel great. I'm playing well. I'm just going to continue to keep doing the same thing and hopefully the same thing will keep happening.

Q. That one lob that you raced back to get, didn't even look like you were breathing hard, hit the backhand winner, did that feel great?

MARY PIERCE: Oh, yeah. You could see my reaction after I won the point.

Q. Did you almost feel like you were 10 years younger doing that?

MARY PIERCE: No (laughter). Might not have been able to do that 10 years ago. Probably wouldn't have known what to do with the ball. Yeah, you know, what can I say? It was fun. I'm glad I won that point.

Q. Did that kind of prove to you what your training has done for you?

MARY PIERCE: Yeah, I guess I notice when I'm playing a match, I have long rallies, I see the girl over there, she's breathing a little bit, I'm feeling pretty okay, so I know I've been working pretty hard.

Q. Mary, you said you put the losses to Justine behind you, which is always easier said than done against someone you haven't beaten. What did you talk to David about? How do you actually get on court against someone who has beaten you pretty significantly four times and not think about how she beat you before?

MARY PIERCE: Yeah, I guess with my brother, we were talking before the match. I was trying to figure out, you know, what have I done in the past, what do I do when I go out against someone I've never beaten before. I just need to find a way or believe that she has a weakness, have a way that I can beat her.

You know, my brother just told me a few things. Kept it pretty simple. It helped a lot.

Q. Are you enjoying the speed of the court? Seems to be agreeing with you.

MARY PIERCE: Uh huh, yeah.

Q. Faster.

MARY PIERCE: Yeah, I really like the courts this year, the way they're bouncing, the speed of it, the height. The balls, as well. It's all a pretty good feel for me this year. I like it.

Q. How big would it be just even to break through to the semis here for you, which is something you've never done before?

MARY PIERCE: You know, that would be huge, because I don't think I've ever been that far in this tournament. This is my best showing so far, in the quarters. I'd really like to do better than that. I hope I do.

Q. '99, you were in the quarters. Do you remember that?

MARY PIERCE: No.

Q. It was Lindsay in three sets.

MARY PIERCE: Okay. I don't even remember that match, wow.