Never rule out the power of prayer – just ask former tennis star Mary Pierce.
Burdened by the crippling expectations of her adopted nation, and battling personal issues, she found salvation when she discovered her faith ahead of the tournament that means most to her.
“Becoming a Christian in March of 2000 completely changed my life and completely changed me as a person,” she tells CNN’s Open Court 15 years after her historic French Open victory.
“My perspective on tennis and why I was playing completely changed – I wanted to do it for him, for the Lord, and I wanted to do everything that I did to the best of my ability, just to glorify me because of the gift that he gave me.”
The year 2000 was not only pivotal for Pierce personally, it was also momentous for French tennis – being the last occasion the nation has celebrated a singles champion at its own grand slam.
This year’s final will be contested between American Serena Williams and Lucie Sarafova of the Czech Republic.
“It was a very, very special tournament for me. I was having a hard time competing there with all the pressure – stress, the expectations, the media, the fans, my family – and I just felt like I was carrying all the world on my shoulders, every match that I played,” recalls Pierce, now 40.
“I was able to put everything in the Lord’s hands and that took all the pressure off of me – I was playing tennis and he gave me the ability do that.”
It wasn’t Pierce’s first triumph on the big stage – she won the Australian Open five years earlier at the tender age of 20 – but success on the clay of Roland Garros was what she most coveted.
“I grew up watching the French Open on TV with my father and he would say, ‘That’s the tournament that you want to win, that’s the toughest one, you have to be so physically strong and mentally strong,’ and that was the goal originally for me,” says Pierce.
“That became my dream, to win that tournament. It was, and still is, my favorite tournament – it’s the most special tournament that I ever played in my career.”
National pride is a complicated issue for Pierce.
Though born in Montreal, Canada, her father Jim is American and her mother Yannick is French – so she could have represented all three countries.
The crucial moment came when she was 13; her dad wasn’t happy with the U.S. tennis federation’s offer and the family instead turned to France – where she learned the language “in 10 months.”
“They welcomed me gladly, without any questions, and my father said that from that day forward you’ll play for France and be loyal to them because they helped you when you needed it,” she says in her American English accent.
“I was always grateful to be able to represent France and play for my mother’s country – a beautiful country that I love, and with amazing fans.”
Pierce made her French Open debut as a 15-year-old, and reached the second round. But by 1993 she had split with her father – who was notorious on the circuit for his feisty behavior, and in 1993 was banned from attending her matches.
Under the tutelage of famed coach Nick Bollettieri, the teenager made worldwide headlines when she stunned world No. 1 Steffi Graf in the 1994 French Open semifinals, but was beaten in the title match by Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.
Pierce won revenge over the Spaniard when she claimed her first grand slam crown in Melbourne the following year, but was frustrated in her bid to win another in 1997 when beaten by Martina Hingis in the Australian Open final.
So the stage was set for the first French Open of the new millennium. The last home player to win on the revered red clay was Yannick Noah, whose 1983 success was the first by a Frenchman in 37 years.
“Winning the French Open in 2000 was my dream come true,” says Pierce who, at that stage coached by her brother David, beat Conchita Martinez in the final to become the first Frenchwoman to triumph since Francoise Durr in 1967.
“It was really everything that I had worked hard for – all of the sweat, all of the tears, all of the pain, all of the suffering, all of the hard work that you endure for years and years,” adds Pierce, who also won the doubles title with Hingis.
“My faith played such a huge role and was the most important thing in my life. Before my matches, there was always a little room where we could go. I would pray, do some breathing exercises and focus.”
Though her difficult relationship with her father is well documented, Pierce says she remains indebted to him for helping her become a top player. He took her out of school at the age of 13 so she could focus on tennis.
“My father believed in me, and worked me super hard – such a hard work ethic. It made me really tough mentally by all the training I had with him,” she says.
“It was extremely difficult, but I don’t regret any of it and I believe if it wasn’t for that I wouldn’t be where I am and who I am today.”
It was Jim Pierce who fostered her love of clay: “He always said if you can practice on clay, practice on clay. So I practiced on clay 90% of my time growing up. I loved sliding around. It was by far my favorite surface.”
Though sometimes any old surface would do – Pierce remembers practicing in shopping mall car parks at night.
“There was always the basket of balls and the tennis racket in the back of the car. We would go to the huge park of Kmart – there were no cars in there, and there was lights, there were lines – just make our own tennis court.”
Having first picked up a racket at the age of 10 growing up in Florida, Pierce made her WTA Tour debut at 14 and won her first title two years later – on clay in Italy – and would repeat that Palermo success the following season.
This was a golden age for women’s tennis, an era dominated by the likes of Graf, Hingis, Sanchez Vicario, Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati. Then, with the turn of the century, came the Williams sisters.
Pierce was unable to defend her French Open title due to injury, playing just one grand slam in 2001, and it would be another four years before she was again a contender.
The 2005 French Open final pitted her against Justine Henin, and she was crushed 6-1 6-1. Pierce faced another Belgian in that year’s U.S. Open final, and this time lost out to Kim Clijsters.
She was also second-best at the season-ending WTA championships, beaten by Amelie Mauresmo – France’s next great female hope.
They were part of the national team beaten by Russia in the Fed Cup final at Roland Garros, denying Pierce her third title after successes in 1997 and 2003.
The duo met again just a few months later in the final of the 2006 Paris Open, where Mauresmo also triumphed – though she would never get past the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, where she too struggled under the pressure of home expectation.
For Pierce, it was the last time she’d contest a title match – a serious knee injury suffered in October that year would be the beginning of the end of her career, and test her faith to the utmost.
“That same year I had torn a tendon in my foot and was out for six months, and three months into my comeback I’m starting to play well again and … boom!” she says. “It was a total freak accident.”
Pierce was sidelined for all of 2007, and by the following year it became apparent she would not be able to add to her almost $10 million in tournament earnings.
Instead she moved to the island of Mauritius, off the southeast coast of Africa, where she became involved with the church and now coaches promising young players.
“It’s very challenging – I’m learning a lot, I’m growing a lot as a person and as a coach,” she says.
“It’s a really special time for me to be able to pour out all the experience that I have, all that I’ve done – even the mistakes – to help them hopefully to not make the same ones.”
Pierce’s status of being France’s last female singles winner is assured for another year, with last home hope Alize Cornet being knocked out in the fourth round.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga still has hopes of emulating Noah, and will have vociferous support when he takes on Roger Federer’s conqueror Stan Wawrinka in Friday’s men’s semifinals.
“It’s such a privilege if you come from one of the four countries where grand slams are played, to compete there. You’ll experience it like no other person will experience it,” Pierce says.
“You’ll have the all country behind you, and it’s just an amazing feeling to have that in those moments that you actually need it. The fans play such an important role … it could be sometimes just one person screaming something from the crowd, cheering you on.”
Pierce once again attended Roland Garros for this year’s French Open, continuing her ambassadorial role at the tournament that will forever hold a place in her heart.
“Every year, just to be there and to see who’s in the finals, I know that feeling of how hard they worked to get to that point, what it means to them, and what they’re feeling,” Pierce says.
“I know exactly the feeling of lifting the trophy. When the crowd cheers it just vibrates through your whole body – it’s just an unbelievable feeling.”
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