Q. That's been a wonderful stage for you out there. You've had a lot of
wonderful moments and you've had some terrible moments. Been cheered and
booed. What are your reflections on today?
MARY PIERCE: My reflections on today, you know, I took a moment out there
on the court, maybe it was when I had one of my matchpoints ? I don't recall
exactly ? but close to the end, just when the crowd was really cheering for
me. I just looked at the scoreboard, I looked at the speedometer of the
serves. I just listened to the crowd cheering. I just took a moment, you
know, because I just said, "You know, this is going to make for good memories
for later on in my life." So I just really wanted to appreciate that moment.
I think that definitely comes from the experience of playing on the tour for
so long. Because sometimes you get really nervous and you don't really think
about it, then you think, "Wow, that moment's over already." So I just took a
moment to appreciate today.
Q. Will there be more moments?
MARY PIERCE: Still in (smiling). Yeah, just you never know. I mean, really,
that's life. You just never know.
Q. You came into that match playing well. Was there any anticipation of that
coming? When you stepped on the court, did you have the feeling, "Okay, this
is my day, I'm going to feel the ball well"?
MARY PIERCE: No, I was like almost having a breakdown 20 minutes before the
match. XD
But definitely when I was on the court and hitting the ball, they were just
going in. You know, sometimes I missed them wide by this much and they were
going on the line. I even shanked a ball and it just went in deep for a
winner. I was like, "Wow, okay, this is my day. Take advantage of this."
Q. You really never know when it's going to stop. What were you thinking
trying to close the match out?
MARY PIERCE: Yeah, yeah. You never know. I mean, I could have lost that
match, too. I mean just because you're winning 6?3, 5?0 doesn't mean you're
going to win. It's never over until it's over. I mean, we know that in
tennis. We have seen some wild and crazy things happen on the court.
I just really tried to keep playing, you know, the way that I played in
the beginning of the match. I think I really set a good tone from the very
beginning, just trying to really be aggressive, coming forward. Just executed
really my, you know, what I wanted to do out there today really well.
So I'm really happy with how I played.
Q. So in 2000 you win the title here. You're making a serious push back into
the Top 5. I remember at the time you thought you were playing some of your
best tennis ever. Then the injuries come. You're knocked out some of that
year, all of 2001. Can you just talk a little bit about the process from
getting from the title here in 2000, the injuries... I know it's long.
MARY PIERCE: It's like we don't have enough time for that (laughing).
Q. Just abbreviate how you felt then, the devastation of not being able to
play, to getting here where you look like you're almost in top form again.
MARY PIERCE: Yeah, thank you.
You know, it's been interesting, you know. Definitely in my book you'll know
all about it... no, I'm just kidding (laughing).
It's just been a really interesting, you know, journey. It's been really
tough, you know. Had some really difficult moments. I just really appreciate
and thank the people ? and there are very few of them ? who have always been
there for me and helped me, you know, in those moments, day in and day out,
who really believed in me, were by my side, and, like I said, helped me to
get through those moments and to help me also achieve what I wanted still
to do in tennis and what I still believed I had in me.
So this is just the beginning for me of proving, confirming what I feel
inside me, which I never doubt, but it's just nice for it to happen.
Q. You and Henin-Hardenne both have Russians to meet next. If you were to
both get through, you've both been through a lot. She's had an amazing
record on clay. Do you feel like this is your time to come back here, or
do you think you would be considered the underdog in that match?
MARY PIERCE: Against Henin-Hardenne, oh, definitely. She's ranked a lot
higher than I am. She's been, you know, playing, achieving more in the last
couple years than I have even though she's been sick and hurt.
But, you know, on paper, she's supposed to win, you know. So, like I said,
my last three matches, on paper I am not supposed to win. I'm in the
semifinals.
You know, I'm not really thinking about the finals. It's hard, too, because
you're pretty close. But if I think about that, then I won't get there. So I
just need to, you know, just live in the moment, which is really what I
believe in and what helps me also the best to do what I need to do. And
just take care of myself tonight, recover for my match, and, you know,
just get ready for my next match.
Q. Any thoughts on your next match, your next opponent?
MARY PIERCE: Yeah. I played Elena in Berlin just a couple weeks ago and I
won in two sets pretty easily. I played a really good match.
So, you know, I'm definitely not thinking, "Oh, I'm going to win" because
I beat her recently, but, you know, I'm definitely waiting for a very
difficult match, a challenge. She's also in the semifinals. She's beaten
some good players, beat Dementieva. So, you know, she's definitely confident
in this moment and playing well.
So, you know, she moves well. She's playing attacking. And so, you know, I'm
ready for a challenge. I'm ready for a fight. I know she's gonna play some
good tennis, so I just have to be really ready for that and play my game.
Q. I know you've addressed this question in a lot of different ways, a lot
of different times. But over the last decade, you've performed better here
than any other French player. There have been times when you've collapsed
under the pressure. But you've been in the final here, won the tournament,
you're back in the semis again. Do you think part of that has to be not
spending all of your time growing up in France, feeling the pressure of
the culture, being a Parisian all the time, going away and then when you
get back here, the pressure isn't on top of you all the time?
MARY PIERCE: Maybe. I don't know. It's hard to say. That could be one of the
reasons, I didn't grow up here. I spent quite a bit of time here. I've been
living here for a year now. This is where I train, so...
I don't know.
Q. Where are you living now?
MARY PIERCE: I have an apartment in Bradenton, that's where I consider home.
My family's there, my dogs, my friends. But I spend most of my time, well,
traveling and playing tournaments.
When I'm not traveling and playing tournaments, I train. I train in Paris,
that's my training base. When I'm not training or playing, I'm home in
Florida, which is not much.
Q. Do you think training in Paris has helped you?
MARY PIERCE: Definitely. It's made a difference. For me, I see the
difference, I feel the difference. I just feel that this is the right
place for me to be, with the team that I have surrounding me here, you
know. They've really helped me. I know the person that's been working
with me in my physical conditioning off the court has just belief for
me ?? believed in me. That makes a big difference.
Q. Nasty question, perhaps. What has been your low point out on that
court? You've had so many high ones.
MARY PIERCE: In the center court? When I lost to Barbara Rittner. I don't
remember exactly what year that was, but I clearly remember that. It was a
terrible feeling.
Q. You were booed, I guess, and whistled?
MARY PIERCE: Whistled. They started cheering for her. So I was like, "Am I
still in France? Where am I? This isn't Germany." (Laughing).
Q. Two-part question. A, can you talk about those people who have stood by
your side, and just curious, what's the status of your relationship with
your dad these days?
MARY PIERCE: The first part I can't remember very good. What was the first
part?
Q. The people ??
MARY PIERCE: Oh, you want to know who they were? What do you mean.
Q. If you want to generalize ? friends, family members?
MARY PIERCE: Well, God, number one. Family. My father. You know, you asked
about him. He always believes in me. My mother. My brother, of course; he's
working with me again. You know, just friends, you know, that have helped
also along the way.
I started working ?? you know, 'cause when I have tournaments in the States,
I stay in my apartment in Bradenton. That's at the IMG Academy, I guess now
it's called, Bollettieri Academy. I started practicing with Nick Bollettieri
there. He's someone that I've worked with, we go way, way back, like 10, 12
years. He's always believed in me and helped me.
That's been really fun, to start working with Nick again. My dad has been
coming out on the courts. You know, I just ?? it's great. It's really nice.
The relationship with my dad and I is great. He'll come to practices like
every day. He just loves it and he loves tennis. We'll watch. Off the court,
we do stuff together, too. I go and eat lunch almost every day at his
apartment. His wife's a great cook. So it's really nice.
THE MODERATOR: Questions in French, please.
Q. Can you tell us what you felt in the beginning of the match with your
exceptional shots, every single one of them ? volley, serve, the passing
shot.
MARY PIERCE: Yes, in English, there's a word for that. I don't know whether
it exists, (in English) "Soar Like an Eagle." I don't know how it translates
in French. It's like gliding, gliding in the sky like an eagle.
That's what I felt. I thought that this was the way I had to feel today. I
don't know whether you can understand what I mean. I thought, "Okay, I'm
going to try and be there and just continue." And it worked out.
I was rather calm when I got on the court. I started the match very well. I
was very relaxed. I could release my shots. I was attacking, aggressive, and
that's why I really started to build up a lot of pressure.
Q. How is your ankle? We saw the doctor come in during the match.
MARY PIERCE: Yes, well, it wasn't for my ankle. It was okay. It was ?? the
doctor is really taking good care of me with all his team, with the
chiropractors, with the physiotherapists. They can help me, really, just
after they intervene on the court, go and let me play again.
Q. You asked for him to come in, then you said he didn't need to come in
anymore, then you asked for him again. What happened?
MARY PIERCE: Well, I had felt very sharp pain in the left abductors. I had
already felt it, but it wasn't in the same place. So I continued to play. I
played. I tried, and I lost the game. That's where I asked for the
physiotherapist for the changeover, the next changeover, because I felt
that I wasn't ?? I was in pain and that I might be overwhelmed by the pain.
I realized that I was lining up winning games, and I didn't want to stop.
I thought, "Okay, it's going to hurt a bit. I'm going to try and continue
to play. As long as I'm on a winning streak, I won't stop. I don't want to
lose the pace of the game and I don't want to show that I'm aching."
So I won the first set. And at that point, I asked for the physiotherapist.
Because at the changeover, I don't know, I think it was 3?2 or something
like that, I asked for Paracetemol against the pain. Because I thought
that if I had to ask for the physiotherapist, the whole game would cool
off, and I didn't want that. That's why I just asked for a painkiller.
The doctor came in and just gave me a painkiller.
Q. Were you surprised by the irregular game of your opponent? Were you
the one responsible for it?
MARY PIERCE: Yes, I think I was partly responsible for it because I
started ?? I really had a good start. I think that the public was bothering
her a bit because sometimes I take my time between points, and I realized
that the public waits and waits for me. I realized that she didn't like
that.
In the second set, I realized that she wasn't as motivated, but I knew that
she wasn't going to give me the match, just offer it to me.
But she made quite a few mistakes.
Q. You had a hard time closing, 5-Love. What happened?
MARY PIERCE: Well, I knew that I didn't have to do the same thing as in
the match before, because I had lost two matchpoints. With Lindsay, it was
very dangerous because she's No. 1. And even at that score, 6-3, 5-0, it
doesn't mean that I have finished because she can come up 5-4, 5-2, 5-4.
And if she wins the second set, I may lose the match.
So I wanted to close. I really wanted to close the match.
Q. You never lost a Grand Slam semifinal. It's a very difficult turning
point. How do you manage to keep in there?
MARY PIERCE: Oh, I didn't even realize that. I didn't know that that was
the case. I wouldn't know the answer.
In a way, I didn't expect to be there, but I also felt that I wanted to go
further. I wanted to get further. I know that it's not finished; there's
still two matches ? in fact, there's one match.
Before that, I am going to enjoy my victory this evening, and tomorrow I am
going to prepare for the next match. So I'm not going to really think about
anything else but the short term.
And in the morning, the day of the match, I will think about my strategy.
Q. The reactions you heard on the court, did you like them? When this man
came in, what happened?
MARY PIERCE: Well, I saw all of a sudden this man come in the court and it
really made me laugh. It made me think of Wimbledon. I don't know. I don't
know how he managed to get on the court.
But then he took his T-shirt off and I realized that there were things that
were written, so I didn't want to look. I just turned around. And I wasn't
interested in it.
Q. What happened the last time when you won Likhovtseva in Berlin?
MARY PIERCE: Well, I won in two sets. I don't really remember the score. I
played a good match. I played a good match. I was very steady. I was strong.
I know what I have to play when I'm playing her, and that's it.
I'm expecting a tough match. I saw her against Karatantcheva. She beat her
today. It was a very, very tight match ? 4?All in the third set.
I realized that Karatantcheva was tired and that Likhovtseva is physically
in better shape and that's why she won. But she also beat Dementieva, and
she's confident and in good shape.
So I'm not expecting an easy match. I'm expecting a very tight match. She's
going to fight. She's going to be all over the court. She's going to attack.
So I think that I'm really going to take it seriously.
Q. Before coming here were you thinking about this, or were you really
thinking that you were going to play the matches one by one? Were you
really confident?
MARY PIERCE: Well, as I said earlier, I didn't know that I was going to
come this far, but I always believe in it. You know, this is tennis, you
never know what to expect. I really take it one day at a time. I give out
as much as I can, and I enjoy.
Q. When you played Lindsay, you didn't have anything to lose. Against
Likhovtseva, given your feat today, you're going to be a favorite,
especially since you're French. The fact that they wouldn't expect you
to lose because you've beat Lindsay, what does that do to you?
MARY PIERCE: Well, I don't know. I don't know that I'm favorite. I think
that these are two good players, they're playing here, and it's going to
be a good match.
Q. Do you feel you're better than in 2000?
MARY PIERCE: Better, no. Different. Time elapses, and new things happen and
you change, obviously.
The only thing that I could say has changed is that I really savor victories
now more than before because they mean more to me now because I went through
difficult times and through a long, difficult period. Then I can say that I
appreciate victory even more now.
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