France

Mary PIERCE

aka

Mary Pierce's smile and quiet voice never fooled anyone: on the court, with her all-power game, the French woman could bring any opponent to her knees.

Although she never ranked higher than number three in the world, Mary Pierce defeated all the great players of her era, from Graf and Hingis to Davenport, Clijsters and Henin. Coached by a tyrannical father whom she despised, the Montreal native managed to build a successful career without him, winning the most impressive French tournament of the Open Era. Mary Pierce also made one of the most out-of-this-world shots in the history of tennis: the legendary lob between the legs at the French Open quarter-finals in 2000, as a stupefied Monica Seles looked on. Despite a bout of shoulder tendinitis that plagued her throughout the entire fortnight, the French player ultimately took home the tournament trophy. Just before winning that major, the greatest moment of her career, Pierce had turned to religion, which subsequently enabled her to manage her career with peace of mind and to even forgive her father. Racked by various physical ailments, Mary Pierce left the tour 2006, but not without posting an incredible 2005 season boasting two more Grand Slam final appearances. Hats off!

 

 

palmares

Titles

18

Finals

23

Higher ranking

3

WTA Singles, 30/01/1995

grand slam

victories

  • Australia Open (1): 1995
  • Roland-Garros (1): 2000

finals

  • Australia Open (1): 1997
  • Roland-Garros: (2) 1994, 2005
  • U.S. Open (1): 2005

others

victories

  • Fed Cup (2): 1997, 2003

finals

  • Fed Cup (1): 2005
  • Masters (2): 1997, 2005