AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 16, 2001

Mary Pierce

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Mary, please.

MARY PIERCE: Yeah. I felt like I started off really well and then after I won the first set I got really excited. I didn't want to get too overexcited. I told myself just to calm down a little bit. Actually, that made my intensity drop, and then I was down 3-love. I said, "Okay, I got to get going, wake up again," and just started to try to move my feet more. Then I just realized that I had stopped moving my feet and not going forward as much and going backwards on my shots. So then I just, once I felt that and realized that, I told myself to try to move forward again, go into the net and hit my shots. And I started playing much better.

MARY PIERCE: You know, today would have been a good day to have my contacts in. Because it wasn't very bright outside. I didn't put them in because it's daytime and I thought I don't -- you know, I don't really need them. It was a little bit windy, too. If it's real windy, my eyes get dry. I have dry eyes. So I didn't want to put them in. But it wasn't very bright, probably would have been a good idea to have them in to see better.

MARY PIERCE: Not at all. No, I think it's great to see everybody really getting into what they're wearing and getting involved, too, about design and fashion and color. You know, having input in it. Everybody has a different personality, so it's just an expression of your personality when you're on the court.

MARY PIERCE: What's the influence on my outfit?

MARY PIERCE: I get to meet the designers at Nike a few times a year. We talk about, you know, just different styles and designs, cuts, colors and things like that. And it's a lot of fun, so I like meeting with them and talking about it.

MARY PIERCE: Nope. That's their job. I don't have time for that. They do a good job, I'll let them do it.

MARY PIERCE: I feel like I'm getting better and better every day, especially with every match that I play I'm starting to feel, you know, just concentration, movement, you know, just thinking on the court and on my feet and everything just is really starting to feel like it's coming together. You know, I feel everything, but it's not that great. But at least I have that, so I can work on it and make it better.

MARY PIERCE: I have a lady here with me from France, she's a physiotherapist. She took great care of me during the French Open. I was having trouble during that period with my shoulder and everything. I asked her if she wanted to come with me, take care of me during my trip here to Australia to make sure that I was okay.

MARY PIERCE: Hmm... You know... I have to think about that. I haven't given that one any thought. I haven't really looked well enough to be able to give you a good enough answer, you know, how much each round is getting and, you know, should it be more, should it be less. Obviously Jeff has done his homework and he wrote that article and, you know, I wouldn't want to say one thing or another because I really don't have enough information for you.

MARY PIERCE: Well, I do believe that in the States other sports, baseball, basketball, football, they have, you know, what they call their player union I guess. Here on our Tour I guess we call it our players council, players association. It's really changing all the time. There's not one set group. It really just needs to be the players that just, you know, get together and just be strong. Players, I think, need to communicate more amongst ourselves and what we're not happy with, what we're happy with, what we'd like to see change if we want things to change and be better. The only way for that to happen, I think, is for the players to be strong and be together which I feel is happening more and more. Players didn't used to communicate that much amongst each other. They'd go and do their own thing. Now people, we're talking more amongst ourselves. But, you know, if we're not happy about something, we need to voice it and also to take action in it. And really it's just to be together and be strong. The other sports, they are very, you know, they're a very strong player union.

MARY PIERCE: You know, I don't know. That's something that would have to be talked about.

MARY PIERCE: Have I ever declined wearing anything? No, not up to this point I haven't. They've done a great job, so I've been happy with everything that they've done.