US OPEN

September 7, 2005

Mary Pierce

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

MARY PIERCE: Who do I prefer, I don't prefer anybody. They're both great players. They're both difficult to play. You know, I've played Lindsay recently; I haven't played Elena recently. You know, I'm really happy to be in the semifinals. This is the best that I've done at the US Open in my career, which I think is amazing. I'm just really happy, so, you know, anybody I play, I'll be looking forward to it. I'll be excited. I'll be giving everything that I have. You know, hopefully it will be a great match.

MARY PIERCE: Uhm, I don't know (smiling). I've had injuries, and it's been a couple of years and it's taken me some time to get back into shape and be fit and, you know, be back at the level that I enjoy playing at.

MARY PIERCE: Oh, totally. That was about 10 days off and then 10 days practice before coming here.

MARY PIERCE: Yeah, that's pretty interesting, you know. It's funny how things kind of go hand-in-hand. Physically, how you're feeling, that helps you mentally as well. You know, if you're healthy and you're feeling good, then mentally you're having a more positive outlook, you're happier and you feel good. I think that helps a lot.

MARY PIERCE: Uhm, I came in, you know, feeling confident. I've always been pretty confident in myself, you know, my abilities and, you know, just believing in myself and what I'm able to do. You know, I just think that when I come into the later rounds and against the top players, just to continue having that belief in myself and in my game, just going out and playing my game the best I can and hopefully coming out the winner.

MARY PIERCE: Yeah, it's different. I mean, it's not like it's my first time in the semifinals in a Grand Slam tournament. It's my first time here. So, yeah, it's pretty special. It's pretty neat, you know. I take things a lot differently now than before. I probably would have been all excited and whatever. When you're younger it's normal. But I think I have hopefully things a little bit just in perspective, what's going on here in this tournament. While it's just tennis, we're in a tournament, it's all great and this is what I love to do, and I feel God has blessed me with this gift. So I feel like I'm doing the right thing that I should be doing with my life right now. But, you know, at the same time, you know, there's lots of other things going on in this world. Just, for example, the last hurricane that happened down in the south, you know, there's people struggling with their lives basically and lost a lot of things. I'm very excited and happy to be in the semifinals. It's a part of my life, but it's not everything, so...

MARY PIERCE: I guess perfect tennis matches will be in heaven one day. I feel like today was not a perfect tennis match, but I felt like I played pretty good and it was solid, and, like I said earlier, that it was good enough to win today. I've been playing well lately and just hope to continue to keep playing well.

MARY PIERCE: I think before when I was, you know, first coming out on the tour and young, you know, you're very hungry to achieve and to have success and to make money, to win tournaments, to get a high ranking, just to be noticed and get contracts, and all those kind of things you just get caught up with. You know, for me now, it's different because I have achieved a lot of great things in my career, and most of those things - and not all of them. I don't play for those things anymore now. It's not with really what's important to me now. I just play now because when I was injured and I was out with my back injury for a while, I didn't know if I was going to be able to play again or not. There was just kind of like this little voice inside of me that just said, "You know, you're not done. Now's not the time to retire. You still have some great things to accomplish in tennis." I didn't really know what that was or what that could be. I felt, "Okay, I really believe that," I felt it very strongly. I thought, "Well, I'm just going to do everything that I possibly can the best I can to come back, and be the best that I can."

MARY PIERCE: I guess it was in 2001 when I had my back injury.

MARY PIERCE: No, you know, I noticed a lot that when I play well, my matches go quickly, because I don't have long rallies. I go for my shots.

MARY PIERCE: Yeah, I've been asked that a bit, and I feel that's probably true, you know. I think I'm definitely, you know, all around a better athlete and a competitor, you know, with experience and maturity. Mentally, I'm stronger. You know, I feel like I've worked on my serve and I've improved that. My footwork, like I'm faster on the court. Women's tennis is a lot tougher now than it was 10 years ago. So for me to be competing in the top now means I need to be stronger and faster and better than before.

MARY PIERCE: I don't really pay too much attention to that, so...

MARY PIERCE: I feel sometimes I've been hitting the ball well. I still have room for improvement, you know. I still think I can do better so (smiling)...

MARY PIERCE: Yeah, I felt a little pain in my leg, 5-2. I kind of was freaking out for two games and thinking, "Oh, what am I going to do? What is this?" But then at 5-4, I just said, "Okay, you just play with it, and if it's really bad, you can't play, and if it's okay you play." I was kind of hesitating for a couple of games and I just said, "Okay, I'm going to play." It was fine. I put ice on it at the changeovers and it was okay.

MARY PIERCE: No, it's not.

MARY PIERCE: The right one.