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VIRGINIA SLIMS CHAMPIONSHIPS

November 18, 1993

Mary Pierce

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

Q. Mary, you seemed to be distracted somewhat by the crowd, I thought, during the evening.

MARY PIERCE: Well, yeah, like there was one part in the second set when I kind of lost my concentration and I didn't stay focused, but then after that I told myself, you know, I was losing so I have nothing to lose so I just started to play better and concentrate.

Q. What do you feel the difference was, why did you win and why didn't Martina?

MARY PIERCE: That's a good question. I don't know. That's hard to say. I mean, we just played a really good match. I mean, it was really close down to the end.

Q. Mary, you had never beaten her before, you only played her once. When did you really get a feeling that you could beat her tonight?

MARY PIERCE: Well, I mean, I never really think when I go out on the court. I don't think, well, I can beat that player or I can't beat that player. I really go on the court and say to myself, just give one hundred percent and play as well as I can. I just try to stay focused on my game so I stay focused easier.

Q. When did you get a feeling that you were in control or you could win the match?

MARY PIERCE: Well, I mean throughout the whole match I felt I was playing really well and, you know, I was serving well, returning pretty well, passing well and Martina started staying the baseline, so I thought she's not coming in, that's her game so I felt in control, you know, I never really felt dominated by her, but like I said again, it was really a close game.

Q. The other night when you were in here you said you were going to try not to think who was on the other side of the net, were you able to do that?

MARY PIERCE: Exactly. Yeah, I mean, it is kind of tough, but that's what I did. I think that's what I did really well, just stay concentrated and focused on the ball tonight.

Q. Was it her place, because of her place in women's tennis, in the history of women's tennis; what does it mean to you?

MARY PIERCE: God, it just, its a so hard to explain right now, I'm just so happy. I just really can't believe it. I'm just very happy with the way I played and how everything went and how everything is going with me right now because it's been a tough year and to have a win like this just makes you feel so good.

Q. I thought a couple of key points in -- throughout the match was on your first search it seemed like you changed up on your speeds a lot. When you served at a lower speed it seemed it distracted Martina a lot?

MARY PIERCE: I found when I hit the serve harder she returned my pace better and when I served softer she kind of had a little trouble.

Q. Then the second point was when -- on some of her second serves in the third set she was serving about that same speed, around the low 60s, you were able to just throw it back at her?

MARY PIERCE: Yes, when I had a chance, if she ever hit the second serve I had to take advantage of it. When she's serving, she just serves so well. It is hard to tell where she's going to serve so when you get a second serve from Martina you have to take everything from it.

Q. Last game, second set, first game, third set you were up both times, you let both games get away from you; what happened there?

MARY PIERCE: I mean it's just, I go and I play really well in the beginning of the game and, you know, then I'm kind of close, that's still a little bit of the problem, I don't stay concentrated. But I mean I did have a few games; I was up 40-Love 40-15 and I lost them, I got kind of mad at myself but, you know, things like that happen so I just try to stay concentrated.

Q. As the match went on and the pressure greater, more animated, is that a way of you relaxing?

MARY PIERCE: Yes, because, you know, you get really tight and nervous so I have to find some way to relax and I have to do something.

Q. You think this is the last step that you needed for the final breakthrough of beating these kinds of players?

MARY PIERCE: I mean, who knows, I hope so. It's just, you know, everybody says a breakthrough or something like that, I think it's just myself, if I have confidence in myself and just stay focused when I play.

Q. You had a pass, backhand pass in the sixth game up the line and you missed it, you hit the net and you just laughed; have you ever laughed as much as you did today?

MARY PIERCE: No, not recently. Even right now, I mean, when I was losing the second set, I still felt I wasn't playing badly Martina was hitting good serves, I was just enjoying the match. We both played well and the crowd was enjoying it. It was fun for me also.

Q. Was that the case several months ago, were you able to laugh in that similar situation?

MARY PIERCE: Not really, I never used to do that before when I was playing because I always felt so much more tense and just always thinking wanting to win all the time instead of just trying my best, so it was just different.

Q. Mary, you talked the other night about what Nick has done for you in terms of helping your attitude, can you give us a little idea what that means, how has he done it, what's the magic?

MARY PIERCE: You would like to know. Well, it's nothing very hard. It's just more or less talking to me, because I have to do it, it's nothing they can do that, you know, if they feed you a ball and you just hit the same shot all the time, it is just realizing -- making myself probably realize that it's me that has to go out there and play and if I want it deep inside of me that I have to fight for it and just to stay focused and concentrate, which is still very hard, I'm doing it all the time but I'm getting better.

Q. Do you have any preference for your next game between Aranxta Sanchez Vicario or Jana Novotna?

MARY PIERCE: No.

Q. Have you played both of them?

MARY PIERCE: Yes. It doesn't matter.

End of FastScripts....

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