TMS - INDIAN WELLS, WOMEN

March 15, 2000

Mary Pierce

WTA: Questions for Mary.

MARY PIERCE: Well, I think if you want to ask that kind of question, you should maybe look at the statistics, the unforced errors and the winners. I think that I played well. I did what I set out to do. I executed my game plan pretty well. I think that pretty much says it at all.

MARY PIERCE: I didn't see like the raging intensity of Serena that I played against twice in the past. She was serving great. I mean, in the beginning of the first set, it was 1-All, 2-All. There's nothing I could do on her service games except for when I got my racquet on it to try and make the best shot that I could to give myself a chance in the point. Then I felt once I was in the point, I had a pretty good chance of winning it. When she serves well, there's nothing you can do. I thought I returned really well today. The key for me was to return well, to serve well, get a lot of first serves in because I knew she was going to attack my second serves, just to, you know, keep her moving and hit the ball deep, play my game, just keep coming forward.

MARY PIERCE: I was going for it more. I said, "If I'm going to put it in, I'm going to lose the point anyway; she's going to go for it." I just added at least ten miles an hour more to my serve and tried to hit it deeper.

MARY PIERCE: I thank her for her compliment, first of all. Secondly, I was just really relaxed out there. I played her twice; I lost both times. There's nothing for me to really lose. I was looking forward to this match. I've been working really hard, just trying to get my game back to where I feel that I can do what I want to on the court mentally, physically, with my game. You know, today I just felt like that all came together pretty good. You can always get better. I want to take this match and not make such a big deal out of it, just to use it to see that my hard work is paying off and to keep going from there.

MARY PIERCE: No, I don't even want to go there. That's her. You've got to ask her that question.

MARY PIERCE: I just had a really nice day off yesterday, you know, just practiced and relaxed in the afternoon. That's what I needed. I've played every day since I got here. I think that day off just really helped me to relax and just think of other things for a little while, then get ready to refocus again for today.

MARY PIERCE: Just practiced with my brother, then I just relaxed, took a nap, went shopping a little bit, spent some time with some friends, had dinner. That was really it.

MARY PIERCE: Oh, yeah. I can remember matches I think I've played better, as well. You always try to improve. I mean, there's always things you can improve. You know, nothing's ever perfect.

MARY PIERCE: You know, I feel like you guys are all trying to make this match like I played unbelievable because I beat her 2 and 1. The score has nothing to do with it.

MARY PIERCE: I know, I know. Every point I still had to play, and play hard. If I kind of just put the ball in the court, I would have got killed. I mean, today's match, it's hard for me to say right now. Maybe if I watch the tape and look at that, I could go, "Oh, that was a 50." Today, I feel like an 8, 9. Felt okay.

MARY PIERCE: That's not in my mind. That's like the back of your mind. When you play a sport, you want to win. I mean, you don't want to go out there and lose, everybody, no matter who you are. That's kind of not what I'm thinking about when I go on the court. I can't control if I'm going to win or I lose. The only thing I can control is myself and giving a hundred percent, trying to do the best that I can every point.

MARY PIERCE: Is it something special?

MARY PIERCE: It's just like every other match for me. It's another match; it's another opportunity to play a top player. She's No. 1, so it's a challenge for me. You know, from here on in, you know, it's tough matches, exciting matches, it's what you work hard for, what you look forward to at a tournament, to just try and keep playing your best. You know, I'm excited now about playing in the semifinals, hope to keep playing well.

MARY PIERCE: I feel like I am more consistent. I'd like to be more consistent. I definitely didn't start the year off very well this year. I feel good now. You know, it's part of sports; it's part of life: you have good days, bad days, up-and-down. You have to keep going through it, working hard.

MARY PIERCE: Yes. The mental part, when you get in matches like this against the top players, we all can hit the ball good, we all can hit big serves, groundstrokes, we all can play tennis. Basically it comes down to the mental aspect, just staying focused, concentrated, calm and relaxed every point for me is the key.

MARY PIERCE: I don't know about that. I don't think so (laughter). I think I'm moving okay, but I don't feel -- I feel like I can move faster, yeah.

MARY PIERCE: I think, like I said, I didn't start the year off very well this year. Like I said earlier, I've been working hard. There's no secret in anything that you do, hard work always pays off. Not that I wasn't working hard. I was before in the past, but it wasn't the correct intensity, the correct training. I feel now the training is what I need to get the best out of me, to train hard and have the right intensity, to have fun on the court. Those are important things, I guess, for anybody.

MARY PIERCE: I answered your question already.

MARY PIERCE: 2-All, I think when I broke her serve. Is that right? I know when I broke her serve in the first set, that's kind of when I felt like I had a little opening in the door, I guess, then it held. I went up to 5-2. You know, against a top player, especially Serena who has a big game, can serve big, can come back, all of a sudden you can be even against. I kept telling myself, "The match isn't over; keep playing every point. It's not over till it's over." Basically 3-Love in the second set, obviously 4-1 was a nice feeling when I sat down, two more games. I said to myself, "Just keep concentrating." There was never a point where I said, "Okay, you don't have to worry about it."

MARY PIERCE: How do you know that (laughter)?

MARY PIERCE: I think the best way for me to answer this question, and probably any question on that topic, I don't want you guys to think that you can't ask me or that I don't want to talk about it, but the way I feel about it is that the relationship that I have with my father has been and always will be something very personal for me and private. I think the best for us is to keep our relationship that way, you know. It's always been in the public eye. It always probably will be. I can't prevent that. But for me, for my family, I think that I would appreciate it if you all, the media, would just respect that sense. It's probably hard for you guys not to ask questions, because that's your job, but I would appreciate it if I just could keep my relationship like that and just keep it private and personal, something special for me and for my family. I think we would respect that.

MARY PIERCE: I can say that center court was really nice to play on. I really like the center court a lot. The other courts I've been playing on have been a little difficult. The time of day that I was playing, the sun would kind of come on the side and be hard to see sometimes. This court was really, really nice, had a great feeling, and I liked it a lot.