Top players need to be consistent
NEWDELHI:IN her almost two decade-long professional tennis career, Mary Pierce fought several battles, on and off the court. The French twotime Grand Slam winner— she reached six singles finals— had a difficult relationship with father Jim but rose to become one of the first power-hitters in women’s tennis. There was a lull after her 2000 French Open victory as she dropped out of the top 250, but her grit showed in her resurgence which saw her reach the French Open and US Open finals in 2005.
On a trip to India for the Roland Garros Junior Wild Card series that ended here on Wednesday, Pierce was at the Hindustan Times office for an interaction with the sports team, on her career, the current generation of players and the domination of Big Three in men’s tennis.
Excerpts: Can you talk about young talent in women’s tennis—sofia Kenin was a winner at Australian Open and we also have Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka.
It’s very exciting to see what Coco Gauff is doing at such a young age. She really impresses me with how mentally she is handling the big stage so well. Sofia Kenin won the first Grand Slam of the year. I am very happy for her. For her dad, her coach it’s very great. Let’s see how she handles the spotlight right now, because once you win a Slam, your whole life changes and it’s not easy to deal with all the attention. There’s a lot of adaptation needed. Naomi Osaka hasn’t done it well since becoming No. 1 and winning Grand Slams. These things are difficult. The top players who are so young, need to be consistent. What Serena Williams is doing is incredible at her age. If she is able to fully get back the fitness she had before, she will be unbeatable.
Serena and Sania Mirza have come back after motherhood.
It’s tough for any woman to comeback after pregnancy in a high-level sport. It’s difficult physically as well as emotionally. You need to take care of the child and also train, which demands a lot of time. Balancing those things and trying to be at the top is not easy. I wish best of luck.
Can it get lonely at times for professional players, become stressful?
Being on the tour is hard because it’s a very long season. We have a break for a really short time. The season should be shorter. It’s a lonely life, you are away from your home, family, friends. So, it’s really difficult. The WTA has a great medical department and staff. Players know that if they need any help, or need to talk to somebody, there’s a hotline where they can get help.
We now have in women’s tennis players disappearing after winning a Grand Slam. Is it down to the quality or are the players not that strong mentally?
When you win a Grand Slam, your life completely changes. It takes time to adapt with all the focus on you. You have a lot less free time because you have a TV show to do or a photo shoot or a special appearance somewhere. It takes your time, energy. One should learn when to say no. It’s important to have a good team around to guide and help. The girls are young and taking their time to adapt to their new status. There has not been one who has been consistent after being dominant.
How did you handle fame after your 1995 Australian Open win?
It was tough. Everyone is watching you, expecting you to win. I know we are all human and you can’t win. But then there is a hell of a lot of extra pressure. The players look at you and they want to beat you. Everyone plays the match of their lives against you. They play as if they have nothing to lose and it makes it even harder. It’s just the experience of going through it that helps you learn to deal with it really. End of the day, I decided I have to live my life the way I wanted and not worry that people are watching me.
Younger men’s players are still unable to challenge the Big 3?
Science and technology has improved. Recovery is such a big thing now. When I was playing an ice-bath was like filling the bath tub with cold water, putting in ice and trying to make it as bearable as possible. Now it’s like you know what the temperatures should be, how long you should stay in there, how often you should do it. Recovery, nutrition supplements just help athlete to recover quicker, and last longer.