Pierce Has Lot of Gaul to Win Title

The hints of promise, almost like occasional rumors, finally turned into reality, in, of all places, her adopted country on a crisp June day. France had waited 33 years for another French female singles champion at Roland Garros, and if a Canadian-born, Florida-raised baseliner named Mary Pierce wasn’t Gallic enough, well, imports of quality also have their place here.

The sixth-seeded Pierce, armed with a French passport and ground strokes even the snootiest Francophile could appreciate, defeated fifth-seeded Conchita Martinez of Spain, 6-2, 7-5, on Saturday in 1 hour 52 minutes to become the first Frenchwoman to win here since Francoise Durr in 1967.

Durr was on hand for the trophy presentation, almost a symbolic passing of the torch. Pierce, who had lost in the French Open final in 1994, made a nervous speech in front of often-fickle fans, who had alternated between praising her and deriding her through the years.

“It’s incredible. I can’t find the words,” a teary Pierce told the crowd. “It’s taken me a long time to get back up here on this podium. A lot has happened since then. I will never forget this moment. I thought I would never win here. Now the dream has come true.”

It is Pierce’s second Grand Slam title, the first since winning the Australian Open in 1995. Since then, she has grown up and so has her game. Pierce, 25, is engaged to Cleveland Indian second baseman Roberto Alomar and credits him with helping her find personal happiness.

As recently as last year, Pierce’s strategy seemed to be to hit the ball harder and harder. If that didn’t work, she tried to hit it even harder. Sometimes it worked. She had two match points against Lindsay Davenport at the U.S. Open last year before succumbing in the quarterfinals.

Other times, her strategy exploded.

Which is why she reached out to her younger brother, David, days before a hard-court tournament in Scottsdale, Ariz., last winter. She called him in London and asked him to coach her.

“She called me in my apartment and asked me if I would like to come to Arizona, which was starting that Monday. It was a Friday,” David Pierce said, smiling. “She asked me if I would like to give it a try.

“In life it takes a while, we’re both young. I’m only 24. It takes a long time to get to know yourself, to become an adult. Especially to coach somebody. It took a little bit of time before we put ourselves together.”

Said Pierce: “He’s been fantastic. To put up with me every day, taking care of me. He’s very patient and understanding. We get along great. We have a lot of fun.

“There’s nothing better than having your own brother there with you, supporting you, that you can trust, have confidence in, that loves you and just wants the best for you.”

His influence has been obvious. Pierce used the whole court against Martinez, pulling her wide with short, angled ground strokes. The old Pierce never would have dreamed of using a drop shot.

“Her game has changed a lot because she is using the court a lot better,” Durr said. “Before she was trying to hit the ball as hard as possible, not building up the point. She’s more technical on the court. I have the impression she watches her opponent a lot better. Before it was herself, her own game and she was not taking care of her opponent.”

Said Gavin Forbes, Pierce’s agent: “She finally learned how to play tennis. She’s 25 years old and she’s finally learned. She’s started to listen to what people were telling her.”

On Saturday, Pierce needed all the shots in her arsenal because Martinez is not the kind of opponent to succumb easily, even after a shaky first set. Pierce had to hit a lot of winners and force the issue at the net, coming in frequently.

Martinez, resurgent at 28, was playing in her first Grand Slam final since losing in the 1998 Australian Open. She is a Grand Slam champion too, winning Wimbledon in 1994, but she felt extremely nervous at the start.

“I was fighting,” Martinez said. “It was a very difficult match because I couldn’t get loose enough. My strokes weren’t working. But I wanted not to give the match away. Mary was playing very aggressive, she was playing very good. But I felt more confidence in the second set and I felt better. But maybe she was too good today.”

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The Box Score

Box score of No. 6 Mary Pierce’s 6-2, 7-5 victory over No. 5 Conchita Martinez for women’s singles championship of French Open. Time of the match was 1:52:

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P M First-serve percentage 74 74 Aces 0 0 Double faults 3 1 Unforced errors 40 31 Pct. 1st-serve points won 79 48 Pct. 2nd-serve points won 27 48 Winners (includes service) 32 16 Break points 5-12 2-5 Net points 20-28 6-9 Total points 85 63

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