Mary Pierce

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexFemale
Full nameMary Caroline•Pierce
Used nameMary•Pierce
Born15 January 1975 in Montréal, Québec (CAN)
Measurements180 cm / 64 kg
AffiliationsTC Villeneuve-Loubet, Villeneuve-Loubet (FRA)
NOC France

Biography

Professional tennis player Mary Pierce was born in Canada to a French mother and American father, with Pierce holding citizenship of all three countries, and played international matches representing France. Pierce won four Grand Slam titles and two Fed Cups, and was ranked world #3 in both singles and doubles. She earned almost $10 million in prize money during her career.

Pierce won her first WTA singles and doubles titles in July 1991 at the Internazionali Femminili di Palermo tournament in Italy, beating Sandra Cecchini in straight sets in the former, and partnering with Petra Langrová in the latter. Between February 1992 and October 2005 Pierce won a further 17 WTA singles titles and nine WTA doubles titles.

Pierce won four Grand Slam titles; two in the singles, one in the doubles, and one in the mixed doubles. She won her first singles title at the 1995 Australian Open with a straight sets victory against Arantxa Sánchez Vicario. Five years later she won the 2000 French Open with another straight sets win, this time over Conchita Martínez. Pierce was also the runner-up at the 1994 French Open, 1997 Australian Open, 2005 French Open, and the 2005 US Open. In 2000 she partnered with Martina Hingis with the pair finishing as runners-up at the Australian Open. Later that same year the duo went on to win the French Open, beating the team of Vivi Ruano and Paola Suárez. In 2005 Pierce teamed with India’s Mahesh Bhupathi, winning the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon.

Pierce competed at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and 1996 Atlanta Olympics, reaching the second round twice in the singles (1992, 1996), and once in the doubles (1996). In 1997 and 2003 Pierce was part of the French team that won the Fed Cup. After her second Fed Cup victory she appeared at her third and final Olympic Games in 2004 in Athína. In the singles she was knocked out in the quarter-finals by the eventual gold medallist Justine Henin-Hardenne, and in the doubles Pierce and partner Amélie Mauresmo reached the second round.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1992 Summer Olympics Tennis FRA Mary Pierce
Singles, Women (Olympic) =17
1996 Summer Olympics Tennis FRA Mary Pierce
Singles, Women (Olympic) =17
Doubles, Women (Olympic) Nathalie Tauziat =9
2004 Summer Olympics Tennis FRA Mary Pierce
Singles, Women (Olympic) =5
Doubles, Women (Olympic) Amélie Mauresmo =9