Speaker

Mary Pierce

Former World No. 3 and 4-time Grand Slam Champion

Mary Pierce is a former French professional tennis player. Born in Canada on January 15th 1975, and daughter of a French mother and an American father, Mary grew up in the United States; however, represented France in international tennis competitions.

During her outstanding career, Mary won a total of 29 titles singles and doubles combined, including 4 Grand Slams. She won her first Grand Slam in 1995 at the Australian Open (AO), and was a finalist, at the AO, in 1997. That same year, she reached the WTA Tour Championship’s Final, and won the Fed Cup with Team France for the first time. Additionally, Mary is the last French tennis player to have won the French Open in 2000, writing history as she won it both in singles and doubles that year; right before she reached her WTA highest ranking of #3.

In 2006, Mary became a recipient of the Inspiration Award, in Charleston USA. This award recognized her as a woman professional athlete who by her actions, has inspired women worldwide to achieve their personal and professional goals. In 2008, Mary received the Ordre National du Mérite in France, awarded by the President of the French Republic.

Since her retirement, Mary has stayed highly involved in the tennis world and was appointed, in 2015, board member of the International Tennis Federation. Mary also became a coach and was named vice-captain of the French Fed Cup team in 2016. To this day, Mary still works as a TV consultant for different channels (Eurosport 2016-2017, France TV) during tennis events.

Finally, and to crown her achievements, Mary will receive the ultimate honor of her sport in 2019, as she will be inducted in the Tennis Hall of Fame; alongside with some of the best tennis players of all time (Rod Laver, Billie Jean King, Björn Borg, Chris Evert, John McEnroe, Stefanie Graf, Pete Sampras, Justine Henin, etc).