Tennis’s ‘Tricolor’ - the French-American-Canadian | CNN
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French Open: Mary Pierce - The darling of Roland Garros
Mary Pierce is the last French tennis player to win a grand slam singles title at Roland Garros.
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In 2000, Pierce defeated Spain's Conchita Martinez in the French Open women's final to emulate the 1967 achievement of Francoise Durr.
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Pierce also won the French Open doubles title that year with Martina Hingis, who she beat in the semifinals of the singles competition.
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Yannick Noah, pictured with Pierce in 2012, is the last Frenchman to win the title at Roland Garros, back in 1983.
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Canada-born Pierce, whose mother is French, has battled to fulfill the high expectations of the Parisian crowd. She was beaten in the 1994 French Open final by Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, at the age of 19.
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In the 2005 French Open final, Pierce was thrashed 6-1 6-1 by Justine Henin-Hardenne.
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Later that year, Pierce again tasted disappointment at Roland Garros when her adopted nation France was beaten 3-2 by Russia in the final of the Fed Cup, denying her a third title in the team event.
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Pierce's sixth and last grand slam final appearance was at the 2005 U.S. Open, where she lost to Belgium's Kim Clijsters.
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It was a year of being runner-up for Pierce, who was beaten in the final of the 2005 season-ending WTA championships by compatriot Amelie Mauresmo -- here presented with the trophy by Billie Jean King.
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Pierce won her first grand slam title at the 1995 Australian Open, beating Sanchez Vicario in the final. She had just turned 20.
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However, she lost to Hingis in the Melbourne final two years later.
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She never got past the quarterfinals on her own at Wimbledon, but won the mixed doubles title on the hallowed grass in 2005 with India's Mahesh Bhupathi.
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Pierce suffered two serious injuries in 2006 -- the latter in Austria in October would prove to be her last competitive action as a professional.
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After knee surgery, Pierce was sidelined for the whole of 2007.
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It was a sad ending for one of the most colorful players in the women's game.
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She made her top-level debut as a 14-year-old under the watchful eye of her American father Jim (right) and mother Yannick (left) -- who have since divorced.
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Jim Pierce was a controversial figure. He was banned from attending his daughter's matches due to his bad behavior -- she successfully filed a restraining order but they were reconciled in later life.
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Pierce's serve was one of her major weapons."I worked a lot on it and went through a lot of video analysis, improving my technique, lowering my ball toss, using my legs in a different way," she told CNN's Open Court.
Pierce was also notable for her sartorial sense, inspiring future tennis fashionistas such as Venus Williams.
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Williams credits her with helping to revive the tennis dress. "When Nike asked me if I wanted to bring the dress back to tennis I was like 'Yeah!' -- I didn't even hesitate," Pierce told CNN's Open Court.
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At 5 foot 10 inches tall, Pierce was equally comfortable in a skirt.
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Following her retirement, Pierce has regularly returned to the French Open. Here she is pictured with Beyonce (center) and the singer's rap-mogul husband US rap singer Jay-Z (L) at the 2010 men's final between Rafael Nadal and Robin Soderling.
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Still a resident of the United States, Pierce also lives on the island of Mauritius where she works with the church and coaches promising young players.