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Speaker 1: This episode of the Racket Magazine podcast is brought to

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Speaker 1: thirty percent off your order.

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Speaker 3: I wanted to be a pediatricians.

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Speaker 1: Wa I love this week in episode.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, me too. I mean, it's so interesting when you

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Speaker 2: do a lot of these pods, and for me, I've

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Speaker 2: known this particular person for a long time. I mean

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Speaker 2: we're talking like thirty years. And I always love when

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Speaker 2: I do a podcast and I get goosebumps or I

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Speaker 2: get moments where I'm like, oh my god, I had

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Speaker 2: no idea about that, or I had no idea of that,

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Speaker 2: And we got that a couple of times in this

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Speaker 2: particular pod, which was so exciting for me straight away.

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Speaker 2: I mean the fact that I couldn't believe when she

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Speaker 2: actually started playing tennis. I mean we talk about a

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Speaker 2: young phenom that she was. You think, oh, well, she

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Speaker 2: had to start when she was like birth to basically,

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Speaker 2: but no, it's incredible.

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Speaker 1: I feel like every ten minutes or so, there was

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Speaker 1: something kind of jar dropping in this podcast, whether it

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Speaker 1: was funny jar dropping or really poignant or really moving.

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Speaker 1: I cried obviously, which you know, I try out to

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Speaker 1: do it every show, but this one I couldn't help it.

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Speaker 2: I mean, you know, well I matched you at that

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Speaker 2: exact moment, and it's right at the end of the pod,

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Speaker 2: so you know, really stick to the end of this

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Speaker 2: one because it's worth it. But it really got the

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Speaker 2: both of us because I think it touched both of

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Speaker 2: us in a way that we were like, wow, you know,

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Speaker 2: she has gone through a lot, she is, I mean,

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Speaker 2: she's discovered things about herself. You got to give Mary

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Speaker 2: credit because she's come out of it and has been

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Speaker 2: and has always been the nicest Jim and being literally

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Speaker 2: truly has never a time where I felt like she

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Speaker 2: was any different to the first day I met her,

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Speaker 2: to the last day I matter, and to today. So

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Speaker 2: it's going to be a really great listen for everybody

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Speaker 2: going to learn a lot about an extraordinary young woman

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Speaker 2: who's really going to make a difference in a lot

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Speaker 2: of people's lives just by listening to this. And I

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Speaker 2: do want to just say I'm really sorry because all

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Speaker 2: the really like things in this part that are a

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Speaker 2: little bit outrageous, you know, just happened to be also

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Speaker 2: me and Mary and Mary taking care of me. But

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Speaker 2: I just I needed to tell some of those stories

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Speaker 2: so people understood what kind of human being Mary is

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Speaker 2: just from my own personal moments with her. So everybody

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Speaker 2: enjoyed an amazing guest today on our show. Multiple Grand

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Speaker 2: Slam champion, now Hall of Famer, one of the all

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Speaker 2: time nicest people I ever met on tour. There is

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Speaker 2: no doubt about that, Mary Pierce. Mary, welcome and thank

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Speaker 2: you for joining us here on Zoom. We're in three

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Speaker 2: different locations for the Racket Magazine podcast. Great to see you.

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Speaker 3: Thank you, thank you, Rene, Thanks Stubsy. It's great to

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Speaker 3: be here with you guys. And yeah, what an honor

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Speaker 3: and a privilege and so much fun. Thank you for

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Speaker 3: having me, and thanks for that very kind welcome in words.

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Speaker 2: Don't worry, we're going to get into how kind you

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Speaker 2: are at some point in this For so many reasons,

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Speaker 2: but I guess Mary, we always sort of start by saying,

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Speaker 2: you know, tennis huge part of your life. How did

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Speaker 2: you stumble into this sport in particular?

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Speaker 3: Great question? And I love telling this story. So when

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Speaker 3: I was about six or seven years old, I think

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Speaker 3: I wanted to be a pediatrician. Are you like, that's

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Speaker 3: what I want to you when I want to grow

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Speaker 3: when I grow up. And when I was ten years

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Speaker 3: old living in Florida going to school, one of my

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Speaker 3: very best friends was a really good tennis player, and

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Speaker 3: we used to spend time together on the weekends or

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Speaker 3: after school and do our homework together, have dinner, and

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Speaker 3: go home. So one day after school I followed her.

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Speaker 3: She had a tennis lesson. I went to the tennis club,

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Speaker 3: and you know how Florida is hot and humid, and

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Speaker 3: I wasn't really into sports. I really liked school, so

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Speaker 3: I was like staying inside in the air conditioning so

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Speaker 3: I wouldn't get hot and sweaty, and just watching, you know,

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Speaker 3: from inside, and everyone was playing. I think it was

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Speaker 3: called King of the Court and around the World or

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Speaker 3: something of that, you know, hit the ball, run around

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Speaker 3: all the kids on the court and having fun, and

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Speaker 3: I was just watching was like, oh, that looks cool,

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Speaker 3: and not that I wanted to play tennis, but I

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Speaker 3: just thought that game looked fun that all the kids

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Speaker 3: were playing. And then someone saw me like, oh, you

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Speaker 3: want to play, and I was like, yeah, that looks

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Speaker 3: like fun. It's like, okay, we'll grab your racket and

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Speaker 3: go down on the court and play. I said, well,

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Speaker 3: I don't have a racket, and they said, okay, we'll

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Speaker 3: go down to the pro shop get a racket, and

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Speaker 3: I get on the court. I said okay, So I

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Speaker 3: go to the pro shop asked for a racket. They said, well,

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Speaker 3: what do you usually use. I'm like, I don't know.

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Speaker 3: I've never played tennis. So they're like, oh, okay, honey,

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Speaker 3: here take this racket and go on that court over there,

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Speaker 3: and they pointed me to a court with the coach

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Speaker 3: and two kids probably half my age. So I'm ten

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Speaker 3: years old at this point, and I go to the

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Speaker 3: court and the coach shows me how to hold the

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Speaker 3: racket hand, tosses me the ball standing on the same

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Speaker 3: side of the court as me. I hit it goes

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Speaker 3: over the net into the court, and he looks at

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Speaker 3: me and he goes who told you to come here?

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Speaker 3: I said, Well the lady in the pro shop. He's like, no,

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Speaker 3: wrong court, Go to the next court. So I went

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Speaker 3: to the second court. After a few minutes, the coach

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Speaker 3: said the same thing, who told you to come here? Well,

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Speaker 3: the coach over there, no wrong court, So I went

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Speaker 3: to the third court. I ended up staying on that court.

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Speaker 3: Never made it to the court where my friend was

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Speaker 3: or all these kids running around playing this game. But

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Speaker 3: after about you know, forty five minutes an hour, I

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Speaker 3: was serving and playing points like on this court with

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Speaker 3: all the other kids.

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Speaker 2: Hold on a second. So you were ten years of

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Speaker 2: bite and you started tennis?

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Speaker 3: Yes?

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Speaker 2: How did I not know with this? I mean most

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Speaker 2: people started like I mean, everyone would think, particularly with

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Speaker 2: your background, that we're going to get into you would

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Speaker 2: have started at like three. Get out there, grab your racket.

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Speaker 2: So you were ten?

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Speaker 3: Yes, I was ten years old when I started tennis.

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Speaker 3: So when I finished that day and I got off

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Speaker 3: the court, a very tall man came up to me.

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Speaker 3: He's like, Hi, I'm Kevin. I am the head pro

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Speaker 3: here at the club. I've never seen at my club before.

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Speaker 3: What's your name? How old are you? Where are you

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Speaker 3: from how long you've been playing?

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Speaker 2: And can I saw you to a contract right now?

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Speaker 2: I said.

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Speaker 3: My name is Mary, I'm Rachel's friend. I'm ten years old.

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Speaker 3: I'm from here. And I looked at my watch and

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Speaker 3: I said, well, I've been playing about forty five minutes.

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Speaker 3: And he goes, no, no, no, like how many years. I said, well,

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Speaker 3: it's my first day. And he says, well, come back

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Speaker 3: tomorrow with your parents, and I said okay. So I

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Speaker 3: went off to my friend and she was like, I'm

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Speaker 3: in trouble. I probably shouldn't have played. I got to

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Speaker 3: come back with my parents tomorrow. So I went came

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Speaker 3: back with my parents the next day and my friend

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Speaker 3: and her parents, and I've remember it like it was yesterday,

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Speaker 3: standing there looking over far away, seeing them all talk.

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Speaker 3: I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm in trouble. What did

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Speaker 3: I do? And then they come to me and they're like, okay, Mary,

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Speaker 3: you're going to do like Rachel. Now you're going to

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Speaker 3: come here and have lessons after school, three days a

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Speaker 3: week for an hour. And that's how I got into tennis.

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Speaker 1: Because you're from my hometown of Montreal. Although it sounds

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Speaker 1: like most of your childhood was spent in Florida, right correct.

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Speaker 3: I was born in Montreal, and then when I was

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Speaker 3: a year old, we moved to America, where my dad

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Speaker 3: was from.

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Speaker 2: I was waiting for Kaitlin to like get that little

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Speaker 2: sleep in there that you were both born in the

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Speaker 2: same city. Okay, go ahead, Kaitlin.

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Speaker 1: Well, the reason is because I too didn't start playing

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Speaker 1: until I was older because I would visit grandparents in

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Speaker 1: a warm place. So whenever somebody's from Montreal, my first

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Speaker 1: question is where on earth did you get a racket

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Speaker 1: and how did you get you know, because I was

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Speaker 1: on skis, but I didn't get a racket in my

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Speaker 1: hand until much later, And so did you you know,

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Speaker 1: did you have family members who played or was this

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Speaker 1: just kind of a random happenstance where you were like, oh,

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Speaker 1: I turns out pretty good.

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Speaker 3: My mom used to play, like I remember when I

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Speaker 3: was younger. She's like women's league, country club tennis once

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Speaker 3: in a while on the weekends and stuff like that.

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Speaker 3: And you know, my mom could play a little bit,

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Speaker 3: because when I first started, we used to play and

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Speaker 3: we sat together and I remember one day we played

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Speaker 3: a set and it was like I was ten, probably

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Speaker 3: in my first year of playing, and my mom beat

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Speaker 3: me six oh, and she felt so bad and she

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Speaker 3: was really trying not to beat me six so and

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Speaker 3: trying to give me a game. And I was like,

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Speaker 3: I was like, moms, like I tried to give you

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Speaker 3: a game.

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Speaker 2: Oh my god. We know where you get your niceness from.

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Speaker 2: I mean, but that's hilarious. So so neither of your

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Speaker 2: parents really pushed you into it. I remember the first

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Speaker 2: time I saw you. I think it was I want

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Speaker 2: to say it was a little town in the southern

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Speaker 2: part of Italy called Cavindy Tini. I think I was

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Speaker 2: traveling on the Australian team that got sent away, you know,

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Speaker 2: at a junior age to play in these twenty five

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Speaker 2: thousand dollars, maybe have been at time ten thousand and

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Speaker 2: I saw you there for the very first time in

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Speaker 2: the parking lot with your dad, and that was the

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Speaker 2: first time that I saw you. I think you may

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Speaker 2: have won the tournament there. I'm not sure, but you

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Speaker 2: I remember everyone talking about you in this way that

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Speaker 2: everybody knew you were going to be special and good,

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Speaker 2: but also everyone was talking about your circumstances at that time.

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Speaker 2: Do you want to tell us your circumstances at that time. Now,

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Speaker 2: just to back up, like were you living, were you

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Speaker 2: guys living in a car together at that point, like

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Speaker 2: traveling around in a car.

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Speaker 3: And yeah, it was I'm trying to think that. I

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Speaker 3: think it was like fifteen. How old was I there?

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Speaker 3: Like fourteen? Was that like the tens?

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Speaker 2: Five thousand?

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Speaker 3: Yes, it was just just starting. Yeah, you know, I

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Speaker 3: just when you said that, like the first thing that

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Speaker 3: came to my mind, because I do have a memory

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Speaker 3: of tournament in Italy parking lot, and the one that

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Speaker 3: came to my mind is like I had lost a

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Speaker 3: match and my dad got really mad at me and

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Speaker 3: he slapped me.

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Speaker 2: Is that?

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Speaker 3: And then you're like, oh, I think you won the

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Speaker 3: tournam Like, oh, no, it wasn't that one.

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Speaker 2: No, No, well then it wasn't because I just remember

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Speaker 2: how good you were. But I remember so distinctly. It's

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Speaker 2: funny how little things stick in your head. And I

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Speaker 2: remember so distinctly seeing that in the parking lot in

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Speaker 2: that tournament, and I'm fairly certain it was caveder Tarini

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Speaker 2: and it was a twenty five thousand, and I remember

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Speaker 2: hearing the stories about you, your family and your dad

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Speaker 2: in particular, and I'm pretty sure I saw that moment

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Speaker 2: of him yelling at you after you'd lost, so I,

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Speaker 2: you know, it's a long time ago. I saw thirty

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Speaker 2: years ago, you know, but that's what I remember. Wow

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Speaker 2: about that.

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Speaker 3: You actually were there when you saw that, because that

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Speaker 3: was the thing that actually popped into my mind when

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Speaker 3: you first said that Kevitrini and parking class, like what yeah, So,

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Speaker 3: so circumstances were really, really, really really tough to say

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Speaker 3: the least. You know, I think if you back up

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Speaker 3: a little bit too, when I first started playing tennis

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Speaker 3: and how I got into it, and then you know,

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Speaker 3: that coach that was there saw obviously that I was

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Speaker 3: gifted and talented and had the ability to play tennis

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Speaker 3: like they've been playing for years from the first day.

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Speaker 3: So from my first lesson on, you know, my dad

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Speaker 3: was always there every time, so and my mom and they,

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Speaker 3: you know, watched and listened. And my dad from the beginning,

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Speaker 3: you know, he would take me on the weekends with

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Speaker 3: a huge shopping cart of balls and for hours feed

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Speaker 3: me balls. And he never played tennis, and he didn't

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Speaker 3: know anything about tennis, but he learned as I was learning,

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Speaker 3: and you know, I look back to what he did

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Speaker 3: and I think it's absolutely amazing and mind blowing, you know,

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Speaker 3: to think about how you know, he just took his

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Speaker 3: daughter on the weekends, didn't know anything, but he was

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Speaker 3: willing to learn and be a student of the He

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Speaker 3: was willing to watch every lesson that I took, listen

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Speaker 3: to what the coach was saying, plus watch everything on TV,

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Speaker 3: all the tennis matches, Plus get the tennis magazine every month,

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Speaker 3: plus read the books of all the best players and

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Speaker 3: coaches to learn about technique and just drills and everything.

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Speaker 3: So that already first, when I look at back, I said,

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Speaker 3: that was amazing at what my dad did. But there's

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Speaker 3: always methods and ways to train, and you know, he

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Speaker 3: was very hard. You know, you could say it was

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Speaker 3: quite militant, boot camp style training from a very very

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Speaker 3: young age. So you know, my dad was also very competitive,

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Speaker 3: and he wanted me to be the best, and he

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Speaker 3: always wanted me to play great, and he always wanted

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Speaker 3: me to beat everybody. And that's not possible because you're

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Speaker 3: a human being and no one has ever done that

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Speaker 3: in the history of tennis. So so it was hard,

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Speaker 3: you know, because then he would he would get mad

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Speaker 3: and he would get yell, and he would yell, and

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Speaker 3: you know, he would abusive, and so, you know, as

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Speaker 3: I was playing, you know, my dad became my coach

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Speaker 3: more and more, and then by the time I was

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Speaker 3: probably thirteen, he was like my full time coach. Took

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Speaker 3: me out of school and we moved to France, where

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Speaker 3: my mom was from. And here I'm doing homeschooling through

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Speaker 3: correspondence courses and training about eight hours a day and

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Speaker 3: turned pro at fourteen. And you know, my dad was

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Speaker 3: my coach until I was eighteen. So you know, those

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Speaker 3: years from like ten to eighteen when he was coaching

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Speaker 3: and training, we were like it was like hell on

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Speaker 3: earth because he was so hard and he could be

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Speaker 3: so mean and so scary, and I, you know, grew

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Speaker 3: up like scared. You know, almost like every day I

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Speaker 3: was like scared at you don't know how he's going

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Speaker 3: to react, You don't know what's going to happen, what

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Speaker 3: he's going to say, is he going to get mad

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Speaker 3: or not? And you try to do your best, but

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Speaker 3: you can't always play great and you can't always win.

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Speaker 3: So it was it was really really hard, you know,

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Speaker 3: because he could be aggressive and mean. And you know,

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Speaker 3: obviously I say to myself today that if I wasn't

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Speaker 3: strong mentally and emotionally and resilient, then I would have

296
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Speaker 3: never made it in tennis. Yes, the way he trained

297
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Speaker 3: me also made me tough mentally, emotionally, physically in every way.

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Speaker 3: But you know, I wouldn't really, I wouldn't wish it

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Speaker 3: on anybody. At the same time, I don't. It's crazy enough,

300
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Speaker 3: but I don't have any regrets because I know that

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Speaker 3: that was my path and what I was called to

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Speaker 3: go through in my life to to make me who

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Speaker 3: I am today, to be able to have all the

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Speaker 3: success that I had, you know, And and there's a

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Speaker 3: beautiful story which I'm sure we'll get into later as well,

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Speaker 3: about you know, the reconciliation, uh with my dad and

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Speaker 3: with with our relationship and all of that.

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Speaker 1: You above all have such an obvious joy looking back

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Speaker 1: on your matches, seeing you working now, and we'll get

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Speaker 1: a lot into that in a little bit. But there

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Speaker 1: must have been kind of similar to that day you

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Speaker 1: described on that Florida court, just finding a natural joy,

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Speaker 1: finding the embrace of being able to not only be

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Speaker 1: good at something but really enjoy it. You must have also,

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Speaker 1: I would imagine, have enjoyed enough about the game. Obviously

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Speaker 1: you're resilient, and obviously you're incredibly talented, but there must

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Speaker 1: have been some kind of joy I would imagine to

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Speaker 1: keep propelling you. You know, was there another side of

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Speaker 1: that besides you know, feeling like maybe it was really

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Speaker 1: tough that you were able to kind of have for

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Speaker 1: yourself where you were like, okay, but at the end

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Speaker 1: of the day, I'm enjoying the matches. I'm enjoying getting

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Speaker 1: better and getting onto a world stage.

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Speaker 3: Was that your experience, Well, the really interesting thing was no,

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Speaker 3: because I wanted to be a pediatrician.

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Speaker 2: There's still time, there's time. You're young, you know what.

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Speaker 3: It's not gonna happen now, that's for sure. I'm forty five.

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Speaker 3: I'm not going to medical school. But my friends do

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Speaker 3: call me doctor Pierce because I've always loved everything that

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Speaker 3: has to do with health and wellness and all that

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Speaker 3: kind of stuff, and I've always read a lot about it.

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Speaker 3: But anyways, No, you know, I just was. I was

333
00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:21,920
Speaker 3: just really good from day one, and you know, I

334
00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:25,320
Speaker 3: later on realized that God gave me the talent to

335
00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:28,000
Speaker 3: play tennis, that that was his plan for my life,

336
00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:32,200
Speaker 3: and it was evident. But from ten to eighteen, I

337
00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:36,560
Speaker 3: was like doing it because well I was good at it,

338
00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:39,760
Speaker 3: but it was also what I felt I had to do.

339
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Speaker 3: Like my dad. I didn't feel like I had a choice.

340
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Speaker 3: Like my dad. I was like, I can't say no,

341
00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:46,600
Speaker 3: and I was afraid to say no. I don't want

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Speaker 3: to do this, you know, I don't know.

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Speaker 2: It was like, I'm really good at this, like really

344
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Speaker 2: good at this, yet I'm petrified of this. There is

345
00:16:55,240 --> 00:16:58,640
Speaker 2: no choice. One funny line, though, it's when you said

346
00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:01,040
Speaker 2: this is what I was born. Remember when we played

347
00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:03,360
Speaker 2: our final in doubles. Mary and I won a doubles

348
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Speaker 2: tournament together in La and Mary said to me. I

349
00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:10,080
Speaker 2: don't know if you remember this, but we were walking

350
00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:11,840
Speaker 2: out on the court in the finals and she looks

351
00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:14,520
Speaker 2: at me and she says, for real this I tell

352
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Speaker 2: this to everybody. There are some players that are really

353
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Speaker 2: like very technical and they know this and they're great

354
00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:24,000
Speaker 2: with you know, signals and seeing patterns. And Mary looked

355
00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:25,600
Speaker 2: at me and she goes, all right, it's dubsy, tell

356
00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:29,560
Speaker 2: me what to do. I'm I'm the dumbest best player

357
00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:31,560
Speaker 2: you've ever played with. And I looked at her and

358
00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:35,240
Speaker 2: just cracked up because I could. I could tell Mary

359
00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:38,040
Speaker 2: do X and she would do it so well. She

360
00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:39,760
Speaker 2: would be like, I'm going to serve and Bolli now.

361
00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:42,199
Speaker 2: I'm like, okay, we're going to serve and Bollie now,

362
00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:43,959
Speaker 2: and she'd do it. And when we win the point, Like,

363
00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:47,159
Speaker 2: there's not a thing that I couldn't tell her to

364
00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:51,280
Speaker 2: do that she couldn't do. And that is a gift Mary,

365
00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:53,600
Speaker 2: you know, to actually go on the court and not

366
00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:57,879
Speaker 2: worry too much about the minutia of a game plan

367
00:17:57,960 --> 00:17:59,800
Speaker 2: and all this sort of stuff. And there are players

368
00:17:59,840 --> 00:18:02,040
Speaker 2: like you that need to just go out. And I

369
00:18:02,080 --> 00:18:04,960
Speaker 2: think from the get go, from your story now, it

370
00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:08,080
Speaker 2: just was natural to be that good at timing the

371
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Speaker 2: tennis ball.

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00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:09,600
Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: The thing I was gonna add to that is maybe

374
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Speaker 1: it sounds like, if not joy, then certainly a sense

375
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Speaker 1: of purpose.

376
00:18:15,359 --> 00:18:15,560
Speaker 3: Right.

377
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Speaker 1: It seems like that's maybe what was more of an

378
00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:20,560
Speaker 1: animating emotion, you know, And.

379
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Speaker 3: As I was growing up, I was like, Okay, when

380
00:18:23,800 --> 00:18:25,600
Speaker 3: I was around sixteen years old, I think it was

381
00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:28,040
Speaker 3: probably like, okay, you know what this is. This is

382
00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:30,199
Speaker 3: like I can't keep living this way, you know. I

383
00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:33,280
Speaker 3: just can't can't wait to be eighteen and I'm out

384
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Speaker 3: of here, you know, and I'm gonna I'm an adult,

385
00:18:35,359 --> 00:18:37,600
Speaker 3: and I'm gonna tell you what to do. Can't live

386
00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:41,960
Speaker 3: like this anymore. And so at eighteen, I basically left,

387
00:18:43,320 --> 00:18:47,080
Speaker 3: you know, my dad as my coach, and my parents divorced,

388
00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:52,240
Speaker 3: and it was it was. It was also a scary time,

389
00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:54,080
Speaker 3: in a messy time. I had a bodyguard for a

390
00:18:54,119 --> 00:18:56,360
Speaker 3: couple of years, I had a restraining order. I mean,

391
00:18:56,400 --> 00:18:59,800
Speaker 3: there's just so much that went on that you don't

392
00:18:59,800 --> 00:19:02,720
Speaker 3: even know if like people even knew half of what

393
00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:05,520
Speaker 3: I had been through, what I was going through and

394
00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:07,520
Speaker 3: still have to be able to continue to play tennis

395
00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:11,880
Speaker 3: and train. And at that point, I said, okay, now eighteen,

396
00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:15,479
Speaker 3: Now I can do whatever I want, and you know,

397
00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:19,520
Speaker 3: what do I want to do? So I basically went

398
00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:23,960
Speaker 3: and lived with a friend of mine and I just said,

399
00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:25,879
Speaker 3: I'm just going to do whatever I want. And for

400
00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:29,080
Speaker 3: three months I kind of just did nothing and live

401
00:19:29,119 --> 00:19:31,880
Speaker 3: almost like a normal person, and just you know, I'd

402
00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:35,399
Speaker 3: do the grocery shopping, i'd clean her apartment, i'd make dinner,

403
00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:37,080
Speaker 3: i'd go to the pool. I just did whatever I

404
00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:39,080
Speaker 3: felt like doing for the first time in my life,

405
00:19:39,640 --> 00:19:41,000
Speaker 3: And I thought, what do I want to do? Do

406
00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:43,119
Speaker 3: I want to play tennis? Do I want to keep

407
00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:45,400
Speaker 3: playing tennis? Do I want to go to school? Because

408
00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:47,159
Speaker 3: I still hadn't got my high school diploma yet, I

409
00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:49,840
Speaker 3: was still working on it. Do I just want to

410
00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:51,440
Speaker 3: get a job, like I can do whatever I.

411
00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:52,000
Speaker 2: Want right now?

412
00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:54,040
Speaker 3: And I just took the time to figure out what

413
00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:58,480
Speaker 3: I really wanted to do. And after three months, I thought, Hmm, okay,

414
00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:02,000
Speaker 3: I think I want to keep playing tennis because yeah,

415
00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:05,320
Speaker 3: I'm really good at it, I'm pretty successful, and I

416
00:20:05,359 --> 00:20:07,080
Speaker 3: just thought it would be like a big deal if

417
00:20:07,119 --> 00:20:10,840
Speaker 3: I quit at that moment in my career, you know.

418
00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:15,280
Speaker 3: So I contacted Nick Bola Terry. I was in Bradenton,

419
00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:19,320
Speaker 3: and I said, uh, Nick, would you coach me?

420
00:20:20,359 --> 00:20:23,800
Speaker 2: And he said, Mary, Mary, Well.

421
00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:27,320
Speaker 3: Well, he said, come Monday for a practice session and

422
00:20:27,359 --> 00:20:29,159
Speaker 3: then we'll see. So I felt like I'm going on

423
00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:31,119
Speaker 3: an interview. I was like so nervous. I'm like, oh,

424
00:20:31,119 --> 00:20:33,280
Speaker 3: I hope I do good. Hope he says yes, because

425
00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:35,800
Speaker 3: at that point he's like training all the best in

426
00:20:35,840 --> 00:20:39,520
Speaker 3: the world, men and women champions. So yeah, I went

427
00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:42,399
Speaker 3: and had a great practice session and Nick started coaching me.

428
00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:45,720
Speaker 3: And from that moment on, it was, you know, my

429
00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:48,800
Speaker 3: decision that now this is what I want to do,

430
00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:51,439
Speaker 3: and I'm doing it. But it wasn't until later in

431
00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:57,000
Speaker 3: my life, when I was twenty five years old, when

432
00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:00,359
Speaker 3: I became a born again Christian, that I understood.

433
00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:04,000
Speaker 4: Now all my questions that I had in my life,

434
00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:08,439
Speaker 4: and everything now makes sense, like I get it, like

435
00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:11,080
Speaker 4: this is what I was made to do.

436
00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:13,240
Speaker 3: This was God's plan for my life. He gave me

437
00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:15,800
Speaker 3: this gift, he gave me this talent, and now I

438
00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:18,439
Speaker 3: wanted to do everything for him and my best and

439
00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:22,439
Speaker 3: give him all the glory. And that's when things started

440
00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:26,200
Speaker 3: happening in me and in my heart and in my life.

441
00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:29,040
Speaker 3: And then when I was able to forgive my father

442
00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:32,639
Speaker 3: for everything that happened, for all the hurts, for all

443
00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:35,440
Speaker 3: the wounds, for everything that I was carrying, the unforgiveness,

444
00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:38,000
Speaker 3: the pain, the anger, the fear, whatever, everything that I

445
00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:42,760
Speaker 3: had for my whole life. Then now I'm twenty five

446
00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:45,159
Speaker 3: years old. So this happened in March of two thousand

447
00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:47,200
Speaker 3: when I became a morning and Christian. So twenty five

448
00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:49,720
Speaker 3: years old is the time in my life where my

449
00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:52,760
Speaker 3: heart was healed. I was able to forgive my dad

450
00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:57,560
Speaker 3: and our relationship was restored, and it was amazing because

451
00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:00,200
Speaker 3: then I could actually love my dad, which which is

452
00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:03,240
Speaker 3: a miracle when you think about everything that happened in

453
00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:05,959
Speaker 3: the past, and it was like nothing had ever happened.

454
00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:08,679
Speaker 3: It wasn't me, it was another person in another life.

455
00:22:09,320 --> 00:22:14,000
Speaker 3: And I just from that moment on lived many miracles.

456
00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:16,880
Speaker 3: And it's been twenty years since then.

457
00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:21,320
Speaker 1: So that's a really momentous spring in your life because

458
00:22:21,359 --> 00:22:24,680
Speaker 1: two incredible things happened that were transformational for you, which

459
00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:27,480
Speaker 1: is and I want to hear sort of about the

460
00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:30,760
Speaker 1: circumstances leading up to both. First of all, you became

461
00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:34,800
Speaker 1: a borninger Christian. You found this sense of purpose, lightness,

462
00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:39,280
Speaker 1: you know, obviously a directive. And also three months later

463
00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:42,480
Speaker 1: you won the French Open. This is a huge year.

464
00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:45,439
Speaker 1: This is your twentieth anniversary of winning this tournament. I

465
00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:49,240
Speaker 1: can't help but think those two things are maybe related. Yeah,

466
00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:55,600
Speaker 1: that's an excellent observation in question, Kaitlin, it's yes, because

467
00:22:55,800 --> 00:23:00,439
Speaker 1: playing the French Open as a French player was always

468
00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:03,960
Speaker 1: the hardest tournament of the year because of so much pressure,

469
00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:08,119
Speaker 1: so much expectation, you know, so much riding on it.

470
00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:11,040
Speaker 3: You feel like the whole country is on your shoulders,

471
00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:13,320
Speaker 3: you know, because when you win, they're happy and celebrating.

472
00:23:13,359 --> 00:23:15,720
Speaker 3: When you lose, the country's morning, and it's just like

473
00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:20,000
Speaker 3: so much pressure and it's hard to deal with. You know.

474
00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:22,479
Speaker 3: You ask any player when they're playing their home plans

475
00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:27,320
Speaker 3: dubsy Hello, Australian Open. You know the feeling. So it's hard.

476
00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:30,000
Speaker 3: And when I got there at the French Open in

477
00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:34,720
Speaker 3: two thousand, you know, the journalists were like, wow, maybe

478
00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:37,360
Speaker 3: you know, you look so different. You seem so peaceful

479
00:23:37,359 --> 00:23:40,760
Speaker 3: and calm on the important points and moments of the match.

480
00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:43,680
Speaker 3: You're not getting angry man and frustrated like you usually do,

481
00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:45,239
Speaker 3: Like what have you done? Have you done some kind

482
00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:48,560
Speaker 3: of mental training or what what have you done? And

483
00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:51,440
Speaker 3: I was just like, no, I haven't done any mental training.

484
00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:55,000
Speaker 3: I just know that my life belongs to God, and

485
00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:58,520
Speaker 3: my life is in his hands and including my tennis

486
00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:00,840
Speaker 3: and my results. So I have enough to worry about

487
00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:02,880
Speaker 3: and I'm just going out on the court and giving

488
00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:06,200
Speaker 3: one hundred percent and having fun and whatever happens happens,

489
00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:08,320
Speaker 3: and what happens will be for my best and you know,

490
00:24:08,359 --> 00:24:10,560
Speaker 3: I either win or I learned and I keep going.

491
00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:16,280
Speaker 3: So it just really took all the pressure off and

492
00:24:16,320 --> 00:24:18,600
Speaker 3: the stress, and it just helped me to do that,

493
00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:21,040
Speaker 3: to realize, you know what, I'm not in control. I

494
00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:22,919
Speaker 3: can't control if I'm going to play win or if

495
00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:24,920
Speaker 3: I'm going to play good and win or play bad,

496
00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:26,680
Speaker 3: and I don't know. All I can do is try

497
00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:31,480
Speaker 3: and give a hundred percent. So that experience, you know,

498
00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:33,520
Speaker 3: like I said, of becoming a born in Christian just

499
00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:36,439
Speaker 3: changed me as a person on the inside, and it

500
00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:41,919
Speaker 3: changed how I saw everything my life, my tennis, people, relationships.

501
00:24:41,960 --> 00:24:44,160
Speaker 3: So obviously that's going to have an effect on how

502
00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:46,640
Speaker 3: I compete as a professional tennis player as well.

503
00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:49,479
Speaker 1: Did was there a person or was this sort of

504
00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:52,400
Speaker 1: germinating in you or bubbling up or was it sort

505
00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:54,880
Speaker 1: of a moment, Like how did that sort of come

506
00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:56,320
Speaker 1: to come into being?

507
00:24:56,760 --> 00:24:58,280
Speaker 3: You know, at that time when I was eighteen and

508
00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:02,399
Speaker 3: I left my family and everything started happening, I also

509
00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:09,040
Speaker 3: went on like this spiritual journey and spiritually seeking. You know,

510
00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:11,919
Speaker 3: I was raised Catholic and went to Catholic school growing up,

511
00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:14,439
Speaker 3: went to Mass every Sunday, and so you know, I

512
00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:17,239
Speaker 3: grew up with that and I believed in God and

513
00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:21,600
Speaker 3: I prayed. But as I got older, and yeah, I

514
00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:24,879
Speaker 3: just felt like things for me weren't matching up, and

515
00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:29,199
Speaker 3: I had questions, and I just started seeking for the truth.

516
00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:32,480
Speaker 3: That I had a deep thirst, hunger and longing for

517
00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:37,199
Speaker 3: the truth. And I just studied different spiritual practices and

518
00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:40,920
Speaker 3: religions and beliefs, and so I was just really seeking,

519
00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:44,560
Speaker 3: really really seeking out a lot of questions. And also

520
00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:49,359
Speaker 3: despite the success that I had in my career, you know,

521
00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:52,159
Speaker 3: you look at nineteen years old, first Grand Slam final,

522
00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:56,080
Speaker 3: twenty years old, winning my first Grand Slam, being three

523
00:25:56,119 --> 00:25:58,720
Speaker 3: in the world, like just on top of the world,

524
00:25:58,880 --> 00:26:02,160
Speaker 3: having an amazing life. I just, you know, everyone looking

525
00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:06,120
Speaker 3: from the outside thinking, wow, like Mary's got it. This

526
00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:08,320
Speaker 3: is the life. I want to be her. I want

527
00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:11,200
Speaker 3: to I mean, you know, you just think it's just great,

528
00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:15,800
Speaker 3: like can't get any better, right, But like no one

529
00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:18,239
Speaker 3: can see the inside, and no one can see like

530
00:26:18,359 --> 00:26:22,240
Speaker 3: my pain, my hurting, my suffering, my misery, and my emptiness.

531
00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:26,120
Speaker 3: I always felt like something was missing, but I just

532
00:26:26,320 --> 00:26:29,000
Speaker 3: couldn't put my finger on it or find it or

533
00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:33,560
Speaker 3: have what could fulfill me and you know, I tried

534
00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:36,320
Speaker 3: with so many different things and nothing was permanent. It

535
00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:38,560
Speaker 3: was just temporary, you know, something that was going to

536
00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:42,800
Speaker 3: give me peace or healing from my heart or complete

537
00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:47,000
Speaker 3: fulfillment and satisfaction. And so I've started to become friends

538
00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:50,360
Speaker 3: on the tour with one of the players. Her name

539
00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:53,040
Speaker 3: is Linda Wilde, Studsy knows it really well. And I

540
00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:54,639
Speaker 3: just noticed her and I thought, gosh, you know what

541
00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:57,800
Speaker 3: she's She's really special. She's different than everybody else. She's

542
00:26:57,800 --> 00:26:59,800
Speaker 3: got something bad. I don't know what it is, you know,

543
00:26:59,840 --> 00:27:03,199
Speaker 3: And we just became friends. And she just started to

544
00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:05,680
Speaker 3: speak to me, and you know, about Jesus and if

545
00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:07,719
Speaker 3: I knew who he is, and I said, of course,

546
00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:10,919
Speaker 3: as he's Catholic, we do have a personal relationship with him.

547
00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:12,840
Speaker 3: I'm like, well, no, what is that. That kind of

548
00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:15,119
Speaker 3: sounds weird. How can you because he's not here alive,

549
00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:17,480
Speaker 3: you know, but he is alive. And so, you know,

550
00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:20,560
Speaker 3: just explaining to me the gospel and you know that

551
00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:23,879
Speaker 3: how you know we're born with this in nature and

552
00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:27,600
Speaker 3: God is holy, imperfect, and you know you're separated from

553
00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:29,439
Speaker 3: Him just because of your sins, and if you believe

554
00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:31,159
Speaker 3: in Jesus that he's the son of God. And you

555
00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:33,199
Speaker 3: believe that you're a sinner, then you just have to

556
00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:35,400
Speaker 3: repent of your sins, give him your life, and you're

557
00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:37,520
Speaker 3: born again and you'll have your eternal life and salvation.

558
00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:40,719
Speaker 3: And I was just like, wow, I've never heard of

559
00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:42,760
Speaker 3: this before, Like how come I've never heard of this?

560
00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:46,960
Speaker 3: And like I just knew what she was telling me

561
00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:49,080
Speaker 3: was the truth. It spoke to my heart and I

562
00:27:49,119 --> 00:27:51,120
Speaker 3: had a conviction that this is the truth. And I said, Linda,

563
00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:53,360
Speaker 3: you've got something really special. What is it that you have?

564
00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:55,600
Speaker 3: And she said, well, I have Jesus in my heart.

565
00:27:55,640 --> 00:27:57,800
Speaker 3: And I said, well, I don't have Jesus in my heart.

566
00:27:57,880 --> 00:28:00,760
Speaker 3: So I knew that that what was missing for me

567
00:28:01,359 --> 00:28:04,640
Speaker 3: in my life. So that's the moment that in March

568
00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:06,720
Speaker 3: fIF two thousand, I woke up one morning. I was

569
00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:09,719
Speaker 3: in Indian Wells, actually in my hotel room, and I

570
00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:12,080
Speaker 3: just woke up one morning and I was like, that's it.

571
00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:14,520
Speaker 3: I'm just done living my life this way. I can't

572
00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:18,760
Speaker 3: continue another day. And I just prayed. I was in

573
00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:21,080
Speaker 3: my bed, I just prayed and repented. I just asked

574
00:28:21,119 --> 00:28:23,360
Speaker 3: Therd to forgive me for all my sins for my life.

575
00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:24,960
Speaker 3: So the Lord, I give you my life. I want

576
00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:26,960
Speaker 3: your will, not wine. I want you to be controlled,

577
00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:28,880
Speaker 3: not me, and Jesus come into my heart. And that's

578
00:28:28,880 --> 00:28:30,600
Speaker 3: the moment that I was born again, and I just

579
00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:35,160
Speaker 3: felt an incredible peace and his presence and his love,

580
00:28:35,280 --> 00:28:37,240
Speaker 3: and I knew that I was forgiven, and I knew

581
00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:39,440
Speaker 3: that I had the salvation eternal life, and that was

582
00:28:39,440 --> 00:28:41,600
Speaker 3: the moment that my life just completely changed.

583
00:28:51,760 --> 00:28:54,120
Speaker 1: This episode of the Racket Magazine podcast is brought to

584
00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:57,560
Speaker 1: you by Sergio Tichini, revitalizing and disrupting the status quos

585
00:28:57,560 --> 00:29:00,160
Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty six. Follow them on Instagram. I am

586
00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:03,320
Speaker 1: at Sergio Tichini Underscore Official and go to Sergio Tichini

587
00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:06,320
Speaker 1: dot com for more. Enter the promo code Racket mag

588
00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:08,440
Speaker 1: at checkout and you'll get thirty percent off your order.

589
00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:21,720
Speaker 2: You know, it's interesting because we had Chrissy E on

590
00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:25,840
Speaker 2: the pod, and we've had a lot, you know, different

591
00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:28,320
Speaker 2: players on the pod, and you know, obviously I've spoken

592
00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:32,880
Speaker 2: to a lot of players just in a conversational atmosphere.

593
00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:35,200
Speaker 2: We might be out having a drink or just whatever.

594
00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:38,520
Speaker 2: But it's it's interesting how every single player there's always

595
00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:40,640
Speaker 2: something right. Caitlin and I talk about this. There's always

596
00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:43,320
Speaker 2: something in someone's life that you're not aware of. And

597
00:29:43,360 --> 00:29:46,240
Speaker 2: you're like, everyone's like, you've won these tournaments, you're three

598
00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:49,480
Speaker 2: and well are you're making this money, you're famous. But

599
00:29:50,120 --> 00:29:54,800
Speaker 2: there's an actors and anybody who's well known knows that

600
00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:58,280
Speaker 2: there's always something right. There's always something in someone's life

601
00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:01,560
Speaker 2: that they're hurting about. Like you said, it's hidden in there.

602
00:30:01,960 --> 00:30:04,240
Speaker 2: So I think it's really important, you know, and it's

603
00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:07,680
Speaker 2: it may it may be religion, it may be meditation,

604
00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:11,360
Speaker 2: it may be you know, having a better relationship with

605
00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:14,680
Speaker 2: their parents, whatever it is. It's just I think it's

606
00:30:14,680 --> 00:30:17,880
Speaker 2: really important for people to hear your story because it

607
00:30:17,960 --> 00:30:22,560
Speaker 2: may not work for some people, but it might, you

608
00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:25,080
Speaker 2: know what I mean. And I think there's always something

609
00:30:25,080 --> 00:30:28,479
Speaker 2: that you can seek that makes you a better fulfilled person,

610
00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:30,920
Speaker 2: because just because you're winning tennis tournaments and making all

611
00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:33,440
Speaker 2: this money and famous, it doesn't mean you're fulfilled. And

612
00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:36,400
Speaker 2: so I think that's a really great thing. I'm so

613
00:30:36,440 --> 00:30:40,920
Speaker 2: glad that you found him in March, because you know,

614
00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:42,520
Speaker 2: back in January is when I played you in the

615
00:30:42,520 --> 00:30:46,200
Speaker 2: finals of the Astray and Open, so I'm just thank Hey,

616
00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:48,400
Speaker 2: if I ever have to say, thank God, thank God,

617
00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:51,120
Speaker 2: thank god you didn't find him until much because you know,

618
00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:55,840
Speaker 2: that was a It's such a good little It's such

619
00:30:55,880 --> 00:30:58,240
Speaker 2: an important story though, Mary. It's really it's part of

620
00:30:58,280 --> 00:30:59,880
Speaker 2: who you are, and I love that you don't hide

621
00:30:59,880 --> 00:31:02,080
Speaker 2: it and you talk about it and it's an important

622
00:31:02,080 --> 00:31:05,120
Speaker 2: piece of you. But speaking of that Australian Open, I've

623
00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:09,040
Speaker 2: told Caitlin this because you know, when you're in those

624
00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:12,880
Speaker 2: moments of a Grand Slam final, and for me it

625
00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:15,600
Speaker 2: was the most important match of my life, right, And

626
00:31:15,640 --> 00:31:18,000
Speaker 2: I've just had the most amazing victory of my life

627
00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:21,120
Speaker 2: by winning my first Grand Slam. And I've told Caitlin

628
00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:25,680
Speaker 2: the first person I hugged after winning that tournament was you,

629
00:31:25,920 --> 00:31:31,120
Speaker 2: and you were my opponent. Ah. You you know, I

630
00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:33,600
Speaker 2: want people to know you before you were born again,

631
00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:37,480
Speaker 2: you were still this amazingly kind human being.

632
00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:37,880
Speaker 1: Right.

633
00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:39,760
Speaker 2: You may not have been able to find that special

634
00:31:39,800 --> 00:31:42,080
Speaker 2: part of you that can make you find your tennis

635
00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:45,560
Speaker 2: and your happiness, but you're always graceful and gracious. I

636
00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:47,560
Speaker 2: mean you put your arms out to hug me. It

637
00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:49,000
Speaker 2: was six or four in the third it was like

638
00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:51,800
Speaker 2: this incredibly tough match, but you were the first one

639
00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:53,120
Speaker 2: to hug me. And the funny thing is on the

640
00:31:53,200 --> 00:31:56,320
Speaker 2: video if you watch it, you were so like, this

641
00:31:56,440 --> 00:31:59,280
Speaker 2: was your moment to do for me, and I was like, oh,

642
00:31:59,320 --> 00:32:01,200
Speaker 2: and then you see is like, eh, do I got

643
00:32:01,240 --> 00:32:02,080
Speaker 2: to do that too.

644
00:32:03,160 --> 00:32:06,240
Speaker 3: But I was so happy for you because it's Australia

645
00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:09,200
Speaker 3: Australian Open, you win your home Slam, Like, yeah, of

646
00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:10,959
Speaker 3: course I wanted to win, but you know what you

647
00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:13,560
Speaker 3: and you know we were friends too, and I you know,

648
00:32:13,600 --> 00:32:14,520
Speaker 3: I was so happy for you.

649
00:32:15,080 --> 00:32:16,920
Speaker 2: Yeah, But I mean I want people to know, like,

650
00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:19,680
Speaker 2: that's a special person to be able to actually take

651
00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:23,200
Speaker 2: yourself and disappointment away from that and see it from

652
00:32:23,240 --> 00:32:26,320
Speaker 2: somebody else's perspective. And there's a very rare human being

653
00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:27,000
Speaker 2: that can do that.

654
00:32:27,160 --> 00:32:27,480
Speaker 1: Mary.

655
00:32:28,080 --> 00:32:30,320
Speaker 2: So but I'm still thankful you didn't find him till much.

656
00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:33,680
Speaker 1: But let's talk a little bit more about winning that

657
00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:36,760
Speaker 1: home Slam. You'd come into this tournament a changed person.

658
00:32:37,280 --> 00:32:40,479
Speaker 1: The talent was always there, the drive, the skills, but

659
00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:43,120
Speaker 1: you found something else. You found this piece, you know,

660
00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:45,760
Speaker 1: and you had won a Grand Slam before this, but

661
00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:48,560
Speaker 1: obviously this, as you noted, it's filled with pressure, filled

662
00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:50,680
Speaker 1: with the hopes of a nation. I don't think a

663
00:32:50,720 --> 00:32:54,959
Speaker 1: French woman had won the French for since long one

664
00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:58,320
Speaker 1: right now, I mean decades and decades in sixty seven,

665
00:32:58,360 --> 00:33:01,040
Speaker 1: I think. And then I'll so yanic noah want on

666
00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:03,000
Speaker 1: the men's side and what was at eighty three? But

667
00:33:03,960 --> 00:33:06,320
Speaker 1: talk a little bit about you know, so you go

668
00:33:06,360 --> 00:33:08,680
Speaker 1: out there, you're feeling a piece? Do you feel the

669
00:33:08,760 --> 00:33:10,600
Speaker 1: difference in the court, Are you feeling the ball? Are

670
00:33:10,640 --> 00:33:12,520
Speaker 1: you just feeling like, Okay, whatever's gonna happen if I

671
00:33:12,560 --> 00:33:13,240
Speaker 1: lose this break?

672
00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:14,120
Speaker 2: No big deal.

673
00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:16,720
Speaker 3: I'm I'm, I'm I'm doing.

674
00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:18,280
Speaker 1: Is everything that I can in my control and what

675
00:33:18,320 --> 00:33:21,280
Speaker 1: else is out of my control? You know, it is

676
00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:23,720
Speaker 1: being taken care of. Did it feel like that? And

677
00:33:23,760 --> 00:33:27,600
Speaker 1: were you able to really enjoy it? Maybe this moment and.

678
00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:31,120
Speaker 2: You were playing against a great play quota in Kanchitah.

679
00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:34,360
Speaker 3: Yeah, yes, for sure. Can Chet in the finals, who's

680
00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:36,640
Speaker 3: awesome on clay And obviously she's in the final. She's

681
00:33:37,040 --> 00:33:41,080
Speaker 3: hot and playing really well. So you know what's what's

682
00:33:41,200 --> 00:33:45,400
Speaker 3: really interesting, okay that you bring up is that what

683
00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:49,280
Speaker 3: comes to my mind is my first round on the

684
00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:52,800
Speaker 3: Chatrier court, center court against Terra Snyder from the USA.

685
00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:56,600
Speaker 3: I win that match obviously, and as I'm still standing

686
00:33:56,720 --> 00:34:00,240
Speaker 3: on the court after the match, haven't walked off the

687
00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:04,160
Speaker 3: court yet, I get this feeling in this little voice

688
00:34:04,200 --> 00:34:09,799
Speaker 3: inside that says, hmmm, maybe this is your year. And

689
00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:13,680
Speaker 3: I thought, oh wow, that's interesting. Where did that come from?

690
00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:17,520
Speaker 1: Okay, seriously, did it feel like it was within you

691
00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:19,880
Speaker 1: or did did it feel like some kind of other.

692
00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:22,600
Speaker 3: Like it was like inside of me that was like

693
00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:25,840
Speaker 3: maybe this is your year. And I was like, oh okay,

694
00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:29,560
Speaker 3: I'm like okay, wow, like and I didn't say anything

695
00:34:29,760 --> 00:34:33,400
Speaker 3: to anyone, like, I kept that to myself, good idea,

696
00:34:34,160 --> 00:34:37,919
Speaker 3: went about my merry way every day, day by day,

697
00:34:38,080 --> 00:34:41,480
Speaker 3: match by match, and I just said, m okay, okay,

698
00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:47,600
Speaker 3: interesting and yeah, that was h that was my years.

699
00:34:47,680 --> 00:34:50,920
Speaker 2: Just you know, it's so funny that you say that,

700
00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:53,480
Speaker 2: because we had Andy Roddick on and he said the

701
00:34:53,600 --> 00:34:56,480
Speaker 2: same thing that he won the US Open, his one

702
00:34:56,520 --> 00:34:59,040
Speaker 2: Grand Slam. He said, I went into that tournament. Was

703
00:34:59,040 --> 00:35:01,040
Speaker 2: the first time I went in that tournament. I felt

704
00:35:01,080 --> 00:35:04,879
Speaker 2: like I was the guy debate. Yeah, so there could

705
00:35:04,960 --> 00:35:06,840
Speaker 2: be And you know, also.

706
00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:09,120
Speaker 1: I'm thinking about Kim Cloisters when she was talking about

707
00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:11,560
Speaker 1: going into the US Open final, and it was right

708
00:35:11,600 --> 00:35:14,560
Speaker 1: after her father had passed away, and their song, A

709
00:35:14,719 --> 00:35:17,560
Speaker 1: Very White Song came on in the car before the final,

710
00:35:17,560 --> 00:35:19,879
Speaker 1: and she just thought, Okay, my dad's with me, this

711
00:35:19,960 --> 00:35:22,879
Speaker 1: is my moment. And it was really I mean crying

712
00:35:22,920 --> 00:35:24,279
Speaker 1: for me about it now. It was so moving to

713
00:35:24,360 --> 00:35:26,520
Speaker 1: just feel like Wow, Sometimes it sort of feels like

714
00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:29,760
Speaker 1: maybe the stars aligned and it gives you that extra

715
00:35:30,280 --> 00:35:33,279
Speaker 1: little bit of belief for confidence or whatever it is

716
00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:35,680
Speaker 1: peace to be able to really execute And sounds like

717
00:35:35,760 --> 00:35:37,640
Speaker 1: that's maybe what's going on the whole time.

718
00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:42,359
Speaker 3: Yeah, who knows. I don't know. God's in control. That's

719
00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:43,240
Speaker 3: all I could say.

720
00:35:43,719 --> 00:35:46,319
Speaker 1: Afterwards. You still want another Tour final? You obviously had

721
00:35:46,360 --> 00:35:48,920
Speaker 1: a great career continuing you made the Hall of Fame.

722
00:35:49,280 --> 00:35:51,920
Speaker 1: How do you look at that sort of period of

723
00:35:51,920 --> 00:35:54,719
Speaker 1: time as like a before and after talking about you know,

724
00:35:54,800 --> 00:35:57,520
Speaker 1: you made many many grints and finals and stuffs. He

725
00:35:57,560 --> 00:35:59,680
Speaker 1: told me an incredible story that I would like her

726
00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:02,960
Speaker 1: to tell now. Sounds incredibly on brand for both of you,

727
00:36:03,160 --> 00:36:04,680
Speaker 1: And also I had never heard before.

728
00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:07,920
Speaker 2: Hold on, I just so you know, I've never told

729
00:36:07,920 --> 00:36:12,279
Speaker 2: this story publicly ever, and I don't like to talk

730
00:36:12,320 --> 00:36:15,839
Speaker 2: about myself on the podcast, but there's so many things

731
00:36:15,880 --> 00:36:19,719
Speaker 2: about Mary in particular that I started thinking about over

732
00:36:19,719 --> 00:36:22,080
Speaker 2: the last couple of days just getting prepared for this part,

733
00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:24,520
Speaker 2: and I was like, we have been through some really

734
00:36:24,600 --> 00:36:27,480
Speaker 2: interesting shit together. Okay, let's just put it that way,

735
00:36:28,200 --> 00:36:30,800
Speaker 2: And this one was a pretty good one. In nineteen

736
00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:35,479
Speaker 2: ninety five, I made my first Grand Slam final, which

737
00:36:35,520 --> 00:36:38,160
Speaker 2: to me was a big deal, in doubles with Brenda

738
00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:43,080
Speaker 2: Schultz McCarthy, and we went out on the town that night.

739
00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:45,399
Speaker 2: This was clearly before you found Jesus as well, Mary,

740
00:36:45,440 --> 00:36:48,640
Speaker 2: because you're out in the town with me, and it

741
00:36:48,719 --> 00:36:51,439
Speaker 2: was you and me and three other people that will

742
00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:56,839
Speaker 2: remain nameless that were quite famous. And I had a

743
00:36:56,920 --> 00:37:03,120
Speaker 2: little too much to drink a little and we went

744
00:37:03,160 --> 00:37:05,960
Speaker 2: to the hotel. We went to the Peninsula hotel that

745
00:37:06,040 --> 00:37:11,239
Speaker 2: I remember, and then Mary, you can tell the rest.

746
00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:15,680
Speaker 3: Do you want me to tell the rest? Okay?

747
00:37:15,800 --> 00:37:18,200
Speaker 2: Well, because you know it, I can't remember a lot.

748
00:37:18,040 --> 00:37:21,560
Speaker 3: Of that is true, you can't remember. So yeah, so

749
00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:24,760
Speaker 3: we're at this place and well, like a big suite

750
00:37:24,840 --> 00:37:29,759
Speaker 3: in a hotel, I guess, you know, party. And at

751
00:37:29,800 --> 00:37:33,279
Speaker 3: one point I'm like, where's Renee I don't think they.

752
00:37:33,520 --> 00:37:37,480
Speaker 3: Where's Renee. Where's Renee? Where's Renee? Where's Renee? Looking for Renee,

753
00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:40,279
Speaker 3: going everywhere looking for Renee, can't find Renee. I'm like,

754
00:37:40,320 --> 00:37:43,040
Speaker 3: oh my gosh, where is she. I'm like, she didn't leave,

755
00:37:43,160 --> 00:37:45,359
Speaker 3: and she couldn't just leave. You wouldn't leave without thinking

756
00:37:45,360 --> 00:37:48,080
Speaker 3: about She couldn't just leave me here, right, So I'm

757
00:37:48,120 --> 00:37:50,160
Speaker 3: going around everywhere looking for and then all of a sudden,

758
00:37:50,360 --> 00:37:58,040
Speaker 3: I open a door. It's to the bathroom, and what

759
00:37:58,120 --> 00:38:01,640
Speaker 3: do I see. Oh my god. She's like there's Renee

760
00:38:01,800 --> 00:38:05,920
Speaker 3: laying on the floor. Her head is next to the toilet,

761
00:38:07,239 --> 00:38:12,799
Speaker 3: and I'm like Renee, and she's not responding, like at all,

762
00:38:12,840 --> 00:38:15,200
Speaker 3: and I'm like touching her. She's not responding, and so

763
00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:18,000
Speaker 3: like I literally had like a fright for like half

764
00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:20,160
Speaker 3: a second. I'm like, oh my gosh, is she dead?

765
00:38:20,520 --> 00:38:24,520
Speaker 3: I freaked out. And then finally there was some movement

766
00:38:24,560 --> 00:38:26,480
Speaker 3: and breathing and I was like, oh my gosh. And

767
00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:30,040
Speaker 3: so like, Renee is like totally out, like when she

768
00:38:30,120 --> 00:38:32,720
Speaker 3: says that I drank too much, just like alcohol coma

769
00:38:32,840 --> 00:38:36,200
Speaker 3: like gone. So I'm like freaking out. I'm like, okay, guys,

770
00:38:36,239 --> 00:38:39,080
Speaker 3: we need to like do something. So we take her

771
00:38:39,160 --> 00:38:43,160
Speaker 3: to the hospital, and.

772
00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:45,520
Speaker 2: You know, they said, this is what I do. Remember, well,

773
00:38:45,560 --> 00:38:47,480
Speaker 2: who's going to go with her? Somebody's got to go

774
00:38:47,520 --> 00:38:49,839
Speaker 2: with her to the hospital because you guys call an

775
00:38:49,880 --> 00:38:51,840
Speaker 2: ambulance on me. I just had alcohol.

776
00:38:53,040 --> 00:38:55,279
Speaker 3: Yeah, we have to call the ambulance because we don't

777
00:38:55,320 --> 00:38:57,799
Speaker 3: know what's going on. I mean, I've never seen this

778
00:38:57,880 --> 00:39:00,279
Speaker 3: in my life before. I was worried, you know, I

779
00:39:00,280 --> 00:39:02,080
Speaker 3: was scared. So I was like, Okay, call the ambulance.

780
00:39:02,440 --> 00:39:04,680
Speaker 3: Here they come, and then obviously someone's got to go

781
00:39:04,680 --> 00:39:06,800
Speaker 3: to the hospital with her. She's not going to go alone.

782
00:39:07,239 --> 00:39:10,000
Speaker 3: And I'm like, okay, well definitely, like I'm going. So

783
00:39:10,080 --> 00:39:12,880
Speaker 3: I've the feelings. I go with Renee. You go to

784
00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:14,480
Speaker 3: the hospital in the middle of the night in New

785
00:39:14,560 --> 00:39:18,920
Speaker 3: York room, and I'm there with you, and I stay

786
00:39:18,920 --> 00:39:21,080
Speaker 3: with you until you come around and you wake up,

787
00:39:21,120 --> 00:39:23,040
Speaker 3: and what happened, I'm like, you know, Renette, Like, so

788
00:39:23,239 --> 00:39:24,920
Speaker 3: this could have been a lot worse. Imagine if when

789
00:39:24,960 --> 00:39:27,920
Speaker 3: you fell, you could have hit your head on something,

790
00:39:27,960 --> 00:39:29,520
Speaker 3: you could have seriously hurt yourself.

791
00:39:29,920 --> 00:39:32,480
Speaker 2: Okay, Mary, you don't need to give me election now.

792
00:39:32,520 --> 00:39:35,080
Speaker 2: It's like a long time ago, right, I've had a

793
00:39:35,080 --> 00:39:37,800
Speaker 2: couple of Johnkin stupors in my life, and I've managed

794
00:39:37,840 --> 00:39:41,279
Speaker 2: to thankfully avoid the porcelain toilet him like, well, you

795
00:39:41,280 --> 00:39:46,320
Speaker 2: couldn't go up. I do remember waking up and seeing

796
00:39:46,360 --> 00:39:51,040
Speaker 2: you sitting in the corner of my hospital room, and

797
00:39:51,080 --> 00:39:55,800
Speaker 2: I thought, who does that? And I remember us walking

798
00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:57,640
Speaker 2: out of the hospital at like seven thirty in the morning.

799
00:39:57,680 --> 00:39:59,200
Speaker 2: Had to call. Remember I had to call and change

800
00:39:59,200 --> 00:40:01,279
Speaker 2: my flight back to flow. I was supposed to leave

801
00:40:01,280 --> 00:40:03,400
Speaker 2: it like nine in the morning, and we left and

802
00:40:03,440 --> 00:40:05,040
Speaker 2: I was like, we were on that and you got

803
00:40:05,040 --> 00:40:06,520
Speaker 2: me in a cab and you sent me back to

804
00:40:06,560 --> 00:40:08,960
Speaker 2: my hotel. And I'll never feel I just there's been

805
00:40:08,960 --> 00:40:11,000
Speaker 2: two or three things in my life that you have

806
00:40:11,120 --> 00:40:14,640
Speaker 2: been a part of where I just go the kindness

807
00:40:14,680 --> 00:40:17,560
Speaker 2: that comes out of you normally, it's just it's always

808
00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:20,640
Speaker 2: been there. And that is a story that I had

809
00:40:20,680 --> 00:40:22,080
Speaker 2: not thought about in a long time.

810
00:40:22,160 --> 00:40:22,440
Speaker 3: Mary.

811
00:40:22,560 --> 00:40:25,319
Speaker 2: And here I am living in New York, So where

812
00:40:25,360 --> 00:40:25,600
Speaker 2: are you?

813
00:40:29,480 --> 00:40:31,239
Speaker 3: So I do want to, I do want to sort of.

814
00:40:31,280 --> 00:40:32,560
Speaker 1: We have so many things to talk to you about,

815
00:40:32,600 --> 00:40:34,239
Speaker 1: and we will have to have you on for a

816
00:40:34,280 --> 00:40:36,279
Speaker 1: second and maybe even third time. But there's a couple

817
00:40:36,320 --> 00:40:38,839
Speaker 1: of things that are just so so amazing about what

818
00:40:38,920 --> 00:40:41,600
Speaker 1: your life is like now. And I think an interesting

819
00:40:41,600 --> 00:40:44,279
Speaker 1: way to sort of maybe a transition is you won

820
00:40:44,320 --> 00:40:46,920
Speaker 1: Grand slams, you won your home Slam. You also helped

821
00:40:47,040 --> 00:40:49,799
Speaker 1: France win a fed Cup title in two thousand and three,

822
00:40:50,200 --> 00:40:52,960
Speaker 1: two fed Cup titles, and you have been involved in

823
00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:56,920
Speaker 1: the French Tennis Federation for quite some time now working

824
00:40:56,920 --> 00:40:59,480
Speaker 1: with juniors. I want to talk about Mauritius and what

825
00:40:59,480 --> 00:41:02,120
Speaker 1: you're doing there kind of separately, but tell us a

826
00:41:02,120 --> 00:41:04,880
Speaker 1: little bit about how that continued involvement and how working

827
00:41:04,880 --> 00:41:07,440
Speaker 1: with the French Federation has maybe allowed you to give

828
00:41:07,480 --> 00:41:09,960
Speaker 1: back or how do you sort of do that along

829
00:41:09,960 --> 00:41:12,720
Speaker 1: with you know, obviously your commentating career, which is still

830
00:41:12,920 --> 00:41:16,799
Speaker 1: obviously very very public and profound as well.

831
00:41:17,560 --> 00:41:22,080
Speaker 3: Yeah, thanks, Kaitlyn. So I've done quite a few things

832
00:41:22,560 --> 00:41:26,239
Speaker 3: in tennis because obviously I love tennis and it's part

833
00:41:26,239 --> 00:41:27,719
Speaker 3: of who I am. It's in my blood, and I've

834
00:41:27,719 --> 00:41:31,719
Speaker 3: done it for so long and I just feel like

835
00:41:31,920 --> 00:41:34,920
Speaker 3: I've done so much in tennis, and for me, it's

836
00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:38,120
Speaker 3: just normal and natural to want to give back because

837
00:41:38,200 --> 00:41:42,239
Speaker 3: what it's given to me. So when I hurt my

838
00:41:42,320 --> 00:41:46,600
Speaker 3: knee in two thousand and six, I was playing a

839
00:41:46,600 --> 00:41:51,360
Speaker 3: turn in Linz. I, you know, had the surgery. We

840
00:41:51,440 --> 00:41:53,320
Speaker 3: have tried to come back and come back for a

841
00:41:53,360 --> 00:41:55,680
Speaker 3: couple of years, and then I thought, well, Okay, Lauren,

842
00:41:55,680 --> 00:41:57,719
Speaker 3: you're in control of everything. If I should have been

843
00:41:57,719 --> 00:41:59,719
Speaker 3: back for to six months after surgery according to my

844
00:41:59,800 --> 00:42:02,200
Speaker 3: sur and still not able to do a full leg

845
00:42:02,239 --> 00:42:04,640
Speaker 3: extension two years later and still have pain, it's a mystery.

846
00:42:04,680 --> 00:42:07,000
Speaker 3: No one knows why. So obviously there's something else you

847
00:42:07,040 --> 00:42:11,320
Speaker 3: want me to do. So I went to Mauritius and

848
00:42:11,440 --> 00:42:13,319
Speaker 3: I went to be there because I visited a church

849
00:42:13,400 --> 00:42:15,600
Speaker 3: that I just really felt in my heart. It is

850
00:42:16,239 --> 00:42:18,319
Speaker 3: everything that I believe and want to live and they

851
00:42:18,320 --> 00:42:20,520
Speaker 3: do a lot of things that well, I want to do.

852
00:42:20,640 --> 00:42:22,839
Speaker 3: And so I went there and I was with the church,

853
00:42:22,880 --> 00:42:25,520
Speaker 3: did some Bible school, went to Africa, did some mission

854
00:42:25,520 --> 00:42:29,280
Speaker 3: trips love Africa into many different countries. Learned so much

855
00:42:29,840 --> 00:42:33,080
Speaker 3: there and then I started coaching. So I coached a

856
00:42:33,080 --> 00:42:36,319
Speaker 3: few kids from Mauritius and then I brought them to

857
00:42:36,400 --> 00:42:40,520
Speaker 3: America coached them for about five years. Coaching was something

858
00:42:40,560 --> 00:42:42,080
Speaker 3: that I never thought I was going to do or

859
00:42:42,080 --> 00:42:44,520
Speaker 3: wanted to do, but I just kind of fell into

860
00:42:44,560 --> 00:42:48,320
Speaker 3: it and obviously nothing happens that I believe by coincidence

861
00:42:48,360 --> 00:42:50,759
Speaker 3: in life. And I discovered that I love it, you know.

862
00:42:50,760 --> 00:42:53,160
Speaker 3: I love being out on the court. I love helping

863
00:42:53,320 --> 00:42:55,800
Speaker 3: players to see, you know, everything that I've been through

864
00:42:56,719 --> 00:42:58,640
Speaker 3: and what I've learned can help someone else and see

865
00:42:58,680 --> 00:43:01,680
Speaker 3: that it makes a difference, you know, and that's very satisfying.

866
00:43:01,760 --> 00:43:06,080
Speaker 3: So I did that and I got into some commentating,

867
00:43:06,120 --> 00:43:09,440
Speaker 3: as you said, and enjoyed that. That was a lot

868
00:43:09,440 --> 00:43:13,840
Speaker 3: of fun. And the French Tennis Federation had asked me

869
00:43:13,920 --> 00:43:18,600
Speaker 3: to help a young player and it's more like a

870
00:43:18,640 --> 00:43:23,680
Speaker 3: mentoring role and I did that for a while as well,

871
00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:27,919
Speaker 3: and I really, for me, what I love to do

872
00:43:28,280 --> 00:43:32,919
Speaker 3: is more more the mentoring and the advising role because

873
00:43:33,000 --> 00:43:36,040
Speaker 3: less and less, I just don't really want to travel

874
00:43:36,080 --> 00:43:37,799
Speaker 3: as much as I used to, and I just want

875
00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:40,680
Speaker 3: to be home more and I want to give back

876
00:43:40,719 --> 00:43:45,120
Speaker 3: and I want to help, you know, younger players.

877
00:43:44,560 --> 00:43:50,719
Speaker 2: Mary, speaking of that mentoring coaching pot, I can't help

878
00:43:50,760 --> 00:43:53,520
Speaker 2: but think about that period of time from ten to eighteen,

879
00:43:53,800 --> 00:43:57,560
Speaker 2: right with your dad and how as you said, that

880
00:43:58,719 --> 00:44:05,239
Speaker 2: juxtaposition right of hating it, hating him loving it. Not

881
00:44:05,360 --> 00:44:08,360
Speaker 2: sure how to feel about him. What were the methods

882
00:44:08,400 --> 00:44:13,360
Speaker 2: that worked. They probably did work, but to what detriment

883
00:44:13,800 --> 00:44:16,919
Speaker 2: in your relationship and your life as a person, et cetera,

884
00:44:16,960 --> 00:44:20,080
Speaker 2: et cetera. So I think about this quite often, and

885
00:44:20,120 --> 00:44:23,520
Speaker 2: you are the perfect person to ask, going, if you

886
00:44:23,600 --> 00:44:27,399
Speaker 2: are a parent and you hear you, right, you go, Well,

887
00:44:27,440 --> 00:44:30,040
Speaker 2: if you treat a mean and you're tough on them,

888
00:44:30,320 --> 00:44:33,520
Speaker 2: and you work them, and you you're aggressive against them,

889
00:44:33,600 --> 00:44:37,280
Speaker 2: like you and a Dockete's dad, and you know, there's

890
00:44:37,600 --> 00:44:41,400
Speaker 2: a lot, right, they go, Yeah, but it makes them

891
00:44:41,400 --> 00:44:47,280
Speaker 2: a champion though, Right, how do you explain to someone? Yeah,

892
00:44:47,520 --> 00:44:51,000
Speaker 2: but you see what I'm saying, Like, because there's going

893
00:44:51,080 --> 00:44:53,319
Speaker 2: to be people that listen to this, or they're going

894
00:44:53,360 --> 00:44:55,319
Speaker 2: to be people that hear it, and maybe there's that

895
00:44:55,440 --> 00:44:58,879
Speaker 2: father or that parent out there that's just rough right

896
00:44:59,239 --> 00:45:01,880
Speaker 2: to make their kid get the results. Yeah, how do

897
00:45:02,040 --> 00:45:04,040
Speaker 2: you tell someone that doesn't work?

898
00:45:04,320 --> 00:45:07,520
Speaker 3: Yeah? So, I'm so glad that you brought that up, Sosie.

899
00:45:07,560 --> 00:45:14,359
Speaker 3: It's a great remark because you know, at the end

900
00:45:14,400 --> 00:45:22,880
Speaker 3: of the day, what's the most important thing, Okay, life, happiness, health,

901
00:45:23,520 --> 00:45:29,279
Speaker 3: relationships that lasts far longer than anything else, and it's

902
00:45:29,280 --> 00:45:31,719
Speaker 3: more important than any money you could make or any

903
00:45:31,800 --> 00:45:35,319
Speaker 3: trophies that you could win. And yes, you need to

904
00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:38,719
Speaker 3: train hard, and yes it's hard work, and yes it's sacrifice,

905
00:45:38,760 --> 00:45:43,040
Speaker 3: and yes it's dedication and discipline, but not to the

906
00:45:43,080 --> 00:45:47,040
Speaker 3: detriment of someone's well being, not to someone's mental health,

907
00:45:47,080 --> 00:45:51,239
Speaker 3: physical health, emotional wellbeing, not to destroy a relationship or

908
00:45:51,239 --> 00:45:54,399
Speaker 3: a family. You can do it in a certain way

909
00:45:54,480 --> 00:45:57,680
Speaker 3: where yes you can work hard and it's not easy,

910
00:45:58,040 --> 00:46:03,240
Speaker 3: but you can still do it in a way that's loving, caring, healthy,

911
00:46:03,719 --> 00:46:06,280
Speaker 3: and it can still become a champion and achieve something.

912
00:46:06,320 --> 00:46:09,160
Speaker 3: So you know what I went through, Like I said,

913
00:46:09,160 --> 00:46:12,360
Speaker 3: I wouldn't wish it on anybody, and I believe that

914
00:46:12,440 --> 00:46:16,560
Speaker 3: it can be done in a better way. You see

915
00:46:16,560 --> 00:46:20,319
Speaker 3: what was how I what I went through. So you

916
00:46:20,400 --> 00:46:25,680
Speaker 3: don't have to be mean and abusive to create a champion.

917
00:46:26,480 --> 00:46:29,359
Speaker 3: I don't believe in that. I believe that you can

918
00:46:29,400 --> 00:46:32,759
Speaker 3: create a champion. Yes, working hard and there's tough love,

919
00:46:32,760 --> 00:46:34,239
Speaker 3: and there are days when they don't want to do it,

920
00:46:34,239 --> 00:46:36,680
Speaker 3: but you got to do it, you know, and and

921
00:46:37,680 --> 00:46:40,359
Speaker 3: you know sometimes I mean I recall the moments where

922
00:46:40,360 --> 00:46:43,279
Speaker 3: I hated my strength and conditioning coach because he was

923
00:46:43,320 --> 00:46:44,960
Speaker 3: making me do stuff that I didn't want to do.

924
00:46:45,000 --> 00:46:47,680
Speaker 3: But he wasn't abusive to me. He worked me hard

925
00:46:48,160 --> 00:46:51,399
Speaker 3: and I knew he wanted the best for me. He

926
00:46:51,480 --> 00:46:53,440
Speaker 3: was kind, but he was tough and he was strong,

927
00:46:53,560 --> 00:46:56,200
Speaker 3: but it was always in a healthy way.

928
00:46:56,239 --> 00:46:56,400
Speaker 1: You know.

929
00:46:56,440 --> 00:46:57,759
Speaker 3: He made me do stuff like I don't want to

930
00:46:57,800 --> 00:46:59,120
Speaker 3: do this, so you're going to do it, and I'm like,

931
00:46:59,160 --> 00:47:01,600
Speaker 3: I did it, and you know, underneath, I'm like, I

932
00:47:01,640 --> 00:47:03,759
Speaker 3: hate you, you know, but afterwards I didn't know. I

933
00:47:03,800 --> 00:47:04,759
Speaker 3: was so happy that I did.

934
00:47:05,040 --> 00:47:08,640
Speaker 2: So, you know, have you witnessed or seen some of that,

935
00:47:08,800 --> 00:47:12,000
Speaker 2: or has anyone come into your circle where you're like,

936
00:47:13,040 --> 00:47:17,560
Speaker 2: I don't like what I'm seeing here, whether it be

937
00:47:17,680 --> 00:47:20,879
Speaker 2: just I don't know, even on tour now, seeing any

938
00:47:20,960 --> 00:47:24,080
Speaker 2: kind of players or any juniors, or have you experienced

939
00:47:24,080 --> 00:47:27,960
Speaker 2: that since you stop playing, where you're like, that's an

940
00:47:28,000 --> 00:47:30,120
Speaker 2: unhealthy situation. And I can see it, and I feel

941
00:47:30,120 --> 00:47:30,959
Speaker 2: sorry for that kid.

942
00:47:32,600 --> 00:47:34,680
Speaker 3: I've come, I mean, I've come across it.

943
00:47:35,040 --> 00:47:39,200
Speaker 5: Not not much, I mean, because I haven't been you know,

944
00:47:39,680 --> 00:47:42,080
Speaker 5: I've been in some tennis academies and a few tournaments,

945
00:47:42,120 --> 00:47:44,960
Speaker 5: but I mean you do sometimes come across it a

946
00:47:44,960 --> 00:47:48,879
Speaker 5: little bit, and I just think that's that's unfortunate because

947
00:47:48,880 --> 00:47:50,360
Speaker 5: it doesn't have to be that way.

948
00:47:50,560 --> 00:47:54,080
Speaker 3: You know, there's a better way and you can still

949
00:47:54,120 --> 00:47:56,239
Speaker 3: be successful. I have a.

950
00:47:56,760 --> 00:47:58,960
Speaker 1: Mauricious follow up question, just because it sounds like it

951
00:47:59,080 --> 00:48:00,680
Speaker 1: was a place that kind of care to your heart.

952
00:48:00,760 --> 00:48:04,279
Speaker 1: You felt like you were at home there, and you

953
00:48:04,640 --> 00:48:08,640
Speaker 1: don't just live there. You're also part of establishing a

954
00:48:08,760 --> 00:48:11,600
Speaker 1: new you know, more of a footprint for tennis in

955
00:48:11,719 --> 00:48:13,239
Speaker 1: that part of the world, which I don't think a

956
00:48:13,280 --> 00:48:14,880
Speaker 1: lot of people know very much about. Can you talk

957
00:48:14,920 --> 00:48:16,880
Speaker 1: a little bit more about how you kind of approach

958
00:48:16,960 --> 00:48:19,479
Speaker 1: that and just you know, what it is you're trying

959
00:48:19,520 --> 00:48:21,959
Speaker 1: to build and how those efforts have made you feel,

960
00:48:22,040 --> 00:48:23,719
Speaker 1: or how that feels like it's maybe part of the

961
00:48:23,840 --> 00:48:29,040
Speaker 1: larger fabric of your life. Where sorry and in Mauritious,

962
00:48:30,080 --> 00:48:30,560
Speaker 1: I didn't get that.

963
00:48:31,360 --> 00:48:36,560
Speaker 3: Yeah, well, I I started also a tour for women

964
00:48:36,600 --> 00:48:38,840
Speaker 3: on the IF Pro Tour, So the ten thousand dollars

965
00:48:38,880 --> 00:48:42,920
Speaker 3: tournaments is called the Mary Pierce Indian Notion Series, and

966
00:48:43,320 --> 00:48:46,680
Speaker 3: I had three tournaments back to back. There's three weeks

967
00:48:46,719 --> 00:48:50,080
Speaker 3: between the Friendship and in Wimbledon, so after you know,

968
00:48:50,160 --> 00:48:52,480
Speaker 3: commentating at the Friendship and I'd fly back to Mauritius,

969
00:48:52,560 --> 00:48:55,000
Speaker 3: have my three weeks of tournaments, then fled to Wimbledon

970
00:48:55,080 --> 00:48:58,480
Speaker 3: and commentate at those Grand Slam events. And you know,

971
00:48:58,640 --> 00:49:02,080
Speaker 3: for me, it was really important to just have some

972
00:49:02,280 --> 00:49:04,799
Speaker 3: tournaments in that part of the world because well, one

973
00:49:04,920 --> 00:49:09,640
Speaker 3: I was living there and two it's considered Africa, and

974
00:49:10,200 --> 00:49:13,560
Speaker 3: you know, I wanted to give back and create tournaments

975
00:49:13,600 --> 00:49:18,040
Speaker 3: where the women, the girls in that area have playing

976
00:49:18,160 --> 00:49:20,600
Speaker 3: opportunities because you know, in Africa, you don't have a

977
00:49:20,640 --> 00:49:24,080
Speaker 3: lot of money, it's expensive to travel, there's not you know,

978
00:49:24,160 --> 00:49:26,279
Speaker 3: so I wanted to give them opportunities to well for

979
00:49:26,400 --> 00:49:30,400
Speaker 3: different reasons. One I wanted to give the young girls

980
00:49:31,960 --> 00:49:34,800
Speaker 3: and show them professional tennis to hopefully inspire them to

981
00:49:34,880 --> 00:49:37,520
Speaker 3: want to get into tennis and to play tennis. And

982
00:49:37,600 --> 00:49:39,359
Speaker 3: then the young girls in that area, to give them

983
00:49:39,400 --> 00:49:43,520
Speaker 3: an opportunity to play tennis and to start their career,

984
00:49:43,600 --> 00:49:46,400
Speaker 3: because that's how I started my career. I started playing

985
00:49:46,560 --> 00:49:49,399
Speaker 3: professional tennis. I started playing the qualifying for the ten

986
00:49:49,480 --> 00:49:52,000
Speaker 3: thousand dollars termams, had no ranking, had nothing, So I

987
00:49:52,120 --> 00:49:54,120
Speaker 3: know what it's like, you know, and I know what

988
00:49:54,239 --> 00:49:56,839
Speaker 3: you need to start your professional career. So to give

989
00:49:56,880 --> 00:50:01,680
Speaker 3: them that opportunity, so yes, I really enjoy having those tournaments.

990
00:50:01,680 --> 00:50:04,160
Speaker 3: I had one in Reunion Island and then two in Mauritius,

991
00:50:05,480 --> 00:50:07,080
Speaker 3: and they were Yeah, like I said, the three weeks

992
00:50:07,120 --> 00:50:09,759
Speaker 3: back to back, and I really really enjoy that and

993
00:50:09,840 --> 00:50:12,759
Speaker 3: love that because you know, I had girls, you know,

994
00:50:12,920 --> 00:50:16,040
Speaker 3: coming from seventeen different countries around the world to Mauritius,

995
00:50:16,120 --> 00:50:18,000
Speaker 3: you know, this little island and the Indian Ocean to

996
00:50:18,040 --> 00:50:20,719
Speaker 3: play my tournaments. And they would come from all over

997
00:50:20,960 --> 00:50:23,120
Speaker 3: and they would see me and they would be really surprised.

998
00:50:23,120 --> 00:50:25,359
Speaker 3: They wouldn't expect to see me. They go, oh, well,

999
00:50:25,400 --> 00:50:27,279
Speaker 3: it's your tournament, but we didn't think you were going

1000
00:50:27,360 --> 00:50:30,040
Speaker 3: to be here, or you know, at least not every

1001
00:50:30,160 --> 00:50:32,640
Speaker 3: day for the three weeks, you know, hands on like

1002
00:50:32,800 --> 00:50:35,879
Speaker 3: tournament director, and the girls would just you know, come

1003
00:50:35,960 --> 00:50:39,200
Speaker 3: and talk to me and like ask me questions, and

1004
00:50:39,880 --> 00:50:42,200
Speaker 3: you know that goes back to the mentoring kind of role,

1005
00:50:42,280 --> 00:50:45,200
Speaker 3: and that's just something that you know, I really really

1006
00:50:45,280 --> 00:50:45,879
Speaker 3: loved doing.

1007
00:50:47,680 --> 00:50:48,400
Speaker 2: Yeah, it just strikes me.

1008
00:50:48,440 --> 00:50:50,759
Speaker 1: It's so cool because you're building something at a part

1009
00:50:50,840 --> 00:50:54,120
Speaker 1: of the game where it's probably the most overlooked, and

1010
00:50:54,160 --> 00:50:55,640
Speaker 1: it if you don't grow up in a country that

1011
00:50:55,719 --> 00:50:59,920
Speaker 1: has a strong tennis tradition. It's it's the it's the thing.

1012
00:51:00,080 --> 00:51:01,080
Speaker 2: It will stop Buryer.

1013
00:51:01,719 --> 00:51:03,279
Speaker 3: It's the hugest barrier, right.

1014
00:51:03,440 --> 00:51:05,600
Speaker 1: Like, you know, talk a lot about pros and how

1015
00:51:05,640 --> 00:51:07,600
Speaker 1: hard it is on the challenger tirket and making it

1016
00:51:07,840 --> 00:51:10,480
Speaker 1: up into the upper echelans, which is no doubt incredibly difficult,

1017
00:51:10,520 --> 00:51:13,839
Speaker 1: but even giving people their first exposure, their first chance

1018
00:51:13,880 --> 00:51:16,200
Speaker 1: of playing really high level tennis, which is just such

1019
00:51:16,239 --> 00:51:18,080
Speaker 1: a cool thing. No, I don't think any other athlete

1020
00:51:18,120 --> 00:51:19,839
Speaker 1: that I can think of has done what you've done

1021
00:51:19,880 --> 00:51:21,560
Speaker 1: in that again, and a part of the world that

1022
00:51:21,680 --> 00:51:24,960
Speaker 1: has no you know, not a ton of opportunities, which

1023
00:51:25,120 --> 00:51:27,920
Speaker 1: I think speaks to probably your mission and your relationship

1024
00:51:27,960 --> 00:51:29,799
Speaker 1: to tennis, which is you want to give give people

1025
00:51:29,880 --> 00:51:30,560
Speaker 1: what you've had.

1026
00:51:30,640 --> 00:51:34,320
Speaker 3: And I think that's really cool exactly and which actually

1027
00:51:34,360 --> 00:51:36,480
Speaker 3: reminds me and goes back to kind of the beginning

1028
00:51:36,560 --> 00:51:40,960
Speaker 3: of our conversation when Renee was saying about, you know,

1029
00:51:41,080 --> 00:51:43,759
Speaker 3: the situation where you living in your car and kind

1030
00:51:43,760 --> 00:51:46,920
Speaker 3: of what was that like and you know, I mean

1031
00:51:47,480 --> 00:51:50,319
Speaker 3: we had no money, like, we were poor. I mean

1032
00:51:50,360 --> 00:51:53,720
Speaker 3: at thirteen years old, my family, my dad was my coach,

1033
00:51:53,880 --> 00:51:56,920
Speaker 3: my mom wasn't working because my dad didn't want her to.

1034
00:51:57,080 --> 00:51:59,040
Speaker 6: You know, she's the wife and she's the mom, so

1035
00:51:59,200 --> 00:52:03,640
Speaker 6: she was at home and we needed money to eat,

1036
00:52:03,920 --> 00:52:06,799
Speaker 6: to live, I mean, and to play tennis, and you've

1037
00:52:06,840 --> 00:52:07,920
Speaker 6: got to travel to tournaments.

1038
00:52:08,000 --> 00:52:11,720
Speaker 3: So you know, thank the Lord that there was someone

1039
00:52:11,800 --> 00:52:15,239
Speaker 3: who sponsored me. And a friend of my dad's had

1040
00:52:15,280 --> 00:52:20,480
Speaker 3: a friend that was, you know, willing to sponsor me

1041
00:52:20,800 --> 00:52:24,160
Speaker 3: for three years. So from thirteen to sixteen, he gave

1042
00:52:24,280 --> 00:52:27,640
Speaker 3: us money, you know, every year, and it was what

1043
00:52:27,960 --> 00:52:31,680
Speaker 3: we lived on as a family, to have an apartment,

1044
00:52:31,920 --> 00:52:35,800
Speaker 3: to have food, to travel to tournaments. So yeah, I

1045
00:52:36,040 --> 00:52:38,920
Speaker 3: was in the car, you know, and we drove everywhere

1046
00:52:39,120 --> 00:52:41,400
Speaker 3: to all the tournaments in Europe. Like you know, we

1047
00:52:41,480 --> 00:52:44,200
Speaker 3: were based in France and we'd drive to Italy, we'd

1048
00:52:44,280 --> 00:52:46,239
Speaker 3: drive to wherever we needed to go. We were in

1049
00:52:46,360 --> 00:52:49,080
Speaker 3: the car, and so half of my life growing up

1050
00:52:49,239 --> 00:52:51,000
Speaker 3: was in the car. I slept a lot in the car.

1051
00:52:52,719 --> 00:52:55,640
Speaker 3: You know. We obviously had hotel rooms, but the cheapest

1052
00:52:55,680 --> 00:52:59,480
Speaker 3: ones you could find. And so I know what it's

1053
00:52:59,600 --> 00:53:02,160
Speaker 3: like I have and to struggle, and I know how

1054
00:53:02,200 --> 00:53:04,719
Speaker 3: important it is to give opportunities to others, and that

1055
00:53:04,840 --> 00:53:07,520
Speaker 3: you need, you need the finances, you need the money

1056
00:53:07,560 --> 00:53:09,840
Speaker 3: to be able to to travel and to play tennis,

1057
00:53:09,920 --> 00:53:12,840
Speaker 3: so I understand those struggles.

1058
00:53:13,400 --> 00:53:16,959
Speaker 2: I think I remember that car as well. It's so weird.

1059
00:53:17,160 --> 00:53:20,400
Speaker 2: I have such little, vivid memories of you, and I

1060
00:53:20,480 --> 00:53:23,520
Speaker 2: remember thinking to myself, my god, I cannot believe they're

1061
00:53:23,560 --> 00:53:27,640
Speaker 2: all like literally traveling in that car and literally living

1062
00:53:27,680 --> 00:53:30,680
Speaker 2: in that car. And you're you know, your your brother David,

1063
00:53:30,800 --> 00:53:33,360
Speaker 2: like just everything that he went through as well, and

1064
00:53:34,080 --> 00:53:36,560
Speaker 2: support that he gave you through your your life, and

1065
00:53:36,960 --> 00:53:39,719
Speaker 2: and what a great guy he was. And I mean

1066
00:53:40,040 --> 00:53:44,160
Speaker 2: your kids turned out pretty well, I tell you, yes.

1067
00:53:44,360 --> 00:53:46,839
Speaker 2: But you know, last couple of questions, because you've been

1068
00:53:46,880 --> 00:53:49,520
Speaker 2: so awesome, Mary, I want to know, like just one

1069
00:53:49,560 --> 00:53:52,800
Speaker 2: of one or two of the fun matches or moments.

1070
00:53:53,719 --> 00:53:57,680
Speaker 2: Obviously the obvious ones are the Grand Slam finals, Yeah,

1071
00:53:57,719 --> 00:53:59,400
Speaker 2: you remember those. I was amazing. But was there one

1072
00:53:59,480 --> 00:54:01,839
Speaker 2: or two match is where you can you think back

1073
00:54:01,880 --> 00:54:05,280
Speaker 2: to your career and say, gosh, that was so awesome.

1074
00:54:05,560 --> 00:54:09,279
Speaker 2: Or rivalries or players that you just loved to play

1075
00:54:09,320 --> 00:54:12,640
Speaker 2: against because you were in a heck of an era.

1076
00:54:13,680 --> 00:54:16,440
Speaker 3: Yeah, gosh, for sure. I mean, when you think about it,

1077
00:54:17,160 --> 00:54:20,560
Speaker 3: I got on tour in eighty nine, played through the nineties.

1078
00:54:21,200 --> 00:54:25,360
Speaker 3: I mean, it was just when Chris Everett was retiring,

1079
00:54:25,440 --> 00:54:28,960
Speaker 3: and I was like so bummed about that because I love, love,

1080
00:54:29,080 --> 00:54:31,120
Speaker 3: love Chris, and like that was one player I didn't

1081
00:54:31,120 --> 00:54:33,000
Speaker 3: get to play against. I would have just been like

1082
00:54:33,120 --> 00:54:34,560
Speaker 3: so in awe I think just being on the court

1083
00:54:34,600 --> 00:54:38,120
Speaker 3: with her. But you know, there was Martina and Nevertulova,

1084
00:54:39,239 --> 00:54:44,120
Speaker 3: Stephanie Graff, Gabriella Sabatini, Janna Novitna, and we come into

1085
00:54:44,160 --> 00:54:46,440
Speaker 3: the air where Venus and Serena come on tour, and

1086
00:54:46,520 --> 00:54:52,360
Speaker 3: then there's Kim and Justine and Monica and Lindsay and

1087
00:54:52,520 --> 00:54:58,239
Speaker 3: Maria and I mean like Jennifer and the list just

1088
00:54:58,400 --> 00:55:02,359
Speaker 3: goes on and oh, I mean, oh the top ten.

1089
00:55:02,520 --> 00:55:04,920
Speaker 3: It's like everyone was a number one. It was just

1090
00:55:05,200 --> 00:55:10,160
Speaker 3: so intense and so rich and dense and a rancha

1091
00:55:10,360 --> 00:55:13,200
Speaker 3: con cheetah. I mean, it's like it just goes on. Yeah,

1092
00:55:14,800 --> 00:55:17,279
Speaker 3: it's such a special ear because I feel like as well,

1093
00:55:17,400 --> 00:55:20,640
Speaker 3: like we all had our own unique personalities that we

1094
00:55:20,840 --> 00:55:23,440
Speaker 3: displayed on court as well. You know, it wasn't so

1095
00:55:24,280 --> 00:55:27,160
Speaker 3: business like and you know today it's just so much

1096
00:55:27,280 --> 00:55:29,840
Speaker 3: money involved and it's just like, you know, it's just

1097
00:55:30,000 --> 00:55:33,239
Speaker 3: it's different. Back then, we interacted with the crowd and

1098
00:55:33,320 --> 00:55:36,040
Speaker 3: we showed our personalities on the court, and you know,

1099
00:55:36,719 --> 00:55:38,840
Speaker 3: for me, I think those the nineties is probably like

1100
00:55:38,920 --> 00:55:42,319
Speaker 3: the best year in women's tennis for me that I've

1101
00:55:42,400 --> 00:55:44,800
Speaker 3: ever seen. And I'm grateful that I could have. I

1102
00:55:44,920 --> 00:55:46,520
Speaker 3: was a part of that and lived it, and then

1103
00:55:46,520 --> 00:55:49,120
Speaker 3: obviously two thousand and two thousand and six time I've played.

1104
00:55:49,200 --> 00:55:52,560
Speaker 3: But it's tough. I mean, I've got so many you know,

1105
00:55:52,640 --> 00:55:55,800
Speaker 3: the Martina hingis and just like so many great like

1106
00:55:56,080 --> 00:55:59,920
Speaker 3: memories and matches and moments, and I even just the

1107
00:56:00,160 --> 00:56:03,040
Speaker 3: friendships that you create on tour and the moments that

1108
00:56:03,160 --> 00:56:06,400
Speaker 3: you have and that you know still being friends today

1109
00:56:06,640 --> 00:56:11,240
Speaker 3: and geez, there's just like so much.

1110
00:56:13,160 --> 00:56:16,520
Speaker 1: From the hospital and when they are celebrating too hard

1111
00:56:16,600 --> 00:56:17,920
Speaker 1: after the victories, you.

1112
00:56:18,000 --> 00:56:20,680
Speaker 3: Know, and you know, even like the Fed Cup ties

1113
00:56:20,719 --> 00:56:22,680
Speaker 3: you're in a team because you know, in tennis, you're

1114
00:56:22,840 --> 00:56:25,480
Speaker 3: you're it's an individual sport. And then to be in

1115
00:56:25,600 --> 00:56:28,879
Speaker 3: Fed Cup and be with your teammates and also going

1116
00:56:28,920 --> 00:56:30,880
Speaker 3: to Olympics like that was a highlight for me in

1117
00:56:31,000 --> 00:56:35,759
Speaker 3: my career. I was selected for five Olympics. I played three,

1118
00:56:37,400 --> 00:56:41,360
Speaker 3: you know, in Sydney and in Beijing. I had injuries

1119
00:56:41,480 --> 00:56:43,480
Speaker 3: the shoulder and a knee, so I couldn't play those two.

1120
00:56:43,560 --> 00:56:46,839
Speaker 3: But just going to the Olympics was just an amazing experience,

1121
00:56:47,040 --> 00:56:51,480
Speaker 3: being in the village, seeing all other athletes. You know, obviously,

1122
00:56:51,719 --> 00:56:55,680
Speaker 3: just so many incredible moments throughout my whole career that

1123
00:56:55,760 --> 00:56:57,879
Speaker 3: I'm so grateful for that when I think back, I'm

1124
00:56:57,920 --> 00:57:01,000
Speaker 3: like Geese, it's mind blowing. It's incredible. And then you know,

1125
00:57:01,080 --> 00:57:04,920
Speaker 3: the pinnacle of it all, being inducted into the International

1126
00:57:05,000 --> 00:57:09,960
Speaker 3: Tennis Hall of Fame last year just really like the

1127
00:57:10,160 --> 00:57:13,279
Speaker 3: massive cherry on top, because I like would have never

1128
00:57:14,160 --> 00:57:17,080
Speaker 3: ever thought or dreamt that, Yes, my dream in tennis

1129
00:57:17,200 --> 00:57:18,959
Speaker 3: was to win the friend Open, and it came true

1130
00:57:19,720 --> 00:57:21,480
Speaker 3: in two thousand, on top of winning the double with

1131
00:57:21,560 --> 00:57:24,680
Speaker 3: Martina Hingis that year. But then to be inducted into

1132
00:57:24,720 --> 00:57:27,400
Speaker 3: the International Tennis Hall of Fame with the players that

1133
00:57:28,240 --> 00:57:31,200
Speaker 3: I admire and respect and watch growing up is just

1134
00:57:32,080 --> 00:57:36,000
Speaker 3: absolutely mind blowing and completely humbling. So, you know, I've

1135
00:57:36,080 --> 00:57:39,280
Speaker 3: just got so many, you know, so many memories and

1136
00:57:39,320 --> 00:57:41,240
Speaker 3: so many things I can be just so grateful for

1137
00:57:41,520 --> 00:57:44,959
Speaker 3: and so proud of. And yeah, I worked super hard,

1138
00:57:45,960 --> 00:57:48,920
Speaker 3: and yeah I've went through a lot, and you know,

1139
00:57:49,040 --> 00:57:52,720
Speaker 3: it was definitely definitely all worth it. I'm so grateful

1140
00:57:52,760 --> 00:57:53,200
Speaker 3: for everything.

1141
00:57:53,720 --> 00:57:57,720
Speaker 2: So Mary, last question, what what now?

1142
00:57:58,160 --> 00:57:58,200
Speaker 3: What?

1143
00:57:58,920 --> 00:58:04,280
Speaker 2: Mary Pus twenty twenty, Yeah, you believe. I mean, obviously,

1144
00:58:04,360 --> 00:58:08,000
Speaker 2: we're going through an incredibly difficult moment with COVID and

1145
00:58:08,440 --> 00:58:10,400
Speaker 2: we're not sure about tennis coming back and when it's

1146
00:58:10,400 --> 00:58:12,640
Speaker 2: coming back, so that obviously is determining a lot of

1147
00:58:12,680 --> 00:58:15,000
Speaker 2: what you're up to right now. But in a perfect world,

1148
00:58:15,520 --> 00:58:18,160
Speaker 2: what's the next you know, five to ten years look

1149
00:58:18,320 --> 00:58:21,920
Speaker 2: like for you in the sport and what what what

1150
00:58:22,040 --> 00:58:24,840
Speaker 2: do you want to create in those in that time?

1151
00:58:25,040 --> 00:58:28,240
Speaker 2: As our last question for you today, a big one.

1152
00:58:28,720 --> 00:58:31,800
Speaker 3: That's a great question. Thank you for asking that. And

1153
00:58:31,920 --> 00:58:34,400
Speaker 3: it's just I can't believe that it's been twenty years

1154
00:58:34,440 --> 00:58:36,360
Speaker 3: since I won the French Open and we're celebrating my

1155
00:58:36,400 --> 00:58:38,440
Speaker 3: twenty year anniversary this year. It's like, no, that can

1156
00:58:38,480 --> 00:58:40,440
Speaker 3: be possible. I'm not that old, it hasn't been that

1157
00:58:40,520 --> 00:58:44,800
Speaker 3: long ago, but it's it's just amazing and to think

1158
00:58:44,840 --> 00:58:47,360
Speaker 3: back what's happened in those twenty years, how time flies,

1159
00:58:48,120 --> 00:58:50,640
Speaker 3: and to make the most of it, and you know

1160
00:58:50,840 --> 00:58:52,920
Speaker 3: which brings me to the state of heart where I

1161
00:58:53,000 --> 00:58:56,840
Speaker 3: am today. You know, how I how I think and

1162
00:58:56,960 --> 00:58:59,240
Speaker 3: what I feel and what I've been through recently in

1163
00:58:59,360 --> 00:59:05,120
Speaker 3: my life. And you know, my father got very sick

1164
00:59:05,200 --> 00:59:11,480
Speaker 3: in February twenty sixteen with bladder cancer, and you know

1165
00:59:11,560 --> 00:59:13,720
Speaker 3: I was able to be with him and take care

1166
00:59:13,760 --> 00:59:17,920
Speaker 3: of him, and he passed away in April twenty seventeen

1167
00:59:18,680 --> 00:59:21,240
Speaker 3: with bladder cancer. And I was so grateful to be

1168
00:59:21,280 --> 00:59:26,720
Speaker 3: able to be with him through that process and experienced incredible,

1169
00:59:27,160 --> 00:59:31,640
Speaker 3: like rich times with him. And at the end is when.

1170
00:59:31,520 --> 00:59:37,560
Speaker 2: Can I marry? Can I ask you how he spoke

1171
00:59:37,640 --> 00:59:39,760
Speaker 2: to you about that time or did he ever speak

1172
00:59:39,800 --> 00:59:42,720
Speaker 2: to you about that time? And did you were you

1173
00:59:42,800 --> 00:59:46,400
Speaker 2: able to reconciliate all of that period or life or

1174
00:59:46,440 --> 00:59:49,640
Speaker 2: did you just really let that go? I mean in

1175
00:59:49,760 --> 00:59:53,280
Speaker 2: simple times an apology or like you know, like I.

1176
00:59:53,280 --> 00:59:55,160
Speaker 3: Said, when I became wrning cairshit twenty five, I had

1177
00:59:55,200 --> 00:59:58,680
Speaker 3: forgiven my dad and then our relationship was reconciled. You know,

1178
00:59:58,840 --> 01:00:02,400
Speaker 3: That's how then I was able to you know, take

1179
01:00:02,440 --> 01:00:03,920
Speaker 3: care of him and to be with him and to

1180
01:00:04,000 --> 01:00:07,640
Speaker 3: love him. And so you know, during those times when

1181
01:00:07,680 --> 01:00:12,560
Speaker 3: he was sick, you know you could see how it

1182
01:00:12,760 --> 01:00:15,040
Speaker 3: really humbled him because he was a very strong man.

1183
01:00:15,160 --> 01:00:17,320
Speaker 3: You know, he was very strong physically, he was very

1184
01:00:17,440 --> 01:00:19,320
Speaker 3: capable and able, and then you know, you come to

1185
01:00:19,360 --> 01:00:23,480
Speaker 3: a point where you're not, you know, and and then

1186
01:00:23,560 --> 01:00:27,600
Speaker 3: he just saw himself and his life and yeah, and

1187
01:00:27,680 --> 01:00:30,160
Speaker 3: you know, he one day, you know, one day, I

1188
01:00:30,280 --> 01:00:32,560
Speaker 3: remember he I was next to him and beside his

1189
01:00:32,640 --> 01:00:35,360
Speaker 3: bed in the hospital and he just started crying. And

1190
01:00:35,520 --> 01:00:37,360
Speaker 3: you know, through what he had been through, he had

1191
01:00:37,400 --> 01:00:39,680
Speaker 3: been through a lot of pain and we finally figured

1192
01:00:39,720 --> 01:00:41,080
Speaker 3: out how to get his pain under control with the

1193
01:00:41,160 --> 01:00:43,720
Speaker 3: right medication, et cetera, excetera. So when he started crying,

1194
01:00:43,760 --> 01:00:45,840
Speaker 3: I said, Dad, what's wrong? Are you okay? And he

1195
01:00:45,960 --> 01:00:47,680
Speaker 3: just would cry and I said, are you in pain?

1196
01:00:47,760 --> 01:00:49,880
Speaker 3: Do you need something? And he would just look at

1197
01:00:49,960 --> 01:00:51,960
Speaker 3: me and he would say, like, you know, and he

1198
01:00:52,000 --> 01:00:53,600
Speaker 3: would just say why do you love me so much?

1199
01:00:53,880 --> 01:00:56,200
Speaker 3: Or he'd say thank you for everything, and he's just

1200
01:00:56,360 --> 01:01:00,200
Speaker 3: and he was just so like so grateful and just

1201
01:01:00,280 --> 01:01:03,200
Speaker 3: so thankful, and you just said, you know, sorry for everything.

1202
01:01:04,000 --> 01:01:06,880
Speaker 3: And I said, you know, Dad, it's okay. You know

1203
01:01:07,000 --> 01:01:09,600
Speaker 3: I've forgiven you already and I love you, and you

1204
01:01:09,640 --> 01:01:10,880
Speaker 3: know it's the heart of the Lord for you, and

1205
01:01:10,920 --> 01:01:12,440
Speaker 3: He's given me this love and this heart for you.

1206
01:01:12,680 --> 01:01:16,080
Speaker 3: And you know, I think for me, that's just one

1207
01:01:16,080 --> 01:01:18,320
Speaker 3: of the most beautiful stories in the greatest miracle of

1208
01:01:18,440 --> 01:01:20,840
Speaker 3: my life after being born again is being able to

1209
01:01:20,960 --> 01:01:23,080
Speaker 3: forgive and love my dad and have that relationship and

1210
01:01:23,160 --> 01:01:25,040
Speaker 3: how I was able to take care of him. And

1211
01:01:25,200 --> 01:01:28,320
Speaker 3: at the end when the doctors told him, you know,

1212
01:01:28,520 --> 01:01:31,000
Speaker 3: mister Pierce, you have one to three months left to live,

1213
01:01:32,120 --> 01:01:35,080
Speaker 3: it's a shock, you know, and it's it's something that

1214
01:01:35,200 --> 01:01:37,520
Speaker 3: you only experience. Well, it's like for me, it was

1215
01:01:37,560 --> 01:01:39,000
Speaker 3: something that you only watch in a movie, like this

1216
01:01:39,120 --> 01:01:41,400
Speaker 3: isn't real? Like is this really real life? Is this

1217
01:01:41,520 --> 01:01:46,520
Speaker 3: really happening? You know? And it's just so I mean,

1218
01:01:46,600 --> 01:01:49,320
Speaker 3: there's not even like worse to explain how impactful that

1219
01:01:49,480 --> 01:01:53,080
Speaker 3: is in your life. And it really made me think.

1220
01:01:53,320 --> 01:01:56,040
Speaker 3: And you know, just seeing my dad passed away after that,

1221
01:01:56,320 --> 01:01:58,600
Speaker 3: like ten days later, it went very quickly and I

1222
01:01:58,680 --> 01:02:01,680
Speaker 3: said to myself, Okay, Mary, what do you want to

1223
01:02:01,760 --> 01:02:04,600
Speaker 3: do now? You know what if today was your last day?

1224
01:02:04,680 --> 01:02:07,320
Speaker 3: You know, there are these cliches, Yes, of course, today's

1225
01:02:07,320 --> 01:02:09,000
Speaker 3: your last day. How would you live It's a cliche,

1226
01:02:09,080 --> 01:02:11,400
Speaker 3: but you know what, it's for real, Like that was

1227
01:02:11,440 --> 01:02:12,520
Speaker 3: a reality for me.

1228
01:02:12,680 --> 01:02:13,000
Speaker 2: You don't.

1229
01:02:13,560 --> 01:02:15,920
Speaker 3: Because I'm forty five and super healthy doesn't mean I'm

1230
01:02:15,920 --> 01:02:17,960
Speaker 3: going to live another forty years. Who knows how long

1231
01:02:18,000 --> 01:02:19,880
Speaker 3: I'm going to be here for. Could be my last day,

1232
01:02:19,920 --> 01:02:22,080
Speaker 3: could be ten years, could be who knows. So I

1233
01:02:22,240 --> 01:02:25,600
Speaker 3: want to live. Answering your question, I want to live

1234
01:02:25,720 --> 01:02:28,720
Speaker 3: now every day, yes, as if it was my last day.

1235
01:02:28,760 --> 01:02:30,200
Speaker 2: And what do I want to do? You know?

1236
01:02:30,240 --> 01:02:32,240
Speaker 3: I want to wake up in the morning. I want

1237
01:02:32,280 --> 01:02:33,960
Speaker 3: to be excited about what I'm doing. I want to

1238
01:02:34,000 --> 01:02:36,120
Speaker 3: be passionate about what I'm doing, and I want it

1239
01:02:36,160 --> 01:02:38,400
Speaker 3: to be something that's going to have an impact globally.

1240
01:02:38,480 --> 01:02:41,440
Speaker 3: And I want to touch people's hearts and see their

1241
01:02:41,520 --> 01:02:44,560
Speaker 3: lives impacted and changed for the better. And that's the

1242
01:02:44,640 --> 01:02:49,120
Speaker 3: desire of my heart today. And so I'm working on you.

1243
01:02:49,200 --> 01:02:52,080
Speaker 3: I've got a few different like ideas and projects and

1244
01:02:52,120 --> 01:02:55,400
Speaker 3: things are in the pipeline and but you know, nothing

1245
01:02:55,560 --> 01:02:58,480
Speaker 3: yet that I can actually say at the moment. But

1246
01:02:59,080 --> 01:03:01,040
Speaker 3: that is that is where I am, and that is

1247
01:03:01,080 --> 01:03:03,919
Speaker 3: the desire of my heart, and that's what I feel

1248
01:03:04,000 --> 01:03:05,120
Speaker 3: is my calling and my mission.

1249
01:03:06,720 --> 01:03:10,160
Speaker 2: Well, I'm shocked that Caitlin actually made it through that

1250
01:03:10,360 --> 01:03:13,560
Speaker 2: whole story without completely losing it. Because she is the

1251
01:03:13,640 --> 01:03:16,120
Speaker 2: crier of the two of us, although I am quite

1252
01:03:16,160 --> 01:03:18,520
Speaker 2: a I thought I would was a crier until I

1253
01:03:18,600 --> 01:03:24,800
Speaker 2: met Caitlin. So Mary, You're just You're just such. You

1254
01:03:24,920 --> 01:03:28,000
Speaker 2: haven't changed from the moment I met you. You haven't changed.

1255
01:03:28,000 --> 01:03:32,720
Speaker 2: I know that you've certainly trans transformed through this in

1256
01:03:32,880 --> 01:03:37,800
Speaker 2: finding Christianity, and that piece of you you always stood.

1257
01:03:38,000 --> 01:03:40,760
Speaker 2: Told to me you had your shoulders back, you're your

1258
01:03:40,840 --> 01:03:43,160
Speaker 2: head up. It didn't matter what was being thrown at you.

1259
01:03:43,560 --> 01:03:48,400
Speaker 2: You always had that posture that just is so unmistakable

1260
01:03:48,760 --> 01:03:53,160
Speaker 2: in a gracious champion. Not a champion, a gracious champion.

1261
01:03:53,240 --> 01:03:56,280
Speaker 2: And I just feel like you epitomize that. I'm so

1262
01:03:56,520 --> 01:03:58,880
Speaker 2: thankful that you, you know, you decided to come and

1263
01:03:58,920 --> 01:04:00,800
Speaker 2: do the pod with us. I hope people listen to

1264
01:04:00,880 --> 01:04:03,520
Speaker 2: this and find a different maybe something that they hadn't

1265
01:04:03,560 --> 01:04:06,000
Speaker 2: heard from you or known about you in the past.

1266
01:04:06,080 --> 01:04:08,840
Speaker 2: But one thing is, I can't believe you actually started

1267
01:04:08,880 --> 01:04:12,320
Speaker 2: only playing tennis a ten second of all, I promise

1268
01:04:12,400 --> 01:04:14,040
Speaker 2: you when I tell you there's people listening to this,

1269
01:04:14,560 --> 01:04:17,800
Speaker 2: you haven't changed a bit. You're amazing.

1270
01:04:18,280 --> 01:04:21,360
Speaker 3: Thank you, stubbsy Well. That really touches my heart very deeply,

1271
01:04:21,440 --> 01:04:23,600
Speaker 3: and you know you're very special to me as well.

1272
01:04:23,640 --> 01:04:26,080
Speaker 3: I love you so much. I'm just grateful that we're

1273
01:04:26,200 --> 01:04:28,920
Speaker 3: friends and that I could be here with you guys today,

1274
01:04:29,160 --> 01:04:31,320
Speaker 3: and thank you so much for having me letting me share,

1275
01:04:31,600 --> 01:04:33,600
Speaker 3: you know, part of my life and of my story.

1276
01:04:33,760 --> 01:04:35,760
Speaker 3: And you know, I just really pray that if it

1277
01:04:35,800 --> 01:04:37,800
Speaker 3: could help somebody what I've been through, or if it

1278
01:04:37,840 --> 01:04:40,000
Speaker 3: could touch someone's hard to impact them or give them

1279
01:04:40,040 --> 01:04:43,680
Speaker 3: some kind of motivation or inspiration or hope. That you know,

1280
01:04:43,840 --> 01:04:46,360
Speaker 3: no matter sometimes how bad things might look or what

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Speaker 3: people might say, but just you know, to believe in

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Speaker 3: yourself and that little voice in your inside and your heart,

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Speaker 3: and just to follow your heart and to follow your

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Speaker 3: gut and your intuition. It never leads you wrong. And

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Speaker 3: just to believe in yourself and in your dreams, and

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Speaker 3: to have dreams and to go for them, I think

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Speaker 3: is impossible.

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Speaker 2: And that's it for this episode of the Racket Magazine podcast.

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Speaker 1: Thanks for listening. Our host is Renee Stubbs. Our co

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Speaker 1: host and producer is me Caitlin Thompson. Music by internationally

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Speaker 1: renowned DJ Stretch Armstrong.

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Speaker 3: Thanks to Tim or Jerry, then the team at acast

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Speaker 1: Find us at racketmag dot com, slash podcast, and subscribe

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Speaker 1: to us at any of your favorite podcatchers.