Mary Pierce, at peace, reflects on Hall of Fame career

Full of grace these days, Mary Pierce again returns to Paris as an observer of the sport rather than a competitor.

The last Frenchwoman to win the singles title at Roland Garros, in 2000, finds herself, in a word, content.

In a fresh New York Times piece about Pierce, writer Cindy Shmerler takes us to Mauritius, the tranquil island where the three-time major champion abides—and also trains two players who she hopes will begin playing ITF-level matches soon enough.

Born in Montreal but returning to France via Florida with her family, including her notoriously domineering father, Jim, Pierce carved out a Hall of Fame career. (In July, that will be made official in Newport, R.I.)

Her sweetest memory, to the surprise of no one, remains winning big in Paris, when she outlasted Monica Seles and Martina Hingis in three-setters before outclassing Conchita Martinez in straight sets in the championship.

Those who have followed Pierce's trajectory closely will already know that that apex of her career, in the country she represented for so many years, came months after dedicating her life to Jesus Christ. Pierce's journey included making a personal pact with the help of a fellow player, who goes unnamed in the Times story.

Before surrendering her life to Christ, Pierce was dedicated to surviving an abusive father-daughter relationship (they later reconciled), and all the pressures that come with such family turmoil and the public spotlight's glare.

Before a tiny island became home, she mostly knew the confines of a rectangular tennis court. Before she softened the edges of her life by placing it in God's hands, there was so much wonder-working power in her own racquet-wielding fists.

The question for any Pierce match used to be, will her missiles land in? Now she has set all her weapons down.