The Scoop: THURSDAY, APRIL 11

Injury slows Pierce's resurgent year

By Ron Cioffi
tennisreporters.net

Ron Cioffi/tennisreporters.net

FROM THE FAMILY CIRCLE CUP IN CHARLESTON, S.C. – Mary Pierce looked more like a jumping jack than an tennis player on the comeback trail as a pulled thigh slowed her in a straight-set whipping by Justine Henin-Hardenne in the Family Circle Cup quarterfinals here.

Pierce sporadically showed the bravado game that won her two Grand Slams. But an aggressive Henin-Hardenne overwhelmed her with nine aces and an ample supply of winners off both wings, 6-2, 6-3.

The Frenchwoman said she injured her right adductor last week in Sarasota, Fla. "Then, [I] was able to take some rest after the tournament and actually played my first match here without it taped, and it felt fine. I had no pain."

Today was a different and more painful story. After the third game, Mary asked for the trainer and then followed the visit with a trip to the locker room. Henin-Hardenne first wrapped herself in towels to feign off the blustery wind and cold that has kept this crowd bundled up like football fans in Minnesota. Then she wacked a few practice serves to keep warm.

It worked. Justine said, "Yeah, I served pretty well today. … It worked because after [the injury time-out] I served so well and a lot of aces, a lot of good first serves, a lot of winners."

Henin-Hardenne kept in mind Pierce's reputation as a mighty hitter. "I had to be aggressive because, if you let her [have] a little bit of time, then she can hit a lot of winners."

Pierce has a lot of ground to cover. Too bad she couldn't do it today. Ranked in the Top 20 for nine straight years, she plummeted to 52 and then 130 (injury rank of 18) in 2002 and 2001, respectively. This year has been promising, getting to the quarterfinals today and in Hyderabad. What will this reoccurring injury mean to her comeback?

"First of all, I'll get treatment on it today and just take it from there. … Hopefully, I can get a late start in Amelia Island and I'll be okay in a couple of days," she said. She plans to play in Berlin, Rome and at Roland Garros later this spring.

But, she said realized the injury will not just go away. "I had it last week; it went away. It came back and now I hurt more. So, I want to be smart about it, not have something that lingers the whole season or a longer time than it really needs to."

Pierce said she realized she didn't play in the sledgehammer form that has characterized her game. She said the injury "affects totally the way I hit the ball. I had to compensate and hit the ball differently out there afterward. I strained my left [thigh] a little bit, too. So I had them both taped. Your body starts compensating and you hurt other areas."

Henin-Hardenne, currently No. 4, realized that Pierce was hampered at not playing as well as she did earlier this week when she beat Amanda Coetzer, Anastastia Myskina and Nicole Pratt. But, Justine couldn't compare her performance to the Pierce who tormented players in the 90s. Today was the first time they played.