Mary Pierce's dreams of a second French Open title were shattered on Saturday by Justine Henin-Hardenne but she has vowed that at 30-years-old she has not given up hope. Pierce rolled back the years in Paris defeating a succession of younger players before trouncing top seed and world No.1 Lindsay Davenport in straight sets in the quarter-finals.
But against Henin-Hardenne her game collapsed and she lost 6-1, 6-1 in what was for her a disparately disappointing final.
Pierce struggled to hold back the tears in an emotional centre court prize ceremony, but after taking the time off to shower and compose herself, she said that she was not yet ready to call it a day.
"I'm going to keep following the same path. It's good for me," said Pierce, who spent several months losing weight, building-up her fitness and working on her motivation before attempting a full-time return to the WTA circuit this year.
"I'm successful. I have the desire to go as far as I can go. I'm very eager. I'm going to try to reach my best level and that's it."
As complex as ever, Pierce said that although physically she had been in near top shape for the final, mentally she had let herself down. "I had too many things in my head," she said. "I was thinking 'I should not think.'"
"Instead of having an empty mind and playing simply, playing my match, playing my game. I was thinking too much."
Her own problems apart though Pierce said that Henin-Hardenne had been a worthy winner of the tournament even though she had been unable to give her much of a match.
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