Mary Pierce vs Steffi Graf 1994 Roland Garros SF Highlights

[@tomgraham6071]

That performance goes down in history as one of the most crushing displays of power in the history of women's tennis. It wasn't just that either. Steffi was close to invincible, women's tennis was depressed, and suddenly this formerly gawky looking teenager turned into the most elegant woman in tennis. The combination of classic femininity and brutal, physical power had journalists talking like they hadn't in a couple of years. It's an iconic match most tennis fans around at that time will remember.

[@joeyconvery2055]

👍

[@vee2915]

First time I saw someone having her hair done in fiish plait. Thought this pretty girl would not have a chance against Steffi. As it turned out she totally destroyed Graf. She captured the imagination with her game and beauty.. Went on to win her maiden Slam in Australia after few months.

[@JP-fd4vf]

Absolutely, I still remember those huge crosscourt forehand winners.

[@vechris2001]

Graf was only invincible cause Monica was stabbed a year before. Invincible my behind

[@househeadericmd]

Pierce really punished Graf’s forehand like no one had ever seen. Even more then Seles.

[@POObumpoopo]

The point at 2:26 is ICONIC. That wry smile after she hit that missile of a forehand.

[@LiamForeman]

I *LOVE* that smile!!! It's funny because she also had such a glowing radiant smile, but I prefer this mischievous one more!! lol

[@JacquesHsu]

Mary was in her very best that day. You could see her even outhitting Graf’s forehands. It’s a shame she didn’t play at this level against Sánchez in the final.

[@simonsenecal6560]

The rain delay hurt her bigtime. Sanchez also has a totally different game to Steffi. She would not try and outhit Mary, but would use slices, heavy topspins, drop shots, angles, and try and move Mary and keep her off balance. Graf is used to winning matches with her big serve and big forehand, while she has amazing speed it is used only to get around and hit forehands basically. She doesn't have much answer when she is serving poorly and being outhit off the ground also. That just rarely happens so you rarely see that. Even Seles has never just so totally outhit her the way Pierce did here.

[@simonsenecal6560]

@Illya Kuryakin It hurt Pierce since she was a far less experienced player than Sanchez who was already appearing in her 5th slam final, her 3rd French Open final, and had already won the French Open. Pierce was also on her home court and after losing only 12 games en route to the finals was expected by her home public to win.

[@jujumusique1305]

She did at the start but then rain came and saved ASV. When they met the next day, pressure had caught up to Pierce.

[@cullerjones]

@@jujumusique1305 I have no doubt watching the first 4 games of the final Pierce would have won. Not only was Pierce on fire all tournament, and started the final well, but Sanchez even started very nervously and was missing a lot of forehands (her vurnerable shot as everyone knows). I see no way it being anything but a straigh t sets win for Pierce if it continued. They came back the next day and Sanchez seemed a lot more relaxed, and Pierce far worse than she had been all tournament and even the start of the final.

[@oza801]

The quality of this video and the hitting from Mary are superb :)

[@debbied.1682]

Watching Mary play offense in this game was totally refreshing, thanks for the upload.

[@seanboulderformerlymel3000]

I don’t understand why Mary Pierce isn’t credited (along with others) for pioneering the modern power game. A lot of players today play like her.

[@jondishmonmusicandstuff2753]

She is. She was part of the big babe of tennis and she is mentioned in the along with Lindsey and others who could take the cover off the ball.

[@dave2933]

Yep I saw her at the US open and indoor NYC , she wailed big time off the ground.

[@pedroferreiradoamaral7248]

she didn't win enough.

[@mathewhorodner2000]

She hit the ball extremely hard, but unfortunately, she got injured way too early in her career.

[@alexpiper1115]

She is but Monica was the frontrunner and won slams earlier (1990) than Mary (1995).

[@HunterBidenCocaineBag]

When Mary's game was on...forget it.

[@gk891]

When she was really on and everything was working, she was almost unplayable. Her wins against not only Graf demonstrate that but she's also easily dismissed Seles, Davenport, Henin, and Williams at least once or twice in her career. It's too bad she wasn't more consistent because when she was off, it wasn't pretty.

[@FlabbyTitmuss]

@@gk891 'when she was off, it wasn't pretty'.
So true and very odd as Pierce actually had superb technique, unlike many power hitters of that era. It was definitely more psychological than technical with Pierce.

[@nike10is]

No one was beating Mary on this day. Not only was she hitting with a TON of pace, but she was mixing up the spin and height of the ball, only to come in a crush a forehand. On this day she was the best player on the women’s tour

[@danieln1]

The day Peak Pierce absolutely CRUSHED Stefanie Graf

[@danieln1]

Bibibo Bobobo no one cares 😎

[@uzzymuzzy4312]

Illya Kuryakin yep, people have no clue and just write something for the sake of writing something...

[@N.Kishore]

@Illya Kuryakin Let's talk about this match,who asked about the other matches? Was Steffi crushed here or not? Or else come up with with your typical excuses, you would never give any credit to the opponent, that's for sure

[@iamrips2132]

@Illya Kuryakin graf was never off form , she was crap LOL

[@leofangd8501]

2:38 Pierce's playful smile after she hits that monster winner is like the quiet kid in class who aces the test. Such a cutie! :)

[@HOGARTHSGLOBALASTROLOGY]

Here we see Mary in full Goddess mode: Steffi had no chance. When Mary played like this she could beat ANYONE: even Serena admitted this herself. This was staggering tennis she produced and is still remembered by anyone that saw it.

[@netfun8087]

HUGE Graf fan here, but all credit to Pierce for really playing some phenomenal, explosive tennis in this match. Graf is so great herself that we forget she is human, and if you go for your shots and get them consistently as Pierce did here, Graf can be beaten-it just requires a powerhouse performance such as this was.

[@freiundschwerelos1133]

At this day NOBODY would have beaten Mary Pierce.

[@danieln1]

Andre D. agreed... NOBODY!

[@fundhund62]

How do you know? Maybe Graf's play just suited her that day.

[@santoshthapa8398]

peak kvitova will whoop her ass.

[@_SasaBrand_]

ПАЧАМУ!?? Я МОГ!!🤣🌺🤣

[@dinomijatovic3921]

Apart from ASV :)

[@bertrandlarme4568]

In this match, Mary at the top of her game and therefore absolutely unbeatable by anyone!

[@dinomijatovic3921]

Pierce had epic performances where she won tournaments with total drops of like 10 games in 6-7 matches, such as AO 95, FO 94 and Hilton Head 2000..she wasnt consistent enough, but was intriguing and fun and contributed to development of modern tennis (power plus finesse) which doesn’t exist nowadays..last such players were Kvitova, Safarova..

[@cyriljacob4839]

Excuse me Safrova? For what reasons? You ignored powerful elegant players such. As... Want me to name?

[@santoshthapa8398]

mary pierce makes steffi look like some unranked outta 100 player. that forehand is like a missile firing. she puts her whole body weight on it! just wow!

[@Xingqiwu387]

PIERCE'S display of formidable power was incredible. She had the hardest forehand among the female players and was capable of surgical precision on her groundies as well. Too bad she was so often a bundle of nerves. If Pierce had had Graf's mental toughness, she'd have been invincible. BRAVA, Mary!

[@bibinbalakrishnan1455]

Mary Pierce just droped 6 games on her way to semi final ...she won 6-1,6-0(First Round),6-0 6-1(2 Round), 6-0 6-0 ( 3 round), 6-1 6-1 fourth round.6-2 6-0 in quarter final ..And won this semi final by 6-2 6-2 .She was on fire

[@kazuakigabychan8147]

So Graf took more games from anyone else, but Piece still could not beat Sanchez.

[@ricardogigante881]

Mary's forehand at 2:35 has to be the coolest forehand in WTA ever.. I cant stop laughing. SO COOL BADOOOOMMMMM...

[@ricardogigante881]

Oh oh she has another at 5:04 🤣🤣🤣 dead.

[@ricardogigante881]

🤣🤣🤣 and another 6:45

[@joeyconvery2055]

Wow!

[@sanctuary70]

Mary Fierce! WHAT A whipping for Steffi.

[@adrianonline69]

Mary Pierce like Lindsay Davenport was one of the sweetest strikers of the ball once they had time to set up. The sound of this match is incredible

[@badgernation74]

Davenport was much better at mid pace balls and strategy which is why she had a more consistent and successful career. But when Pierce was on... Pure lightening in a bottle.

[@jondishmonmusicandstuff2753]

The operable worlds are had time.

[@Mntguy-nr9vl]

​@@badgernation74as horrible as a mover Mary was Lindsay was worse.
Mary moved better side to side then Lindsay both couldn't run front to back It's pretty sad.
There's only one grand slam difference between the two of them and Mary was in six additional grand slam finals so while people think Lindsay had an illustrious and magnificent career because she reached number one Mary was quite accomplished on her own,She was extremely inconsistent.

[@badgernation74]

@@Mntguy-nr9vl I like them both, limitations and all. Davenport hit the ball with more accuracy and depth than anyone. Pierce could flip a switch and go beast mode unlike anyone I ever saw. But Davenport was MUCH MUCH MUCH more consistent. Year end number 1 either three or four times. That matters. Cage match though? If Mary looks relaxed and her breathing is measured, bet the house on her.

[@Cla_Disney]

Pierce's hitting was second to none

[@N.Kishore]

@Illya Kuryakin Ha ha what an insecured fool you are! You can't take a defeat and bringing all the history.Learn from your idol Steffi,how graciously she took defeats,she didn't say,"Hey Mary!I have won 20 slams, you only have 2."A truly shameless and insecured Steffi Fanatic, much like the lunatic

[@rogueleader1988]

A rare performance where a player (Pierce) made Graf look a half step slower than normal

[@goodfellacr]

Amazing how she crushed Graf. She deserved more Grand Slams

[@yussepig6629]

She was way better than Graf in peak levell. Just not consistent enough. Her power is astonishing to watch.

[@jujumusique1305]

@@yussepig6629that level would still win vs 99% of the tour today or at any given time in women’s tennis. Her run at the FO 94 is some of the best clay court tennis ever. One may argue some of henin’s runs (2006 & 2007) or Swiatek’s (2020) were equally dominant (but there was no Graf on the other side of the net).

[@rajusaha855]

​@@yussepig6629peak Graf was/is the best player ever in women's tennis.

[@rajusaha855]

​@@jujumusique1305still she was blown away by ASV in the final.

[@jujumusique1305]

@@rajusaha855 lol. You’re a troll. A friendly looking one, but still a troll

[@user-wb3lc9vi4w]

Любимая теннисистка-Мари Пьерс!)
Помню заголовки газет,после этого матча:"Пьерс-Бомба для Граф")

[@Thinladiun]

Pierce was awesome on the day, the only player I ever saw bully Steffi around the court. Mary was standing so far inside the baseline, she was just thrashing Steffi’s serve away for clean winners

[@julrenharl]

@Illya Kuryakin excuses excuses. Just accept the better player won graf defender.

[@julrenharl]

@Illya Kuryakin I just said that because you always have an excuse if Steffi lost this match and that. I'm a steffi fan as a matter of fact and imo she is actually the goat due to her consistency day in, day out. But this match against pierce and those losses against coetzer, are simply just as they are: losses. The better player won in those matches; it's that simple.

[@julrenharl]

@Illya Kuryakin Correction: the better player in the big moments won those matches. Hell some players who won most of the points actually lose their matches. And Coetzer is certainly not better than Graf, don't get me wrong. Peace.

[@julrenharl]

@Illya KuryakinAh yes just forgot to add "that day". That's why you misinterpreted me. And what do you mean suppressing? I'm not suppressing anything. That streak of Coetzer wins is very puzzling to be honest. At one moment it seemed like Graf got it altogether and will win routinely but Coetzer is a great counterpuncher and those those deadly slices from Graf where ineffective for her.

[@julrenharl]

@Illya Kuryakin Yes I knew all of that but I simply refuse to believe that they are the sole reasons on why she lost those matches. They are professional players and it's always up to them if they can compete at the highest level; regardless of whatever personal problems they have. Just like Serena blaming the umpires in those US Open debacles. Then people keep on saying that Seles could have won more if not for the stabbing. Of course, there could be some truth in that and Seles herself attributed her weakened post stabbing game to stress eating and death of her father. She could have used this motivation to develop her game but she chose not to and when she came back, she's not the same anymore and that's that. As a tennis fan in general, I just want to accept their losses as they are and the better player won on those days since it won't diminish the fact that they have record grand slam titles to their names. That they are not invincible and will not always win.

[@andrewmoores7166]

remarkable performance

[@user-iy6nc8es3h]

She look like Petra Kvitova

[@Rune8119]

Mary completely destroyed steffi’s FH. Usually,back in the days ,people will go on the BH to create opportunities. But Mary had another ideas...

[@danieln1]

Eo De Scylla she didnt bother one bit going to the FH side of Graf... Mary FH that day was just much better

[@ayamnaubaudi6936]

I will never forget that match. I just couldn't believe my eyes. Until that day I thought Steffi had the most powerful WTA forehand and I suddendly realized someone could hit even stronger. The rythm was unbeievable. Graf was as good as usual, but on that very special day, Pierce was stratosheric.
I remember I learned a new german word when Steffi yeld "scheisse" after a ridiculous return by Mary.
As a young french man, I think I fell in love with Mary on that beautiful 1994's spring.

[@LiamForeman]

I think many men fell in love with Mary that day! And women too!

[@N.Kishore]

@Illya Kuryakin Keep hating on Seles, that's all you know

[@derekdevaney2242]

It was impossible not to fall in love with Mary Pearse, so beautiful and that smile

[@travisstrong5389]

Pierce was incredible that day yes, the best match of her career, and the best tournament of her career minus the rain delayed final which affected her and cost her the title. However lets not pretend Graf was on top form, not only this match but around this time and tournament. She even lost a set to Johnette Kruger this French Open and would lose 1st round of Wimbledon just weeks later. And her first serve percentage in this match was in the 40s. This was far from a peaking Graf at that time.

[@carrerau7138]

Steffi was good as usual?????

[@wolverine974801]

Mary's performance here is epic. I don't think any female player ever could have beaten her on this day.

[@gk891]

Yes, when she was on, she was almost unplayable.

[@user-nv2ov1wj7u]

Don't be silly....Serena circa 2002 would have beaten THIS Mary is straight sets...thank you.

[@carrerau7138]

Peak Steffi could have.

[@user-nv2ov1wj7u]

@@carrerau7138 as well we peak Venus, Henin and Kim....

[@carrerau7138]

@@user-nv2ov1wj7u Venus was too weak on clay.

[@stanleybillanes3893]

Graf was totally destroyed in this match! The best women's tennis match ever. Pierce played Stefi like a cat toy. Lol!

[@stanleybillanes3893]

Whatever! The promised of a sweet surprise. Graf's dominance ended on that day when Pierce made things posible. Imagine an underdog just beat the number 1 player so easily. No sweat!

[@tommarino8873]

Talk about two of your all time greats

[@ericdecebal8866]

J'étais partagé entre Marie et Sttefi, Sttefi c'était mon idole je l'ai vue jouer pour la première fois elle avait 17ans moi 25ans et j'ai craqué pour son joli sourire même un aveugle aurait craqué osi.

[@carrerau7138]

She still is the most popular woman player of all time.
And yes, millions of male (and even many female) had a crush on her. Because of the beauty from the inside AND the outside. She is still a knock-out even today at 54 - the legs, the smile, the golden hair are still there. ❤

[@TheRoyKirklandShow]

Mary Pierce was a wonder to watch. Ive seen her play several times in Amelia Island. Very very nice person to talk to.

[@mattliechty1269]

A rare bright spot in the dark days of mid-90s WTA. So much hope that Steffi might actually have some competition. Had Pierce been able to be consistent, she would've had to watch her back.

[@carrerau7138]

Steffi bitter, son?
Wonderful!!

[@kenarthur6253]

Wow! Super rare that anyone did that to Steffi. Pierce moved way in on Steffi's serve. Pierce played brilliant match!

[@englando08]

Peak Pierce was something FIERCE

[@njesseable]

That sick dropshot at 6:19 tho 🙌🙌

[@kazuakigabychan8147]

Pierce was overhitting Graf all the time and Graf was always defensive. Pity Mary Pierce didn't go all the way.

[@MirjanaLfan]

Peak Pierce ❤️

[@marclaumann]

In this match Mary Pierce showed Steffi what power tennis was about. And I am sure Steffi understood that she would not have any chance against that kind of a tennis. Very similar to Monica's game - if only Monica had the chance to grow organically without the stabbing we would have witnessed more great matches like this!

[@marclaumann]

@Illya Kuryakin haha - davenport showed her in the wimbledon finals that she would not have any chance against those power players. That's why she resigned.

[@poussinhamzah4013]

Mary Pierce avait complètement dominé Graf dans ce match. Elle était magnifique et sa puissance avait carrément déstabilisé Graf!

[@3883melange]

So incredible!!

[@alessiobarsotti4559]

it was like ... I shoot anything then if it goes it goes .. the amazing thing is that this all lasted a long time .. if she dropped a little she would lose because Steffy's standard is so much higher than hers .. ... it was an extraordinary match for Mary ... literally ... in the sense that she never repeated herself on that level

[@samisfun868]

2:40 "girl please you got power so do I"

[@luigiguilli9346]

Mary was in whoop ass mode! When Graf looks rushed and slow at times you know its a special display of tennis.

[@beavertown2006]

Mary here playing like Monica, unpredictable with more power.

[@marclaumann]

True: But Monica was more consistent and this makes the difference!

[@criotermic]

Monica and Mary had the same strenght and power..love them both!!

[@thebigmonstaandy6644]

Prime Monia has able to move much better.

[@criotermic]

@@rolandgreen7484 unfortunately no..just because she didn't had the time..but she was close to do so!love Mary Pierce..almost like Monica!

[@criotermic]

@Illya Kuryakin you're right..H2H 10/5..but she had the time to beat her!Thanks...i was wrong!

[@jl3322]

Graf the worst when it came to sportsmanship in tennis. She was hated by all her compatriots and the only reason she has so many GS Titles is due to her countryman’s stabbing of Seles!

[@robertbutler8004]

How things have changed Ash Barty was world number one for quite a while and if she was playing during the time of these two ladies Barty would have been destroyed by both of these ladies.

[@AlexJaneson]

Barty would not have been “destroyed” by both. What a ridiculous thing to say. Her serve was significantly better than both of theirs.

[@Mntguy-nr9vl]

Very few people can go forehand or forehand with Graf and win.
I'd say the two hardest-hitting women to ever play the game Mary and Lindsay.
The William sisters hit hard but they use incorporated more topspin Mary has very little margin of error.
She hits that ball flat and it flies through the air.

[@mattcarlson8262]

This is called being in the zone. An amazing tournament, especially Mary Pierce beating Graf here so handily. Like many others, I wonder how Pierce managed her career, she was always such a bundle of nerves -usually with 'similar to Nadal' ticks. Sometimes absolutely unbearable to watch her serving (for example), then one ball in, one ball out - a bit like some of the WTA players today. Finally, she did win two grand slam titles and I say, good for her ! A successful career.

[@LiamForeman]

On tennis message boards whenever someone asks who has/had the best forehand in women's tennis, my top three in order are Serena, Mary, and Steffi. People forget how devastating Mary's forehand was. There used to be a clip on YT of Mary slamming a service return at top speed, definitely over 100 mph. She was like "Bow down, bitch" to her opponent!

[@Ornacia29]

Lindsay Davenport come on!

[@thebigmonstaandy6644]

@@Ornacia29 Best feemale forehand.

[@hezronfekitoa8296]

@Illya Kuryakin I mean Steffi's forehand was her best groundstroke so one would target the backhand that's just a basic strategy everyone follows. I reckon her forehand is overrated. It is her best shot but the only reason she was able to keep her unorthodox swing motion, was because of her impeccable footwork. If Steffi was on full stretch, you saw the flaws in her forehand motion. That being said, she is still in the top 5 best female athletes of all time. I believe most matches would have been like this if Steffi had played into her late 30s says 35-38.

[@hezronfekitoa8296]

@Illya Kuryakin the forehand motion itself is unorthodox, but does the job. Serena's forehand on the other hand is technically sound and on full stretch in her prime was arguably her most dangerous shot. I believe that had Steffi had higher level competitors throughout her career, she would've been forced to make adjustments to her forehand and backhand, but she was just so far ahead and Noone could really touch her unless they played low percentage tennis and had great results (i.e. Mary Pierce) or if Steffi had an off day.

[@dinomijatovic3921]

Serena’s forehand is not near to those

[@matthewmcalister2165]

Mary at her best is probably in the top 10 unplayable players of all time. At her worst, however... Very high ceiling but unfortunately very low floor. Others like Davenport, Capriati, and other 2-3 slam winners were not as good at their peak but also not as bad at their trough

[@jeremyredding2251]

Well said.

[@yussepig6629]

Peak Steffi getting slaughtered by peak Pierce. Fun to watch. Mary was like “oh Steffi’s forehand is weak af ” 😂

[@carrerau7138]

You really think that was “peak Steffi“ that day?
Steffi had a complete loss of form in those months of 1994. Even lost in the first round of Wimbledon a few week later.
Steffi usually dominated Pierce. Two thirds of their matches were easy 2-set wins for the GOAT.

[@thisp666]

@@carrerau7138 steffi peak was destroy by Mónica seles, never forget

[@user-ot5vq3xf5l]

​@@thisp666Everyone saw Seles peak in the 1992 Wimbledon final. Calm down, unfortunate Seles fanatics, with such a weak serve she was not going to become G.O.A.T


[@thisp666]

@@user-ot5vq3xf5l that is why she beat peak graf in 3 grand slam finales and graf only in one before Mónica attack, she was very close do that, after all she have 8 grand slam with just 18 years old(more than any other player at that age in any era)

[@user-ot5vq3xf5l]

@@thisp666 So what? Monika was a nobody on fast surfaces) Graf would easily beat her on fast surfaces, literally smash her. On slow surfaces, Seles won with titanic efforts. If she had not been attacked, she would have won a couple more helmets and that was it, then a new generation came, for whom playing with a player with such a strange technique was not so difficult. By the way, Seles herself said that the attack was not the reason for the bad game.

[@Paglia444]

Love Mary's simple white dress with the shorts underneath. Very cute. Wish Nike would bring that back.

[@regworld1167]

Steffi Graf is possibly one of the most ungracious Champions ever.

[@N.Kishore]

@ppm120667 This person Illya is worse than the MANIAC stabber

[@galenstone9097]

Mary will always be a favorite of mine. Horribly inconsistent, but; on a given day, she could beat anyone.

[@POObumpoopo]

Mother Mary barely dropped any games this tournament. It really should have been her first slam - i'm still upset she nervously flopped in the final. :( Back then NOBODY could decimate Graf at RG like this, not even Seles.

[@fuckurbody]

N / A um arantxa sanchez beat steffi in RG Semifinal 91 with even worst score 6-0 6-2 i think.

[@hill4252]

@@fuckurbody but Graf played so badly in that 91 semi, in this match Pierce didn't even give her a chance to play badly, Mary was totally in the zone

[@Thinladiun]

Steffi had statistically worse defeats like that one or coetzer but she played very poorly in those matches. Here Pierce just allowed her no say in the match and completely dominated her

[@yvesordonio]

In all fairness, Arantxa is a clay-court expert and she's a speedster. She moves so well on clay which factored in so well in her win over Mary.

[@N.Kishore]

@Illya Kuryakin But here Steffi bit the dust, stop bringing the other Matches, just get over this defeat

[@silviabenegas4500]

Esos eran partidos que daban placer mirar❤

[@vincenthannah7209]

Mary Pierce had a simple strategy, crush the ball. She knew if she played a running game and had to defend a lot she would lose. Bolletieri told her" you have to hit" and that is what she did.

[@antinotis]

@Illya Kuryakin Exactly, and Steffi lost many a match on clay trying to overpower Sabatini and Sánchez. She had to use her speed and guile to beat them on slower clay. But just as Steffi could once in a while totally wipe people off the court with her forehand was totally on, Pearce did it here. Brava for Mary, but it didn't happen too often. Mary didn't have the speed and the backhand that Steffi had, which is why she didn't win too many GS tournaments.

[@antinotis]

@Illya Kuryakin I know but in the period from 1991-92, they had gained the upper hand at places like Amelia Island. It may have been particularly slow. Steffi tried to outhit them, which she could do for a set, but then they got used to it. Her game matured a good deal after that and she could use her forehand judiciously instead of going for broke. Even here versus Pierce, Steffi is playing very well and alternating her shots, not going for broke waiting for Pierce to breakdown. She didn't on this day, but it was the right way to play on clay. It paid off in 1995, 1996 and 1999 at the FO.

[@CJJAK37]

Illya Kuryakin spot on .
She only played this good at two tournaments in her entire career . Haha. She had so many embarrassing losses . But that day she was out of this world .

[@travisstrong5389]

@@antinotis Actually Mary's backhand was quite a bit more punishing than Graf's who had only a slice backhand remember. And she had a great backhand down the line. She didn't have as much variety or ability to construct/maneuver a point with it as Graf did, but it was definitely more potent. Mary was light years behind Graf in speed and mental toughness, plus court smarts in general, which was the biggest difference of the two. Her serve also wasn't as good until the end of her career.

[@cutechilean]

Young Mary smashing Graf in her best time, maybe not her best day, but smashed anyway. Graf was very lucky not to have the competidors that were to come.
I love Mary´s face at 2:41, priceless hahaha.

[@cutechilean]

@Illya Kuryakin beside Mary Pierce, Serena and Venus Williams, Kim Clijters, Justine Henin, Elena Dementieva, etc, etc, etc. The list is long. Even Anna Kournikova kicked Graf´s bare ass hahahaha.

[@cutechilean]

@Illya Kuryakin I know and that´s one of my points. Greetings.

[@cutechilean]

@Illya Kuryakin Thank you, have a nice day.

[@N.Kishore]

@@cutechilean YOU kicked the Steffi's BLIND FANATIC'S ass left and right, superb reply,way to shut his ignorant and arrogant mouth

[@cutechilean]

@@N.Kishore hahaha, just describing what I see. Greetings.

[@albertoos]

Mary Pierce, so a talented player, so a lo ser. She shoulda won many grands

[@spartansrace4293]

One of the rare matches when Graf was #1 and was soundly defeated .

[@uzzymuzzy4312]

No, that year she lost a lot of matches.

[@bobbygrey5834]

Mary played her in a majestic way. OMFG

[@mattliechty1269]

On this day, Pierce was all, “you best be telling dad to call Gunther if you fixin’ win this one, be-och.” What a pummeling!

[@user-ot5vq3xf5l]

🤮🤮🤮

[@grunchlk]

He was so shocked, he forgot to pay taxes for years 😂.

[@KnowTrentTimoy]

If it weren't for the injuries Pierce would've been more than a match for Graf and Seles in this era. Pierce was just fantastic in this match. Steffi had no answers for the power and precision of Pierce's game. Very nice match.

[@travisstrong5389]

Pierce was only a contender on slower surfaces like Australia and Roland Garros even at her very best. Wimbledon she was a total non factor and US Open also a very minimal one considering she didn't even make it past the quarters until 2005, one of the last years of her career. Seles is a big contender and potentially dominant everwhere but Wimbledon, and Graf everywhere period.

[@KnowTrentTimoy]

@@travisstrong5389 She won TWO slams wtf are you yappin about (that's NO small change)?? Making it to the quarters of a slam is a GREAT achievement! Have you ever done that?? I was there and watched these matches and Pierce could've been an even better player IF her mentally disturbed father wasn't around her.

[@travisstrong5389]

@@KnowTrentTimoy Yeah she won 2 slams which is great, but that does not mean she was capable of being a match for Graf and Seles. I mean Sanchez won 4 slams, twice as many as Mary, and even she isn't a match for Graf and Seles, not even close. And making quarters only as your best means you aren't a big threat on that surface. So Pierce never making it past the quarters of Wimbledon, and only making it once past the quarters of the US Open by the time she was now 30, shows she wasn't a big threat/ contender at those 2 slams even at her very best. Only at Australia and French Opens where I acknowledged she was a contender when "on", but not the other two. Unlike Graf and Seles who are huge threats everywhere, not just at certain places only when redlining like Pierce.

[@KnowTrentTimoy]

@@travisstrong5389 I'm not saying that Pierce could've won as many slams or was even a better caliber player BUT on an even day Pierce was more than a match for Seles OR Graff to win that match (minus grass). Sanchez was too short and didn't possess an imposing dominating game. Sanchez won through guile and courageous fortitude. She didn't posses a lethal forehand or had the power game of a Pierce. Seles was never a threat on grass. Seles could potentially get to a final of Wimbledon (which she only achieved once in her career) but that's not her surface. Graff was the only one of that era that could produce success on all surfaces regularly but that doesn't mean Steffi wasn't prone to losing at any of the slams at any time. If you can win only at two of the 4 slams several times in your career that's a damn good career! You keep downplaying Pierce's success as if it was just some anomaly that she won them at all! Again, have you ever done something even remotely that historic in any professional athletic discipline?? Making it to any round in a slam is a success all by itself. When you can do that send me an Instagram.

[@ericwashington4236]

Zone of joy

[@mamoudouinoua1634]

Bravo Marie Pearce.

[@sapatlang8885]

Stefi Graf has no killer backhand.only slices and more of placing the ball. I was hoping for Mary Pierce to have more Grand slam wins during her career.

[@sapatlang8885]

@Illya Kuryakin Well if she has then may be she can win 50 grand slams or more. Did you get my point? Is this very elementary enough?

[@tomloft2000]

she didn't need one. she had a killer forehand.

[@jamescairns4051]

Watching Pierce decimate Graf was wonderful. It was like Graf had forgotten how to play power (post Seles departure) or had been transported into a world of mid 00s playing Sharapovas and Serenas and didn’t know how to counter it but I digress, Mary is stand-alone and my comment is more Graf based than Mary based- Mary was magnifique that day, everything worked and it showed

[@carrerau7138]

Steffi not knowing how to counter Sharapova?
You are talking of this Russian screamer who lost to a 39-year-old Kimiko Date in 2010? Date being a journeywoman of the early/mid-90s?
You are talking about THAT Sharapova???
😂🤣😂

[@grunchlk]

Date was ranked as high as fourth in 1995 and almost beat Graf at Wimbledon. Journeywoman 😂.

[@LuLu-nw6bi]

If Graf was Fraulein Forehand, Pierce was definitely Madame Forehand. Hers makes Steffi's look almost pale here. Amazing performance.

[@carrerau7138]

Mary hit 17 winners, Steffi 14.
The unforced errors did Steffi in.

[@thisp666]

Its serena and Mónica time 🤣🤣🤣

[@carrerau7138]

@@thisp666 ruclips.net/video/-PuvmTk3NBM/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/9iDmyCZORRM/видео.html

[@mylene.b2336]

👌Quel beau souvenir👌💖💖💖💖😗

[@jujumusique1305]

This was a preview of how top 10 women’s tennis would be played 5-6 years later. Steffi was smart to retire after stellar runs at the French and Wimbledon. She couldn’t have competed with Venus and Serena 2-3 years later.

[@jm7804]

Steffi saw the handwriting on the wall. She had a miserable 1997 and 1998 and a terrible start to 1999. She had one good month between the FO and Wim in 1999 and hung it up. If you watch those big matches in the last couple of years, players were no longer afraid of her forehand. Serena, Venus, and Lindsay would go directly forehand to forehand with no fear because their forehand was better. Graf was used to people being afraid to challenge the shot. Pierce and Seles were the only players who would challenge the shot previously.

[@jujumusique1305]

@@jm7804 yup. Graf needed a tight 3 setter to beat Davenport on her worst surface at the FO 99 while Davenport beat her in two sets in Sidney and in the finals of Graf’s most successful slam tournament, Wimbledon. Venus also handed Graf a routine loss in Miami which was the only one sided win of their four encounters that year (2-2). Add to that her most one sided loss to a completely out of shape Seles in Australia (vs a grueling 3 set win vs her at the French - and very windy conditions that favored Graf’s superior athletic tennis that day). I’m not sure how fans feel she could have dominated tennis moving forward. Like Sampras, she made a very smart move by retiring while preserving the illusion of invincibility. The following years would have been very tough for her given how good Davenport and the Williams sisters would become. And 1998, despite 4 titles, was even worse than 1999 with horrible losses vs Serna, Sugiyama, Appelmans, none of whom had beaten her before and a complete train wreck vs Schnyder who really looked unbothered dispatching her in two sets in Graf’s last show at the US open.

[@leisurefarm]

The most brutal tennis by Pierce ever! No one stood a chance on that day.

[@N.Kishore]

@Illya Kuryakin Another SHAMEFUL comment,stop going overboard and show some dignity

[@janjr165]

Mary made Steffi’s game look old and out of date in this match.

[@bartsimpson960]

And Sanchez teach her how old, hence out of dated Pierce become in the final 😪👹😂😊😙

[@wolfgangwiesinger9502]

Because her style was old. Pierce, Seles were the founders of modern woman tenis, showing what is possible.

[@Lawrence_619]

her and Seles....before Serena came along, they were the hardest hitters on the women's tour. Many may say, Capriati was the hardest hitter...some will say Davenport. But I saw Mary Pierce play long enough to know, when she hit a tennis ball, it struck the fear of God in a lot of the women she played. And a better measuring stick of just how hard she struck the ball, are the matches she played against Steffi Graf, who to my mind, was the fastest female tennis player, EVER, hands down.
If you caught Steffi flat-footed, where she didnt even budge to make a run at a ball, that meant you hit it so hard, NO ONE else could've run it down, if Steffi couldn't. Off either wing, Pierce was tough to handle. You had to keep her moving and reaching...if you couldn't do that, 9 times out of 10, you lost.

[@travisstrong5389]

Capriati isn't even close to the hardest hitter. Even in the early 90s before the power game went to another level, Graf, Seles, Pierce, even young Davenport all hit much harder than Capriati did. Capriati was 1-10 vs Graf head to head, and easily outhit her off the forehand and outserved her in all their matches basically. Capriati did have a good head to head with up and coming Pierce, but it was mostly Capriati's much superior movement, consistency, and mental strength, definitely not from more firepower.

[@lukey1210]

Mary n Monica will always be my favourites

[@jesusllamas5021]

exactly, that was the last match she won on clay that year.

[@newslettertv5854]

Admire those 2 ladies. Steffi leads Mary 4-2 in total meetings. Interesting all their 6 matches finished in straight sets, no 3-setters match between them.

[@hurzafar1]

Loved reading all the comments ...
Huge pierce fan but even bigger arantxa fan ;) from Pakistan 🇵🇰

[@samuelmagrath2541]

Steffi didn’t even seem to play that bad. Mary was just on fire.

[@CJJAK37]

A great display of power from pierce . This happened every 5 years or so. 2000 HH she did it also .
But she was so bloody inconsistent. Look at her grand slam results overall and they are very very average for a player that was capable of playing like this . So many early losses . But she was amazing this day .

[@ophelia5100]

Her grand slam results speak for itself, so many weird losses and she also made it to 6 finals. It was really frustrating being her fan lol

[@CJJAK37]

@@ophelia5100 but so awesome to watch when she was on.

[@liisawinklergirl]

now a woman who doesnt fear the graf forehand !!!

[@sameersingh3282]

ENERGY FULL , TOP RANKING PLAYERS IN THIS GAME...... ........
BOTH PLAYERS IS STAMINA FULL, PRACTICE FULL, TECHNICAL FULL, ENERGY FULL AND STRONG FULL...........
VERY TOFF GAME, BUT WINER IS WINER..........

[@TotalTennisGeek]

A beat down!

[@sonar2033]

Graff overpowered

[@Ineddiblehulk]

This must have been so weird for Graf. No one had ever bullied her around the court like this, and no one ever would again, not pierce, not Seles, not Davenport and not Venus or Serena. But when you think that not even Venus or Serena could do this to Graf it highlights what a crazy, alien/superhuman level pierce was on this day. Crazy.

[@jondishmonmusicandstuff2753]

You're crazy Venus AND Serena beat SG soundly many times as they did the tennis world.

[@Ineddiblehulk]

@@jondishmonmusicandstuff2753 does it hurt to be this stupid? Show me the ‘many times’ Venus and Serena beat graf 6-2, 6-2 or better.

[@bandykootkootkoot4334]

On a good day, Mary Pierce's forehand is as powerful and efficient as a sledge hammer, destroying any opponent on the other side of the court, even the great Graf was not spared in this match.

[@pauldewitt7697]

Not even Serena at her highiest hit the ball like that

[@Enjanginsaudiarabia]

Steffi always learn from the lose. Her bar standard always elevates once she found the new hard hitters starting from Monica Seles in 1990, Mary Pierce in 1994, Lindsay in 1996 and Williams sisters in 1999. She was so consistent even though so many time she got injured. Her result in FO 1999 as winner and finalist wimbledon 1999 is excellent. She beat so many top players before finally she get retired

[@cosmojairzinho14]

2:39. Sums it up . Flat, brutal,unforgiving

[@erickamila833]

Mary pierce, touchee par la grace et une force sans doute celeste, Impressionnant! bravo championne

[@radiohead2206]

Can someone please give them an anti Vibration dampener? I know they had them then.

[@emmanuelcannou2433]

Steffi couldn't resist to Mary's pace with her sliced ​​backhand. It was bouncing too high, Mary hitting the ball hard and playing very deep. Steffi had the option of playing more short balls to make Mary run back and forth but she didn't do it enough that day.

[@jamescairns4051]

This pro-staff classic lite racquet that Steffi played with this year too was much lighter than the 400g she used to play with. Must take some adjusting at a professional level. Even so, Mary killed it In this match

[@grunchlk]

My favourite Steffi match.
Nah, Berlin 1997 was even better. Or Brighton that same year.

[@Mntguy-nr9vl]

2:41 💥💥💥

[@yanu7414]

What’s the score here?

[@dinh5532]

6-2, 6-2 Pierce.

[@michelez715]

Shame we didn't see the score on screen. No idea who was up, who was down, just the occasional break point.

[@yanu7414]

Michele Mcneill maybe before we didn’t have the technology to display the score on screen or maybe it’s expensive to display it.