Tennis Quotes

Free eBook

In this Tennis Quotes eBook you will find some of the great quotes by some of the game's
greatest players. These tennis quotes will motivate and inspire all players to achieve their full
potential and strive for greatness.

Often these unplanned quotes can help athletes and sports professionals to aim high and
reach their ultimate dream for their chosen sport.

Many quotes are just truly inspiring and show that even the greatest of athletes go through
tough times, but often find a way to succeed and achieve their goals.

Enjoy these memorable and motivating quotes! Free sports quotes from players, coaches and
tennis legends. More great quotes are found in our GlobalTennisCoaching.com Download
Library.

Global Tennis Coaching  www.GlobalTennisCoaching.com

General Information

Title: Tennis Quotes - Free eBook

Author: David Horne and Rufus Keown at GlobalTennisCoaching.com
First Published: 2004
Revised and Updated Digital Edition (eBook): 2011
Composed and published with assistance of: www.eBookAuthorAcademy.com which is a division of
“eBooks International”

Copyright © 2004 - 2011 www.GlobalTennisCoaching.com

You may distribute this eBook to friends or include in your ezines, newsletters or pass onto
other sports websites. This Sports Quotes eBook may be printed; or copied onto your
computer for free. The contents, links or resources may not be changed. Permission has
been granted by www.GlobalTennisCoaching.com.

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 Tennis Quotes

“No one ever said when I was growing up that I was ever going to be good or get to a grand
slam final. I’ve proven a lot of people wrong.”
Lindsay Davenport 1998

“Once Goran said God was on his side at Wimbledon – I was done.”
Tim Henman 2001

“When I was a kid I saw Rafter play Albert Costa. Rafter was fighting like a dog…I hope
that’s the impression I am giving out there – fighting like a dog win or lose. I want to have
Rafter’s intensity and will on the court.”
Taylor Dent on Pat Rafter

“Hewitt runs down everything, so you have to hit 3 or 4 really good shots until the point is
over.”
Thomas Johansson on Lleyton Hewitt 2002

“People say Lleyton Hewitt and Andy should have a great rivalry but how can you have a
great rivalry if one guy wins all the time?”
Andy Roddick 2001

“You always think you can win a match – if not – don’t step onto court.”
Gaston Gaudio 2001

“It is the most consistent player who usually wins.”

Nicolas Escude

“Someday, there’s going to be a $25,000 tournament.”

Former Pro Player 1975

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 Tennis Quotes

“I play each point like my life depends on it.”

Rafael Nadal 2005

“My game is a lot about footwork. If I move well – I play well.”

Roger Federer 2005

“My consistency is based on my mental strength. It is basically impossible to break down my

mental part these days. I think that is very important, because tennis is quite a mental sport.”
Roger Federer 2005

"Returning his serve, it's like trying to return a serve that comes from the Eiffel Tower. It
comes fast and bounces very high. It's probably the biggest serve on the tour."
Thomas Johansson on returning the serve of the towering Croat "Dr." Ivo Karlovic.

"They wanted me to change, but I am too old to change the way I play."
Gustavo Kuerten
(returning from hip surgery, on doctors wanting him to change his style of play)

"He needs the right players to lose, he needs to be scheduled at the right time, he needs to
shut out the voices he doesn't need to hear. I had the single-minded focus that he is still trying
to find."
Pete Sampras - Talking to The Times on what Tim Henman needs to win Wimbledon.

"She has a very quiet way of communicating. She says a lot without saying much at all. They
wrote a song about that, didn't they?"
Andre Agassi on Wife Steffi Graf.

“My motto is: I’m alive, so that means I can do anything”

Venus Williams – July 4 2005 after overcoming Lindsey Davenport 4-6, 7-6, 9-7

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 Tennis Quotes

“We get criticized for showing no personality, and then we get penalized when we do”
Lindsey Davenport world number 1

“Sampras, Sampras, Sampras, Sampras and Sampras"

Andre Agassi's reply when asked who the best five players of all time are.

“I like my job and think it Is a wonderful thing being a tennis player.”

Venus Williams 2001

“This is the toughest sport of them all. Other sports don’t play every night, when you are tired
or hurt you don’t get a substitute.”
Pancho Gonzalez

On the coin toss Martina said “Do you want me to break your serve first or hold?” The umpire
looked shocked. But we just both cracked up.
Lindsay Davenport

“Talent is great, but hard work is even better.”

Richard Krajicek

“People criticise me for being arrogant (but maybe it’s) because I’m a little smarter than the
other.”
Venus Williams

“I would never feel like I could have a relationship with a person I’m in competition against,
that would allow them to understand me completely. You’re always guarded.”
Andre Agassi on Pete Sampras

“Before I was the hunter. Now I’m the hunted.”

World No. 1 Martina Hingis

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 Tennis Quotes

“This game is 50 percent mental, 45 percent physical, and 5 percent tennis.”

Juan Carlos Ferrero 2003 French Open Champion

“To me, there is a cycle in sports: The more you enjoy it, the more you practise; the more you
practise, the more you improve; therefore, you enjoy it more.”
Pancho Gonzalez

“This is so great, to touch the trophy. If I never win another match I don’t care. Whatever I do
in my life, wherever I go, I’m going to always be a Wimbledon Champion.”
Goran Ivanisevic

“Tennis will never end for me because I love it so much. When my professional career is over,
I will continue to play all my life.”
Monica Seles

“I’ve been working hard for years. I didn’t win this match today. I won it in practice.”
Alex Corretja 2001

“I realised that racquet throwing didn’t help my game because I was always getting negative. I
used to negative talk, now I don’t talk. I used to throw my racquet like you probably can’t
imagine. It was like helicopters flying all over. I was getting kicked out of practice at age 16
non stop. Now I have learned to relax on court.”
Roger Federer 2001

"She's as mean as a snake. She reminds me of me."

Martina Hingis on Maria Sharapova

“He deserved his victory. He was the better player tonight. Never take anything away from
someone who beat me, because I was playing my best.”
Roger Federer, after loosing to Rafael Nadal in the French Open 2005

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 Tennis Quotes

“It was an art and act I came to perfect. It was part of my armoury. I felt if my opponent didn’t
know what I was thinking then I was invincible.”
Bjorn Borg

“Jimmy Conners doesn’t like to lose, not even in practice.”

Jimmy Arias

“Foot speed is the most important element in men’s tennis today. With the players bigger and
stronger and equipment more powerful, speed is essential.”
Pat McEnroe

“You can have a certain arrogance, and I think that's fine, but what you should never lose, is
the respect for the others”
Steffi Graff

“Every Women on the tour should walk up to Billie Jean King and say thank you. For she
single-handedly made women’s professional tennis what it is.
Chris Evert

“Champions keep playing until they get it right”

Billie Jean King

“You can be the best ball striker there is. But, if you can’t get to the ball, it doesn’t matter”
Martina Navratilova

“There is a very fine line between under-training and overtraining, and the spot right between
those two extremes is peak perform”
Chris Evert

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 Tennis Quotes

“Training the body to obey the mind as I have done differs from the more conventional
method of getting the mind to obey the body.”
Chris Evert

“You can’t measure success if you have never failed.”

Steffi Graff

“Tennis essentially remains a game of artistry and psychology between two individuals that
must be won with brains as well as with the body.”

“Your game is only as good as your second serve.”

John Newcombe

“He has the comfortable middle-class look about him. The English middle class basically
don’t have the stomach for a fight.”
Pat Cash on Tim Henman

“Tennis judges are usually frustrated tennis guys who didn’t make it, or it people who want to
be around the sport.”
John McEnroe

“There is nothing I wouldn’t do on court in order to win.”

Boris Becker

“I didn’t start a war. Nobody died. I only lost a tennis match, nothing more.
Boris Becker

“You’re always striving to play that perfect match.”

Chris Evert

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 Tennis Quotes

“Often after I lost a tournament, I’d be out practising harder than ever to make up my mind I
wasn’t going to loose the next
one.”
Margaret Court

“Champions are people who want to leave their sport better off than when they started”.
Arthur Ashe 1998

“A truly great player should be able to win on all surfaces.”

Stan Smith 1983 – former Wimbledon and U.S champion

“Nobody but the world’s top-ranked player knows what it takes to get to the top. You have to
sacrifice everything.”
Bjorn Borg – 11 time Grand Slam Champion

“People don’t remember who finishes second.”

Pete Sampras

“People know me. I’m not going to produce any cartwheels out there. I’m not going to belong
on comedy central. I’ll always be a tennis player, not a celebrity.”
Pete Sampras 1997

“Pancho Segura wants me to think about situations. But I am not the type of player who
responds well to a lot of thinking.”
Andre Agassi – on new coach Pancho Segura 1993

“My nerves were getting the best of me. It happens to everybody. Anybody who says they
don’t choke, they’re lying.”
Pete Sampras – who saved 6 match points before eventually beating Gustavo Kuerten

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 Tennis Quotes

“My father taught me one important lesson: to not be afraid to lose.”

Chris Evert

“Don’t ever show anything negative to your opponent.”

John Newcombe – winner of 7 Grand Slam singles titles

“We all choke. That’s all right. We’re not machines. What you have to learn is to accept the
fact and not panic. It’s the panic that loses you the match, not the nerves.”
Rod Laver – from the 1988 book, Open Tennis: The first Twenty Years

“If you’re not sure if a ball is in or out, give your opponent a reasonable benefit of the doubt”.
Rod Laver – From the 1997 book, The Tennis Lover’s Book of Wisdom

“I guess you could basically say I got too big for my britches….. The way I handled things –
throwing my rackets and loosing my temper – was a disgrace to myself.”
Andre Agassi 1989

“Everyone always looked upon me as the bad guy – as the women with big muscles. That
hurt.”
Martina Navratilova 1991

“If there’s one role model in tennis, it’s Pete Sampras. He’s behaving perfectly on the court,
he’s a nice fellow off the court, and he’s playing great tennis altogether. I think he’s extremely
good for tennis.”
Boris Becker 1995

“For me Sampras was always the most complete player. He has the power, he has the
speed, he has the touch. He is the best player ever.”
Boris Becker 1997

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 Tennis Quotes

“Sampras, Sampras, Sampras, Sampras, Sampras

Andre Agassi - when asked to name the 5 greatest players of all time 1998

“Pete is in a different world. He looks like the best player I’ve ever seen in this sport.”
John McEnroe 1997

“Martina is the best athlete I’ve seen in tennis, and probably the best ever. I think if you
combine strength and quickness and agility, she is the best athlete, without a doubt.”
Chris Evert on Martina Navratalova 1986

“For me she is the uncontested No. 1; she has left a mark on the sport like no one else.”
Steffi Graff, naming Martina Navratalova as the greatest player in history 1999
“When Andre’s on, forget it. He does practically everything better than anybody else.”
Pete Sampras

“Just because you’re No.1 on the computer doesn’t mean you’re the best player in the world.”
Pete Sampras

“I…had been terribly impressed by this player who never said a word and whose
concentration was always so perfect. Yes, he was the example I chose to follow.”
Bjorn Borg on Rod Laver

“Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total

tranquillity”
Billie Jean King

“This sport has given me so much that my hope would be to give back as much as I can for
as long as I can”
Andre Agassi

“Not since the days of Boris Becker have I seen such intimidation on a tennis court. Rafael
Nadal is on clay what the German phenomenon was on grass.”
John McEnroe

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 Tennis Quotes

“On clay, the game is based on rhythm – you have to work the ball – footwork is the key to
rhythm – having heart and physical strength also help.”
Tarik Benhabiles

“Players who grow up on clay know the first rule is not to miss. If you play the wrong shot on
a fast surface the court forgives you. On clay you play for position – if you pull the trigger too
soon you are in trouble.”
“The most important skill in tennis is timing.”

“Think in terms of four- to six- ball rallies. Make the opponent run corner to corner. Do it
three points in a row and the opponent will be baked for good.”
Brad Gilbert 2001

“Tennis is simple. If you don’t have self esteem, you lose. Tennis is about head, then legs,
then shots.”
Chris Kriese – Tennis Coach

Winning is great, but it’s the long road to get there, that makes it worthwhile.
Stan Smith

Finally, is better than never!

David Horne - Former Tennis Pro

“I don’t think she’ll (Venus Williams) be around for a very long time. I doubt it will be a long
career for her. She can make a lot of money out of tennis rather than in tennis”
Richard Williams

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 Tennis Quotes

“Our behaviour as an athlete is often determined by our previous experiences and how we
dealt with those experiences. It is these experiences from past performances that can often
shape what will happen in the future. It is for this reason that you learn and move on to be
more mentally stronger as both an athlete and as a human!”
David Horne - Former Tennis Pro

“Most young players want to be too flashy. They don’t realise nine good shots will beat one
sensational shot. They don’t think about setting up the winning shot with two or three shots
that pull the opponent out of position.”
USPTR – Tennis Coach

“It boils down to watching the ball and executing.”

Andre Agassi 2002

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 About Global Tennis Coaching

Global Tennis Coaching (GTC) was born from the need to provide tennis coaches with one of
their greatest assets – an unlimited number of drills and sport specific exercises for their
chosen sport.

GTC strives to assist coaches of all levels in every sport to advance in their careers.
Coaching can be a very rewarding career and continuing an education and striving to reach
one’s full potential as a coach should be a main goal for everyone.

GTC’s goal is to assist coaches achieve this goal by providing the required coaching tools.

GTC’s team of coaches, exercise physiologists, sports psychologists, consultants and former
touring professionals have compiled drills from all over the world with many years of
experience. These drills have been compiled for all levels and also include a range and
variety of sports.

GTC’s team of professionals also provide consulting services to coaches and fitness trainers.

Please check out our online tennis academy at www.globaltenniscoaching.com where you will
be able to gain access to the largest library of tennis coaching articles, drills and resources.

 Tennis Drills
 Tennis Instruction
 Tennis Fitness Training
 Tennis Download Library
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 Tennis Tips
 Lesson Plans
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 And Much much more ….

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 Acknowledgments

This eBook was published with the assistance of eBookAuthorAcademy.com and via the
author publishing services at “eBooks International.”

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