Athlete Quotes

You know, I don't only play for the record books.

When I won in 2003, never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would win Wimbledon and have my kids seeing me lift the trophy, so this is pretty surreal. And yeah, I was almost shocked in the moment that it all came together so nicely.

When I think of the Olympics I only think of good things. I think of what a great event it is and what it has done for me and my career, and changed my personal life, too.

We can't always agree on everything.

This year I guess I decided in the bigger matches to take it more to my opponent instead of waiting a bit more for the mistakes. Yeah, this is I guess how you want to win Wimbledon, is by going after your shots, believing you can do it, and that's what I was able to do today.

The serve, I was too young and too small and... not enough powerful to have a good serve when I was young, so my forehand was always my signature shot. So I used to always run around my backhand, you know, use my forehand as much as I could, and so that's why I think it's my strength also today, you

The serve, I think, is the most difficult, you know, in terms of coordination, because you got the two arms going, and you got to toss it up at the right time so.

I used to get nervous, you know if my parents would come watch. And then I would get nervous if my friends came and watched. Today it's not a problem anymore actually, because now I enjoy it. I see that they, you know, respect me immensely, and I try to put on a good show and show that I can still p

I have learnt to be even more patient.

I had set a goal with my team to try and get back to the top of the rankings, but I never thought with the depth in the game this year that I would have been able to get it back so quickly.

I feel a bit awkward playing in a red shirt out at Wimbledon. But I don't dislike it.

I did all the right things in so many tournaments. But like I said, sometimes in sports it just goes the other way. Maybe you've already won so much that it evens it out a bit sometimes. I don't know.

I can't stay No. 1 for fifty years, you know. We'll see what happens.

I am now the Wimbledon champion, and I think that gives me even more confidence coming to the Olympics. And maybe in some ways, it maybe takes some pressure off the Olympics, because I already did win at Wimbledon this year.

I am extremely proud and honoured to have beaten Pete's record as he was my childhood hero and I have always looked up to him.

But so far I have the feeling that the chances are there to repeat last year's season.

Being a husband is for me as big a priority as being a father.

Before, I guess, mum and dad were everything, but now, in my case, I had two new girls and all of a sudden they're completely dependent on you and there's a third generation. It's a funny shift all of a sudden. You have the babies, you have yourself and then you have your parents.

You always want to win. That is why you play tennis, because you love the sport and try to be the best you can at it.

My dad said if you become a tennis professional just make sure you get into the top hundred, because you have to make a little bit of money. You make a living so you can pay your coaching and, you know, your travels.

Early in my career, I struggled with consistency, but I couldn't get more consistent than this year.

When you do something best in life, you don't really want to give that up - and for me it's tennis.

What I think I've been able to do well over the years is play with pain, play with problems, play in all sorts of conditions.

I enjoyed the position I was in as a tennis player. I was to blame when I lost. I was to blame when I won. And I really like that, because I played soccer a lot too, and I couldn't stand it when I had to blame it on the goalkeeper.

I grew up a Saints fan, an hour from the Superdome.

I don't really care what's going on I just care about getting my job done the best that I can possibly do and deal with the other things in my life that take a lot of time and a lot of thought.

I don't need to have a retirement, retire your jersey, all that stuff to solidify my career.

I consider myself more of a loner now and I think when you get older, especially in this game, and just talking with other players who have come and gone, I see what they were saying when I was a young guy in the locker room.

I consider adversity being good sometimes, you know.

I can't believe I survived, not only my life, but I am still playing football 'cause half of those eight or nine years I don't even remember.