Athlete Quotes

I've been here playing against Connors and it can be very, very loud. It makes it exciting at the same time.

I'm telling you, it's so exciting playing out there because I'm playing well, you have the crowd behind you, and it's such a good feeling. I'm really having a good time out there.

I'm really trying to focus myself on playing tennis, and I think that's really important.

I'd won the Australian Open twice, but winning Wimbledon takes something special.

I think in 1991, when Jimmy got to the semifinals, it was just incredible all of the people coming out.

I played Chang here under the lights here. I think that was '91. Another good match. I've played a lot more good matches under the lights than I played bad. You tend to remember some of the bad ones unfortunately.

I had one good racket, a Wilson Javelin. It was my favorite racket, and I made the mistake of putting it next to the heater. It just got so hot that it melted.

I felt that I did have the crowd behind me. That obviously helps a lot.

I felt better being in the background. That's the way I like it.

For me, and most of the other players, too, if you had to pick one of the four Grand Slams, you would pick Wimbledon. It's got tradition, it's got atmosphere, and it's got mystique.

A win is a win.

I'm always being realistic.

As years go by, chances of winning here are getting slimmer. That's just a matter of fact. It does get tougher, but it's possible, there's a tiny little chance.

A good thing is I've been playing tennis I think every day for the last two months. I really haven't had a day off. I've been doing things that I did used to do.

You aren't going to stick around long with just two pitches.

When I started finishing games and coming off the field shaking hands, it was a beautiful thing. I mean, you start seeing that you're an important part of the team.

When I first came up, the bullpen was pretty much where they put the guys who couldn't start.

Tony knew me both as an athlete and as a person. He cared for me like a father.

They developed a platform for me to put up another 12 years, and that was my ticket to Cooperstown. Those were the best years of my life. It was like magic.

Then you figure out that if you don't throw it as hard as you can, you can put it where you want. It's more important where you put it.

The thing that got me over the hump was accepting that I had to do whatever I could to stay in the game.

That first year in Chicago was one of the most memorable in my career. Getting traded rejuvenated me, and I had something to prove. I wanted to show them what I could do.

Sooner or later you learn that you belong in the big leagues, and that makes you calm down.

Pitching... sometimes I did so poorly, it brought me to tears.

My career spanned the era when relievers started to become more important.

Later, I could take something off my slider and I could make my fastball sink, so I really had four pitches.

It took me a few years to realize that throwing harder wasn't always better.

I'm proud of the fact that I pitched almost 3,300 innings.

I was in good control of my body, and I kept my head still.

I was a starter and did some good things there, and then I got a chance to prove myself as a closer. Because of that opportunity, I was blessed with the honor of being elected to the Hall of Fame.