Get QuoteDark Inspirational Quotes App

" The best thing I ever did was when I was offered a million dollars to go play in South Africa and didn't take it. I was 21 years old, and part of it was like, 'Well, if they're offering me this obscene amount of money just to play one match, there must be something really wrong.' "

Related Quotes:

" When I was 15 and playing in Kalamazoo, I ran into a light pole on the side of the court and was knocked out for a little while - when I woke up, I was seeing stars! "

John McEnroe

Stars

Side

" I believe there's only one autobiography you can do. "

" If you look at the top 100 players, you would see that the great majority of them have had at least a couple of surgeries. That tells me that we have to protect the players. "

" I think it's the mark of a great player to be confident in tough situations. "

" I can't speak for other people, but I still hate losing. When I did lose, I found it easier to yell than to cry. Guys aren't supposed to cry, are they? "

" I'll let the racket do the talking. "

" I used to take pride if my kids were playing basketball, and I'd be there, and I wouldn't say anything. People were obviously expecting me to yell and scream at the ref and at them and everything. I wouldn't say anything. "

" I've never seen a good tennis movie. They all were terrible. "

" I'd never left America until I was 18. "

" I just remember watching Federer the first year he won Wimbledon. He was struggling with his back problem. I remember it vividly. It looked like there was a chance he was not going to finish. He had that look in his eye. Then, somehow, he found the wherewithal to dig a little deeper, and suddenly he wins the thing, and he's a different player. "

" With commentating, I've had a chance to show the humorous side of my personality that I didn't use on the court. It's fun, and I don't take myself too seriously. I have good broadcast teams with me, but I'm not a huge stats guy. I think they post the numbers too quickly, and I'd rather let the match play out a bit first. "

" I'm sure a lot of players say it, but winning is almost so you don't lose. The thrill of winning is not as great as the pain of losing. "

" I'd love to see all the guys play their best because I think it's better for tennis. "

" Believe it or not, I was a pretty shy youngster growing up. "

John McEnroe

Growing

Shy

" What made my matches against Borg and Connors interesting was, comparing it to boxing, it was like a puncher and a counter-puncher. "

John McEnroe

Interesting

Boxing

" But these guys learn so fast now, they sort of soak up the information, they're fearless. Those are the guys who learn from their mistakes and come back strong the next time. "

" This taught me a lesson, but I'm not quite sure what it is. "

John McEnroe

Sure

Quite

" Sitting there clapping and smiling... it's difficult. You're like, 'Don't worry about it, you just double faulted, you just played a really dumb point. Keep positive.' Then more clapping. That would annoy me as a player. "

" What is the single most important quality in a tennis champion? I would have to say desire, staying in there and winning matches when you are not playing that well. "

" I remember when I was younger taking more pride in Wimbledon than the French. That and the U.S. Open - they were the ones I wanted to win. "

" Nadal and Roger Federer have great respect for each other. I think Novak Djokovic gets under those two guys' skin a little bit, and maybe they don't want to admit it, and I think that's, in a way, healthy. "

" I can tell you from experience that when you get that pent-up and crazed, it can be distracting. "

" I went to play in Brazil when I had just turned 18 and was the world's top junior player. I got to the airport, and no one knew who I was. I couldn't speak any Portuguese, and no one spoke English. Then someone said something that resembled 'tennis,' and I went with that. "

" Of course for your main rivals, you're going to get extra motivated for it, particularly if you haven't played him for a long time. "

" I can barely remember what I was like 36 years ago when I was 21 years old. "

John McEnroe

Years

Remember

" I won't admit to having a poster of Borg on my bedroom door. But I certainly found him to be someone who got me way more into tennis. "

John McEnroe

Someone

Way

" Nick Kyrgios, if you don't want to be a professional tennis player, do something else. "

" If people do things without thinking them through, that rubs me up the wrong way. "

" They should be required to be in less events; there should be less events for the women. It seems it takes an actual meltdown on the court or women quitting the game altogether before they realize there's a need to change the schedule. "

" You can't give away points and games against someone like Murray. You're not going to make it to the top with that kind of effort. "