Sports for me is when a guy walks off the court, and you really can't tell whether he won or lost, when he carries himself with pride either way.
It does take a great hunger to be successful at anything.
Us going out there and performing our best. That's how I define success. I'm not going to define it for us by the wins and the losses as much as by the effort and how we handle ourselves.
Even the poor can be fat in the U.S.
There are things we can't control - like the wins and the losses.
The dumber you are on court, the better you're going to play.
I will do everything in my power to make sure people are aware that our team is out there fighting the good fight for the tennis fans of the United States.
You have to be extreme to be exceptional. I couldn't revel in being number one. I had to get to zero. When my fitness was at its peak, I was intimidating. I made guys cave in. They'd be dejected in the locker room after matches, and I'd go out for a run, as if it wasn't enough. I'd rub it in their faces. I meant to do that.
It is very dangerous to have your self-worth riding on your results as an athlete.
Fear is an interesting energy that we all have to face. Some people step up and aren't afraid but still come up short. And some would rather cop out: "My shoulder hurts" or "I didn't give it my all." They can sleep at night.
Many books have been written about what the X-factor is, what separates people who win big matches versus those who struggle. Some of it's innate, but there's a piece of it that's learned, embracing those moments.
If I had to choose one man to play for my life, it would be Nadal.
People handle stress in different ways.
I really try not to read the tennis articles, because a lot of times they're guessing at how a player is feeling, and I like to keep myself kind of open minded about how I'm feeling, rather than have someone else explain to me what's going on.
The airplane has had a big impact on my life.
It's a simple question of supply and demand. But all of us are grossly overpaid. I think it's a ridiculous dispute.
Hell be lucky to last five or six years on those knees. What it might have to come down to is playing less on hard surfaces and playing more on forgiving surfaces.
Focusing on one thing can be tough, and people with fewer options are more apt to concentrate on what they're doing. There's probably something to hunger.
Tennis is more than just shots. It's about being clutch and beating the people on the other side of the net.
The good news is I have time.
If you don't want to practice, unless you have a hard-nosed coach, you don't have to.
I am there to play tennis and represent the U.S., but I'm also aware that not everyone's going to be able to think that way.
Tennis is still very successful in spite of itself.
We lose a lot of young athletes because tennis is such a difficult sport. It's not like kicking a soccer ball.
There is a lot of pressure on tennis players like other sports that are singular like you're not on a team. When all the pressure rides on your shoulders, it can be a lot different. Team sports you share those moments with the teammates. You share the pressures. You share the wins. You share the losses. You have a coach that can change the course of matches. But in tennis you're out there by yourself. There are no caddies. There are no coaches. You do it alone in the arena and I think that ups the ante a little bit.
