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You will never have great tennis champions from England because of the cold and dark, but most of all because people only care about the sport for two weeks a year, and then they're on to something else. There's just not a great love of the sport there
Volleying comes into grass-court tennis because it's a surface that favours the player who gets on the front foot. So if you've got an opportunity to come in and be aggressive, then finishing the points at the net is always going to be a good strategy.
Losses have propelled me to even bigger places, so I understand the importance of losing. You can never get complacent because a loss is always around the corner. It's in any game that you're in - a business game or whatever - you can't get complacent.
I have a lot of good role models in my family for things off the court - like my older sister, who's a lawyer. I don't like writing papers, but she's helped me a lot. It's nice to have an art and business background because they tie together perfectly.
Somebody asked me at one stage, 'Are you depressed?' And I said, 'Are you kidding me? I'm not depressed.' But you know what? I was. I was, but I just didn't realize it, because all these things happen, and you just don't know how to deal with emotions.
Prayer is reaching out after the unseen; fasting is letting go of all that is seen and temporal. Fasting helps express, deepen, confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves to attain what we seek for the kingdom of God.
Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will draw our hearts out to God and keep us engaged with Him; it will take our attention from ourselves and give the Spirit room in our hearts.
Tennis is a game of angles. You never have time to figure the angles. It's practiced. It's so practiced that it becomes an instinct. You just know where to put the ball. You just feel it. It has been computed into your brain so many times it is there.
The trouble with being number one in the world - in anything- is that it takes a certain mentality to attain that position, and that is something of a driving, perfectionist attitude, so that once you do achieve number one, you don't relax and enjoy it.
You will never have great tennis champions from England because of the cold and dark, but most of all because people only care about the sport for two weeks a year, and then they're on to something else. There's just not a great love of the sport there.
Some people will say about me, 'If he was more serious he would play much better tennis.' But I would be different. Maybe I would not have my instincts right. And if I'm too crazy, it's not good either. So the balance is never easy to find. I am as I am.
It means a lot to be back in New York. Particularly since one of the last senior event scheduled in the States was supposed to be here in New York. We were supposed to play in Central Park right after 9-11 and when 9-11 happened obviously things changed.
My game plan - doesn't matter who I play - is to play on my terms, to control as much as I can, to try to get control of the centre of the court, to try to dictate and make them move, to be their director rather than letting them impose their game on me.
I love "Phenomenal Woman." The experiences she had of being African American in the U.S. - that itself is a task. I appreciate the hardships Maya Angelou went through for our generation. I'm super influenced by the black people that paved the way for us.
I still have a belief and a faith that some great things are still going to happen in my career. If I didnt believe that, it makes no sense for me to be out there, and on top of that, I know this is a period of time that God wants me to persevere through.
I'm not the first player to have their home Grand Slam and not perform. There have been a few Australians and French players, you name it. It's a tough thing. But it is one of those things. Would I rather have a Grand Slam in my country than not? I would.
In tennis, a lot of parents are accused of driving their kids into tennis. I would say I'm the opposite: I drove my parents into it. They didn't take it that seriously until I was about 11 or 12 years old, when they realised I had an opportunity to go pro.
If I were asked to name one aspect of tennis that is the biggest weakness of players of all levels, I would probably say concentration. However good your shots, however fast your movement and reflexes, all is lost if the mind is not controlling every move.
I feel like when I'm match tough and match hard and played a lot of matches I got that competitive winning spirit going and I can get on some rolls like I did last year. I won San Jose, Indian Wells and made the semifinals in Miami so it can happen for me.
You know I'm 27, but I've been traveling since I was 16, 17 years old. You see a lot of things, you hear a lot of things, and it definitely matures you a lot faster than it would other people. I think in that case it's definitely made me a stronger person.
I still have a belief and a faith that some great things are still going to happen in my career. If I didn't believe that, it makes no sense for me to be out there, and on top of that, I know this is a period of time that God wants me to persevere through.
I used to go swimming and passed the tennis courts every day, and that's how it started. My mum said, 'Why don't you play tennis in your summer holidays because you have nothing to do except swim for an hour or whatever?,' and that's how I started playing.
People say to me, 'You don't seem that interested in interviews.' Well, you know, I'm not, often. I'm not going to talk tactics with the press, so you are left with talking about how you are feeling; for me, it is not the most interesting thing to be doing.
Sure, I can afford a nice car and a nice place, but this is not what brings me happiness. Now you're on a high, and people know you and things like that, but how many people will remember your name once it all stops and the money isn't raining from the sky?
I think the players, I put in the book for example that we should go back to wood rackets, probably they laughed at me, I'm a dinosaur, but I think that you see these great players, have even more variety and you see more strategy, there'd be more subtlety.
I'm at the French Open right now and enjoyable as that is, it's only really Wimbledon that I miss from when I played elite tennis. I love that place so much, it's so special. That's when I say, yeah, I wish I was out there again. But then the moment passes.
Everyone wants to be happy - people find happiness in different ways. While you want to pursue your career 100 percent, I think it is very hard to give 100 percent in something else. It's important to find this balance, and priorities change throughout life.
The greatest compliment I ever got was when people called me an artist, and I understand that solo aspect of being an artist, when you're in there by yourself, trying to do something great, and people who don't even know you can come up and just dump on you.
You hit a wall at some stage when you don't want it so bad, but you don't know when that's going to be - as far as competition or as far as health is concerned. Sometimes it's just natural. You just taste it, and you want it so bad that you find other gears.
I think that tennis has been in a place for many years without any change. Davis Cup and Fed Cup has always been a very exciting platform for players because it is such an individual sport, and we get to play a team competition. We love being part of a team.
I used to wear sleeveless T-shirts all the time on court, but now I've got a brand new look - I've moved on to polo shirts. Sleeveless T-shirts give you real freedom of movement and they keep you cooler in matches, but I just thought it was time for a change.
I have been learning English on the road since I started when I was 15, so it is a slow process but making some progress. Now I think I am much more comfortable with my English. However, it is difficult, still, when I speak about something that is not tennis.
I don't go there thinking I'm going to lose. I never go into a tournament thinking that. I'll do the best that I can. I need to be at my peak and my best is holding up the trophy. Anything less I wouldn't be really excited about. So that's all I can focus on.
I still think that I'm dreaming. It's a strange feeling. I always try to watch the final of Grand Slams because that's where the best players are playing. ... I never expected to play a final. I never expected to win a Grand Slam. And right now I just did it.
Sand dunes are almost like ready-made buildings in a way. All we need to do is solidify the parts that we need to be solid, and then excavate the sand, and we have our architecture. We can either excavate it by hand, or we can have the wind excavate it for us.
Besides my strokes improving, I've gotten a lot more comfortable with the game. The travel's not so tough any more, I'm learning my way around the circuit. I'm learning to cope and I'm having fun. That's the key -- the tennis is fun and I'm really enjoying it.
For me, a big thing, because I have really long legs, is core stability. It's very important not only for injury but also just to be able to carry my weight around properly and not feel like I'm collapsing in specific situations when I'm stretched out too far.
I've always been a big fan of Thierry Henry. I enjoy watching all the great players, really. But we're always drawn to some players more than others, and in my case, it's Titi. He's my favourite player. I also really liked Luis Figo when he was at Real Madrid.
There are too many British players who just aren't good enough. And that's not through lack of effort. But in terms of getting to the top 100, and getting into Wimbledon on their ranking, I feel as though there are too many players who just aren't good enough.
The loser is always a part of the problem; the winner is always a part of the answer. The loser always has an excuse; the winner always has a program. The loser says it may be possible, but it's difficult; the winner says it may be difficult, but it's possible.
I was watching tennis on TV, and between games, they were showing a commercial for a tennis school. I wrote down the number, gave it to my mom, and said, 'This is what I want to do.' She thought it was a joke, but I was very stubborn, and I kept bringing it up.
When you have beaten guys a few times, you don't want them to think they know how you are going to play them. You have to try and find different ways of beating them. You have to do things they don't expect sometimes, put something unpredictable into your game.
I have always said that after sport, I wanted a life, I wanted an opportunity, I wanted to be able to do something. And if something happens - the economy falls out or the dollar is worthless, anything could happen - you have to be ready to work. And I'm ready.
Through crowdfunding anyone can find companies and products.Forming a partnership with innovative British businesses was appealing and the opportunity to go on a journey with these companies as they grow, and hopefully share in their future success, is exciting.
Nothing is like being out there and playing and performing and winning - nothing. But to have an interest in the player? The nerves and everything that goes with it? Seeing what he's learned and how he's done it? That's the second best thing to playing. I think.
Since I retired, I very much enjoy watching Serena Williams play. While I was playing, she was one of the toughest players I ever faced. Her ground strokes are so solid, her serve is one of the most powerful in women's tennis, and mentally she is just so strong.
I try to enjoy what I do, and every moment of the life that I have is a blessing. What else can you do but to be happy and try to bring that joy to the other people around - especially in the tournaments. Everybody has bad days. I'm not always funny or laughing.
It's great, and it's nice to have that feeling when you go home, all the people are supporting you. Of course, there are some people that are talking bad things, but it's normal, and I take them like positives, because not all the people can like me, so it's OK.
If you get to No 1, people say, 'But you didn't win a Grand Slam.' You cannot win, because you can say the same the other way round. In my opinion, both are really important. If you want to finish your career really happy with what you did, you have to win both.
You know, I still love the innocent parts of the game. I love hitting tennis balls. I love seeing the young guys do well. I'll still have a lot of friends to watch. I'll miss the relationships probably the most. As time passes, I'll probably miss the tennis more.