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Top Tennis Champions Motivational Mind Quotes, Past and Present

On visualization - "I pictured myself on the court, playing tennis, having the same feelings, feeling the shots. All of that. There’s studies that show imagery works just as well, if you do it correctly, as you being on the court. That’s huge."
Bianca Andreescu

"Tennis is 90% mental and 10% physical."
Venus Williams

"Visualization was something I learnt when I was in my late teens, I would visualize the court and walking on the court and who my opponent was going to be and tossing for serve and playing the match and it was like a dress rehearsal and when I went out there I felt that this was very comfortable, I’ve been here before."
John Newcombe

"The mind is everything in tennis. Without it, you're nothing."
Andre Agassi

“Tennis is a mental game. Everyone is fit, everyone hits great forehands and backhands.”   
Novak Djokovic

"The power of the mind is incredible. Visualization allows me to see myself executing flawless shots and dominating the tennis court."
Naomi Osaka

"It's the zone, where everything flow so effortlessly and you are executing automatically everything you are intending to execute. You don't need to think too much."
Novak Djokovic

"I always want to believe in myself, and I always want to win the biggest tournaments in the world."
Daniil Medvedev

"I have three different backhands, and he has only one. I can hit a flat backhand, on top of the ball or under it. Muscles (Ken Rosewall) just hits every backhand the same - perfectly."
Arthur Ashe

"I remember as a kid, I was improvising and making little trophies out of different materials and going in front of the mirror, lifting the trophies and saying 'Nole was the champion!'"
Novak Djokovic

"All of a sudden, it just goes by itself. You don't ask yourself any more questions. There's no explanation. It just happens."
Roger Federer

"It's just up to us to look at something else, not at the montage. I'm going to watch it after our match. I don't want to build it up too much. I already know who she is. I don't want to get reminded about everything she's done in the sport. But I think if I just stay within my little bubble, have my corner that I go to when I need help just for support, block it out as much as I can."
Ajla Tomljanovic after playing Serena Williams in her last match at the US Open

 

"Tarnishing my legacy? Do me a favour. I'm in a terrible moment right now I'll give you that. Most people would quit and give up in my situation right now. But I'm not most people and my mind works differently. I won't quit. I will keep fighting and working to produce the performances I know I'm capable of".
Andy Murray

"It really helps you to stay calm. Today, in this modern world, that is obviously very fast. We are always playing, always out, we have thousands informations coming from phones, from computers, televisions. We are surrounded by a lot of noise, and meditation is really important in my opinion as it helps to meet, to be present, to have a reset, as a person, as a tennis player, as an athlete. We alway alone on the court , so I think it is a fundamental thing to do. I have been doing it for ten years now, and it has obviously helped me a lot on the court but also outside of it, for normal life"
Novak Djokovic

“At the end of the day, you battle yourself the most.”
Novak Djokovic

"One month ago I wanted to change a little bit even more to try to be even more strong mentally, and to think less about one guy in the crowd who screams something at me, or I think the referee is sometimes wrong. I try to focus more. I’m still far from being perfect, but I’m trying. I just want to be better with myself. To not have after the matches these moments where I’m like, ‘I did this with the crowd, was it right, was it wrong, why did I do it? Did it help me on the court? Did it not help me?’ Just don’t want to have it anymore".
Daniil Medvedev

"The mental side is an important part of the tennis puzzle. If you are able to master all areas of being aprofessional athlete, you can be successful. My mental coach has taught me very simple things, such as creating a system and a routine in your daily life that helps you to work".
Tomas Berdych

"To me, talent doesnt exist, it has to be earned. Your ability may be a little better, but if you work, you will rise higher. The one who works is the talented one".
Jannik Sinner

 

“If you want to be different to other players, take a different approach.  If you want to be just like any other player, do what every other player does.  The choice is easy".
Craig Townsend - mental trainer  

 

"You've just got to get over that mental hurdle and those battles in your own head during matches when things aren't going so well. It takes time. It's probably all things I already knew, but for someone to talk about it maybe in a different way makes you realise things."
Sam Stosur

Losing is not my enemy..fear of losing is my enemy.
Rafael Nadal

 

"A lot of the time, it’s about controlling the controllables and letting go of everything else.".
Ash Barty

I'm not afraid of anyone, but sometimes I'm afraid of myself. The mental part is very important.
Justine Henin

"When I feel good on the court and sense I am playing well, I feel there is no way a guy can hit a winner on me, because I am going to be there. I think I can do anything with a tennis ball. It is the best feeling. Then I will try something I have never done before, and that works too!"
Bjorn Borg

Almost everybody's here doing the same thing. Who am I to come up with an excuse when there's 64 other players here doing the same thing? 63 others, sorry.
Andy Roddick

"As soon as he went to slice, I was able to dictate the points with my forehand. I used the width of the court well and came forward when I had the opportunity. When you are playing against big servers, the matches can be quite tight and it's not always easy to play the break points really aggressive. You don't know how many opportunities you are going to get. Once I got the break, I felt like I was able to free up a little bit and take a few more chances."
Andy Murray

"I know if the opponents want to beat me, they're going to have to play really good tennis for at least three full sets, and I'm going to try to make it tough for them. Physically I'm going to try to be in good shape and make them suffer if I can. With my technical game I'm going to try to play heavy and play the kind of clay-court tennis that I like playing. It's been working well the last two, three years here.”
Casper Ruud

"I try and do the best I can every single day, regardless of what the result is, and that’s what drives me".
Ash Barty

"I don't feel the pressure too much. I know the things I have to do.  I need to play relaxed and not mind if I lose or if I play well or not. My goal is always the same. To feel comfortable on court. To enjoy playing tennis and try to have great thoughts when playing.  And that is why I am playing at a good level. I am enjoying every single second and playing relaxed. That is what I am thinking about on court".
Carlos Alcaraz

"Before, it felt like if I was not going to win this match, something bad was going to happen. I'm going to die, whatever. But these kinds of thoughts create all of that pressure, all of that frustration, all of that crazy stuff. Nowadays, I'm just working hard, I'm trying to improve myself every day. Every time I'm on the court, I try to give my best. If you give your best, and you don't win the match, okay. You learn and you try better next time."
Aryna Sabalenka

I'm a perfectionist. I'm pretty much insatiable. I feel there's so many things I can improve on.
Serena Williams

 

You have to find it. No one else can find it for you.
Bjorn Borg

"I was a little bit lost, but during the third set I started saying to myself that if I lose this match, I just want to be proud of myself. I want to fight until the end, fight for every point, and if I lose, I lose. And I managed to win, so I’m very proud."
Daniil Medvedev

 

That's when you've got to grit your teeth and hang in there and try and find a way to win when you're not playing your best tennis - that's what I can be proud of
Lleyton Hewitt

"I think my mentality has been key. I think my physicality is always going to be there, and my mentality normally is, but it’s a long year so you have weeks when it might be a little bit tougher to be very positive all the time. From the word go here in Rotterdam, I’ve felt a very calm presence. I’ve felt positive, I’ve been calm and collected throughout whole matches, and I think that’s been a big key for me."
Alex DeMinaur

"Some people don't know this, before I go on court I like to play loud music because I actually don't like to hear you guys when I walk on because it makes me nervous".
Coco Gauff

"If you're not happy with your coach you should seek for something else. But I'm happy with what my dad does, the chemistry we have, the connection we have. So it wasn't something that crossed my mind".
Casper Ruud

"You live during the match, and you have strong emotions, but you don't want to get too overexcited. My body's totally flat now. I cannot move anymore. I'm totally exhausted, just because of the tension out there".
Roger Federer

"I don't really know what I'm doing out there because something strange is going on. I think I am Superman, and I try all kinds of things because suddenly, I know I can't miss. I make an unbelievable shot and it feels just like all the others. So then I want to show the ppl even more, give them the most fantastic shots they've never seen before in their lives".
Bjorn Borg

Both Arthur Ashe and Billie Jean King used these phrases ("playing out of one's mind," or "over one's head") to describe their performances while winning the finals at Wimbledon in 1975. . . . The player loses himself in the action, continually breaking the false limits placed on is potential. Awareness becomes acutely heightened, while analysis, anxiety and self-conscious thought are completely forgotten. Enjoyment is at a peak - pure and unspoiled.
W. Timothy Gallwey, "The Inner Game of Tennis"

"Focus on the present moment and give each point your full attention."
Naomi Osaka

 

As you know, I was one of the original grunters. But Jimmy Connors used to grunt way before I was born. I never knew I was grunting, it was just part of my strokes.
Monica Seles

"I tried to use everything that I’ve trained, as in forgetting about the past and focusing on the present. And that’s helped me a lot. I’ve done a lot of mental training since I was very young and it’s paying off now."
Leylah Annie Fernandez

 

I'm not lucky. If I play another player, even if I don't play really good, I think I can win.
Richard Gasquet

"I want to play tennis. I want to be proud of myself. I want to fight. So could this help me win all of these matches? Possibly, yes. But I also don’t want to say yes one month ago I decided this and then suddenly I’m winning all these matches. Life is not that easy".
Daniil Medvedev

"I think the biggest thing is that I played solid this week, but I played very within myself. I don't think I at any point, was, like, wow, I'm playing incredible, or I'm playing out of my mind"
Taylor Fritz

It is very important not to think about losing.
Venus Williams

Everything is possible in this life...
Marat Safin

It's like love. When you look too hard, you don't find it. When you let it happen naturally, it comes.
Marat Safin

"Tennis is mostly mental. You win or lose the match before you even go out there."
Serena Williams

"In tennis, it is not the opponent you fear, it is the failure itself, knowing how near you were but just out of reach."
Venus Williams

"Champions keep playing until they get it right."
Andy Murray

"I hate to lose more than I love to win"
Billie Jean King

"I have two lives, and all the problems I might have, I feel like I drop them once I step onto the match court." Roger Federer

"I have always considered tennis as a combat in an arena between two gladiators who have their racquets and their courage as their weapons."
Yannick Noah

"The great part about tennis is you can’t run out the clock… As long as we were still playing, I had a chance."
Andre Agassi

"Experience is a great advantage. The problem is that when you get the experience, you’re too damned old to do anything about it."
Jimmy Connors

"The goal is not necessarily to play three perfect sets every time and win straight sets, but sometimes you just have to think, ‘Okay, I won't play perfect, but I'm going to be a tough player to beat in best-of-five sets on clay. That's the kind of mentality that has been working for me".
Casper Ruud

"I woke up that morning and just had this funny feeling I can't lose. That extra bit of confidence can mean everything at this level. And I believe my victory over Connors was the most significant match of the 70s. It affected how the rest of the decade played out. If Connors had beaten me, I fully believe he rides that momentum to win the US Open that fall, and Borg would not have won 5 straight Wimbledons. If Jimmy wins our match, that extra confidence helps him find a way to beat Borg in the '77 Wimbledon final, which he lost in 5 sets, and Borg's ascendancy would have been delayed, or maybe never happened at all. If the timing isn't right, many ballons get burst in sports."
Arthur Ashe

"But I want to show these shots because suddenly, I know I cannot miss, not even one shot can I miss. It is like I am dreaming. It is wonderful."
Bjorn Borg

"It’s one-on-one out there, man. There ain’t no hiding. I can’t pass the ball."
Pete Sampras

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

 

"The mark of great sportsmen is not how good they are at their best, but how good they are at their worst."
Martina Navratilova

 

"Champions keep playing until they get it right."
Billie Jean King

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You don't think about anything because you just try to play every game, every point. If you get some chance, you try to take this chance.
Nikolay Davydenko

You've got to take the initiative and play your game. In a decisive set, confidence is the difference.
Chris Evert

I can't say that I was my happiest on court, but I felt completely free. Free from family obligations, free from my own torment. In a real sense I was a different person. It was a place where I could not tolerate the idea of being beaten. I psyched myself up into a state where I felt something close to hatred towards my opponent, a state where I detested the idea of someone making his name at the expense of Jimmy Connors. I was in my element on court, measuring myself against someone else. I was not competitive for show. It came from deep within.
Jimmy Connors

I never look back, I look forward.
Steffi Graf

"Control the things you can control ."
Sam Stosur

"This is my standard. This is what I’ve got to bring every single time I walk on the court. That’s how I’m going to play my best tennis. I think I made a big step in the right direction, showing the type of tennis I can play, week in, week out. I think I’ve raised the bar a little bit and hopefully there’s plenty more to go."
Alex DeMinaur

I love the winning, I can take the losing, but most of all I love to play.
Boris Becker

“I know that there's still a lot of room for improvement. And something I've said throughout my entire career, whether it's when I won my first ATP point or I won my first challenger or I made my first round of 16 or whatever it is, I've always said once I do something once, I just feel a lot more confident in being able to do it again."
Taylor Fritz

A smile is a curve that can straighten out a lot of problems.
Ana Ivanovic

He'll go down as one of the guys who changed our sport in a lot of ways, not only the way he played the game, but also the way that he conducted himself on and off the court.
Lleyton Hewitt

I don't care now if I ever win a match in my life again. Whatever I do in my life, wherever I go, I'm going to be always Wimbledon champion.
Goran Ivanisevic

I'm not relatable to Federer. Only a couple of people are relatable to Federer, I'm not. I never looked at him and I was like 'I wannt be that guy', I knew it wasnt attainable.
Nick Kyrgios

There were many occasions in my career where I could have given up, where I asked myself whether I would ever make it.
Amelie Mauresmo

Every time I hit the ball on the wall I uses to pretend I was there (Wimbledon). When I went to sleep I used to pretend I was there.
Evonne Goolagong

The difference of great players is at a certain point in a match they raise their level of play and maintain it. Lesser players play great for a set, but then less.
Pete Sampras

I'm the sort of person who keeps a lot to myself.
Patrick Rafter

“Whatever I say doesn’t do it justice. For me.. I fight my own battles. I run my own race. All that comes with the work we all put in as a team. I’m at a very different path in my life and my career. A lot was done. A lot of work. A lot of everything behind it. So I don’t want to go too far back. There’s no reason for it. I kept on believing. I kept on thriving. I kept on having faith in myself. When I didn’t believe in myself enough, all the team around me was constantly pushing me in the right direction. I had very good discipline. My family was by my side. All the close friends.. It’s all love at the end of the day. This is just a cherry on the cake.”
Grigor Dimitrov

When you start from nothing, when you come from nothing, it makes you hungry. I am proud of where I came from and I know what I want. I want to win.
Maria Sharapova

The great part about tennis is you can't run out the clock.... As long as we were still playing, I had a chance.
Andre Agassi

"I said to myself, you’ve got sixty seconds before you walk onto the court and you’ve allowed negativity to take over your whole body in the next sixty seconds you’ve got to force out all of that negativity, when you go out on the court there’s going to be a player at the other end of the court and a tennis ball and that’s it".
John Newcombe

 

"Winning for your country gives you a high that lasts two or three days. You can't go to K-Mart and pick that up.
Jim Courier

"Ever since that day when I was 11 years old, and I wasn't allowed in a photo because I wasn't wearing a tennis skirt, I knew that I wanted to change the sport".
Billie Jean King

The roughest thing I ever said to an umpire was, 'Are you sure?'
Rod Laver

He's a haircut and a forehand.
Ivan Lendl

I think when you start to do well and get your confidence back, everything becomes more fun. When you're playing with not your full capacity of confidence, I think things get a little tough. I knew I could be doing better than what I was doing. Even though I was ranked 5 or 4 or whatever it was, I wanted to get back to the level I thought I could play at.
Lindsay Davenport

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I'll let the racket do the talking.
John McEnroe

The ball is round, the game is long.
Bjorn Borg

You don't have to hate your opponents to beat them.
Kim Clijsters

I have no idea about my draw – I don’t look at the draw. I don’t like it. I think it’s a way of getting ahead of yourself. There’s no moment like the present.
Alex DeMinaur

You don't have to hate your opponents to beat them.
Kim Clijsters

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

I didn’t want to fail mentally. I didn’t want to disappoint myself with my effort. I didn’t want to have any regrets leaving this court today, so even if it was frustrating, the way it went, the third set, I thought, ‘You need to be tough, you need to stay strong’ and I’m happy I did because now I’m really happy.
Felix Augur-Aliassime

I just try to concentrate on concentrating.
Martina Navratilova

"Champions keep playing until they get it right."
Billie Jean King

"I have always considered tennis as a combat in an arena between two gladiators who have their racquets and their courage as their weapons."
Yannick Noah

I made it look so easy on court all those years. No one realized how hard I had to work. No one realized how much I had to put into it. They underestimated my intensity.
Pete Sampras

So there was a fire inside me. And that fire inside you, it can be turned into a negative form or a positive form. And I gradually realised that I had this fire and that it had to be used in a positive way.
John Newcombe

What rivalry? I win all the matches.
Martina Hingis

"In tennis, most players lose every week. You have to learn to become a good loser. It's tough, but it's part of the game. You have to take the positives out of every match and keep working hard."
Alex DeMinaur

I'm never going to win a match against him playing really conservative.
James Blake

"Obviously Novak is Novak. He's human. Sometimes he doesn't seem like it, but he is like everyone else. I think what really motivated me and helped me a bit today was maybe that I thought about, you know, he lost a match in Indian Wells to Luca Nardi, and he showed there that he's also vulnerable sometimes. Not many times in a year, but a few days here and there he's possible to beat. Luckily for me I was able to think about those thoughts in the end of the third set and take advantage of it, believing more in myself that I could beat him now than before, because he didn't have that perfect record so far this year, and that kind of is how tennis works. Fine balance. If you see that someone has done really well in the beginning of the year, it's tough to play them, because you're expecting, wow, this guy is almost impossible to beat. But if you see that many or other players have beaten him before, you believe a bit more in yourself also."
Casper Ruud

Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquillity.
Billie Jean King

Tennis has given me soul.
Martina Navratilova

Sometimes I wish I could have been a bit more relaxed, but then I wouldn't have been the same player.
Steffi Graf

"To me, talent doesnt exist, it has to be earned. Your ability may be a little better, but if you work, you will rise higher. The one who works is the talented one".
Novak Djokovic

 

"In tennis, it is not the opponent you fear, it is the failure itself, knowing how near you were but just out of reach."
Andy Murray

"Everyone is talented, but it's the ones who handle the pressure the best who wins."
Billie Jean King

"The key to success in tennis is to focus on what you can control, and let go of what you can't."
Serena Williams

"You can't let your failures get to you. You have to keep going."
Sloane Stephens

"You have to keep your head in the game at all times, and stay focused on the task at hand."
Roger Federer

"You have to be able to keep your composure and stay focused on the big picture."
Martina Navratilova

"Tennis is a game of inches, and sometimes those inches can make all the difference. It's important to stay focused on every point and never give up."
Maria Sharapova

"Tennis is all about mental toughness, and you have to keep your head in the game at all times. You have to believe in yourself and trust your instincts."
Steffi Graf

"Tennis is not just about hitting the ball. It's about strategy, mental toughness, and how you handle pressure."
Boris Becker

"It's important to stay focused on the present moment. You can't let your mind wander or get distracted."
Monica Seles

"Tennis is a mental game, and you have to be able to handle the ups and downs. You have to stay focused and never give up."
Andre Agassi

 

"You have to be able to handle the pressure. You have to stay focused and never lose sight of your goals."
Mary Pierce

 

"Tennis is a game of strategy, and you have to be able to outthink your opponent. You have to be able to anticipate their next move and stay one step ahead."
John McEnroe

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