Twenty days ago my physio asked me if I was if I never think that I can win a Grand Slam or be in final of Grand Slam, and I said no.
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.
I'm not that good a player, and I'll be the first to admit that. I might be a three or four grand-slam winner; I might be a two grand-slam winner, I don't know.
I obviously want to win a grand slam, but whatever I do, however long I play, I hope I sustain a really long career, a healthy one, just a pretty consistent career. I obviously want to win a grand slam.
I cleaned up. I quit drinking, I quit doing drugs, I quit stealing, I quit breaking into houses, I tried to quit being a bad human being. I developed a conscience later in life than many. I call it the lost-time-regained dynamic.
Everyone is fighting like crazy because it's the last Grand Slam. When you play the Grand Slams, you just have to give everything you have.
For years, I didn't feel like I belonged in the second week of Grand Slam tournaments. I just wasn't good enough. But when the 2016 U.S. Open rolled around, I knew, for whatever reason, I was going to make a splash.
Oh my God, this can't be happening!" I cried. "What?" "Mopeds? Those are the wheels Pete gives us? I knew he was pissed off at me! It was all that time I spent in the hospital wasn't it? Or was it the wrecks? But I only tore up one car last time! And that wasn't my fault!
To give you an idea how well I was doing at the time I quit, I was the only one who knew I quit.
It was June 4, 1979, the first time I went on stage. I didn't know I could do it but I knew I couldn't not do it. I quit everything in my life and this was the one thing I couldn't quit.
The guy comes up to the plate, there's always a chance where he can get a grand slam and everybody forgets about all the times he missed.
Once upon a time, there were only three or four dominant women. Now, there are 10 to 15 who can vie for a Grand Slam.
I quit my job when I was earning Rs 1.5 lakh per month, when my position was at a peak, I had a H1-B and could have gone offshore and lived comfortably. But I knew I would achieve something if I followed my heart, and gave that all up.
In Grand Slam, you play every two days, five-set match. You have a little bit more time to make mistake.
Major League Baseball has created a Pete Rose purgatory, and that's where he is. And that's where he's always going to be. It's unfortunate that the commissioner's office has decided to allow that to be the reality. I don't think Pete would mind if they said 'No' to Pete. Pete wants them to go one way or the other and get him out of the void he's in.
Olympic gold is obviously right up there with a grand slam. It's a big win. You can say it's more, you can say it's less, you can say it's equal. It's very much up there.