A Quote by Kei Nishikori
When I turned pro, it was one of my goals to get ranked in the top 50. I didn't really feel the pressure. I had some fear but at the same time I was happy to play tennis and playing stronger players.
Related Quotes
It would be fantastic to have the two top-ranked players in the world playing out of the same club.
I was a baseball player and a football player at Stanford, so I didn't play a lot of golf in college. I really started playing a lot after I turned pro and I had some time in the off-season.
One time, I got to go play with lion cubs in Johannesburg. It was amazing. But it's difficult when you're on the road. We're always playing tennis, and there's a lot of pressure. So sometimes you don't get to do the things you'd like to do, because the priority is tennis.
There haven't been that many players, both men and women, from South Africa breaking through on the pro level. It's not easy because you have to really start playing tennis at a young age and be exposed to the right competitions and other players from around the world.
The reality is we are still ranked 10th and we are playing a team ranked second in the world who are playing at the top of their game and are at home.
I'm a huge tennis fan, so the game I play the most is 'Top Spin.' You really have to know how to play tennis to get good at this game - whether you want to hit a forehand or a backhand, when's the best time to hit a slice - it's so real.
The world over - 50 million children start playing tennis, 5 million learn to play tennis, 500,000 learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5000 reach the grand slam, 50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to semi final, 2 to the finals, when I was holding a cup I never asked GOD 'Why me?'. And today in pain I should not be asking GOD 'Why me?'
Top players now will get bonuses for winning competitions or reaching various stages of them, scoring goals, or keeping clean sheets, but most don't play football for the money, because it's not been in the game that long. They do it for the love of playing.
Have I ever pretended to be something? I think back in college I think I might have told a girl that I was a professional tennis player once. And then, of course, she had never heard of me so I had to dig deeper. 'I'm just sort of on the playing satellites. You know, I'm kind of working my way up. I'm not ranked in the top 100 or anything.'
Most people won't play basketball with NBA players, because you have to be in the NBA, but you don't have to be a pro to play against pro gamers. There's a chance they could load in and play the same game as them.
If I changed the mindset of some players or my mindset helped some players to be better - maybe. But I don't think it was me changing anything for the club because playing for Manchester United means playing with the pressure, playing with the responsibility.
Some players are bought by other clubs with an eye to them developing into something special in a few years' time. Whereas there's a bit more pressure on some of the other clubs to bring in players who are going to be hitting the ground running and top players verging on world class almost immediately.
Tennis is at an amazing time when you've got two of the best players ever to play the game. You can argue the two very best playing in the same generation. It's a rivalry I think that we've never seen in our sport.
People think that there is so much money in tennis, but the reality is unless you're ranked in about the top 50 you don't earn much at all. It is hard to support yourself travelling the world, to be away from home most of the year and to pay for a coach to help you become a better player.
I think all tennis players have to struggle through the early stages of their career. We start off playing tournaments and really just get by. I always had a dream to play in the big tournaments and never have doubted if it was worth it. Having to battle a little early on in my career makes it all the more worthwhile now.
Serena and I have done some great career planning, and we're playing really at the peak of our tennis right now. I think tennis has been a sport where people play this insane schedule from 14 years old, so of course at 26, it's over. We've really paced ourselves.
Related Authors
Arthur Ashe Quotes
American
Tennis Player
Bernard Tomic Quotes
Australian
Tennis Player
Billie Jean King Quotes
American
Tennis Player
Chris Evert Quotes
American
Tennis Player
Jack Sock Quotes
American
Tennis Player
Jimmy Connors Quotes
American
Tennis Player
John McEnroe Quotes
American
Tennis Player
Juan Martin del Potro Quotes
Argentinian
Tennis Player
Mardy Fish Quotes
American
Tennis Player
Mark Philippoussis Quotes
Australian
Tennis Player
Martina Navratilova Quotes
American
Tennis Player
Pam Shriver Quotes
American
Tennis Player
Serena Williams Quotes
American
Tennis Player
Taylor Fritz Quotes
American
Tennis Player
Tim Henman Quotes
British
Tennis Player
Venus Williams Quotes
American
Tennis Player