Andre Agassi

“I address the trophy and the warped reflection: All the pain and suffering you've caused me.”

“Now that I've won a slam, I know something very few people on earth are permitted to know. A win doesn't feel as good as a loss feels bad, and the good feeling doesn't last long as the bad. Not even close.”

“Life will throw everything but the kitchen sink in your path, and then it will throw the kitchen sink. It's your job to avoid the obstacles. If you let them stop you or distract you, you're not doing your job, and failing to do your job will cause regrets that paralyze you more than a bad back.”

“Il sesso non interferisce con il tuo livello di gioco; è stare fuori tutta la notte per riuscire ad ottenerlo che rovina il gioco!”

“Ho attraversato una grande estate, poi ho perso quella partita. Mi ha spezzato il cuore. Non mi sono mai sentito così solo sul campo o più deluso dal gioco.”

“Fu davvero una grande cosa per me, perché il tennis è uno sport così solitario ed essere in grado di giocare per qualcun altro, per qualcos'altro, per qualcosa più grande di te ma comunque in relazione con te, è un grande senso di soddisfazione... e per me giocare per il mio Paese e, ancor più importante, giocare per realizzare ciò che mio padre aveva sperato e che non era riuscito a realizzare nella sua esperienza olimpica... sentivo che stavo giocando per qualcosa più grande di me e l'avere lui lì era parte di questo.”

“Ciò che rende speciale qualcosa non è quel che si vince, ma quel che senti di poter perdere.”

“Quel che rende speciale qualcosa non è quel che si vince, ma quel che senti di poter perdere.”

“Ho la sensazione di essere stato messo a parte di un piccolo, ignobile segreto – vincere non cambia niente. Adesso che ho vinto uno slam, so qualcosa che a pochissimi al mondo è concesso sapere. Una vittoria non è così piacevole quant’è dolorosa una sconfitta. E ciò che provi dopo aver vinto non dura altrettanto a lungo. Nemmeno lontanamente.”

“Spero di non arrivare mai al punto di pensare che alcune migliaia di dollari, in fondo, non sono poi molti soldi.”

“Even if it’s not your ideal life, you can always choose it. No matter what your life is, choosing it changes everything.”

“There’s a lot of good waiting for you on the other side of tired. Get yourself tired..”

“How lovely it is to dream while you are awake.”

“What you feel doesn’t matter in the end; it’s what you do that makes you brave.”

“No matter what your life is, choosing it changes everything.”

“If you don’t practice you don’t deserve to win.”

“Freed from the thoughts of winning, I instantly play better. I stop thinking, start feeling. My shots become a half-second quicker, my decisions become the product of instinct rather than logic.”

“Freed from thoughts of winning, I instantly play better. I stop thinking, stop feeling. My shots become a half-second quicker, my decisions become the product of instinct rather than logic.”

“He thinks it's his day, and when you think it's your day, it usually is.”

“I've been cheered by thousands, booed by thousands, but nothing feels as bad as the booing inside your own head during those ten minutes before you fall asleep.”

“Hitting a ball dead perfect - the only peace.”

“...we start the year on the other side of the world, at the Australian Open, and then just chase the sun.”

“The day after I turn pro, Philly gets a call from Nike. They want to meet with me about an endorsement deal. Philly and I meet the Nike man in Newport beach, at a restaurant called the Rusty Pelican. His name is Ian Hamilton. I call him Mr. Hamilton, but he says I should call him Ian. He smiles in a way that makes me trust him instantly. Philly, however, remains wary. Boys, Ian says, I think Andre has a very bright future. Thank you. I'd like Nike to be a part of that future, to be a partner in that future. Thank you. I'd like to offer you a two-year contract.Thank you.During which time Nike will provide all your gear, and pay you $20,ooo. For both years?For eacvh year.Ah.Philly jumps in. What would Andre have to do in exchange for this money?Ian looks confused. Well, he says, Andre would have to do what Andre has been doing, son. Keep being Andre. And wear Nike stuff.”

“Andre, I won't ever try to change you, because I've never tried to change anybody. If I could change somebody, I'd change myself. But I know I can give you structure and a blueprint to achieve what you want. There's a difference between a plow horse and a racehorse. You don;t treat them the same. You hear all this talk about treating people equally, and I'm not sure equal means the same. As far as I'm concerned, you're a racehorse, and I'll always treat you accordingly. I'll be firm, but fair. I'll lead, never push. I'm not one of those people who expresses or articulates feelings very well, but from now on, just know this: It's on, man. It is on. You know what I'm saying? We're in a fight, and you can count on me until the last man is standing. Somewhere up there is a star with your name on it. I might not be able to help you find it, but I've got pretty strong shoulders, and you can stand on my shoulders while you're looking for that star. You hear? For as long as you want. Stand on my shoulders and reach, man. Reach.”

“Sex doesn't interfere with your tennis; it's staying out all night trying to find it that affects your tennis.”

“Tennis is the loneliest sport”

“There are many ways of getting strong, sometimes talking is the best way.”

“Remember this. Hold on to this. This is the only perfection there is, the perfection of helping others. This is the only thing we can do that has any lasting meaning. This is why we're here. To make each other feel safe.”

“To be inspired - that's the secret.”

“Big dreams, are so damn tiring.”

“It's no accident, I think, that tennis uses the language of life. Advantage, service, fault, break, love, the basic elements of tennis are those of everyday existence, because every match is a life in miniature. Even the structure of tennis, the way the pieces fit inside one another like Russian nesting dolls, mimics the structure of our days. Points become games become sets become tournaments, and it's all so tightly connected that any point can become the turning point. It reminds me of the way seconds become minutes become hours, and any hour can be our finest. Or darkest. It's our choice.”

“Only boxers can understand the loneliness of tennis players - and yet boxers have their corner men and managers. Even a boxer's opponent provides a kind of companionship, someone he can grapple with and grunt at. In tennis you stand face-to-face with the enemy, trade blows with him, but never touch him or talk to him, or anyone else. The rules forbid a tennis player from even talking to his coach while on the court. People sometimes mention the track-and-field runner as a comparably lonely figure, but I have to laugh. At least the runner can feel and smell his opponents. They're inches away. In tennis you're on an island. Of all the games men and women play, tennis is the closest to solitary confinement....”

“I had moments of my actions and words not reflecting who it is I am - if that defines a punk, then yes, absolutely.”

“What makes something special is not just what you have to gain, but what you feel there is to lose.”

“Being Number Two Sucks. ”