Chris Evert Quotes

Ninety percent of my game is mental. It's my concentration that has gotten me this far.

Training the body to obey the mind as I have done differs from the more conventional method of getting the mind to obey the body.

I was very, very shy as a younger girl, just petrified of people.

Once you've been number one, you can never be satisfied with less.

Even though there are a lot of bright tennis players out there, you still have to protect yourself and save all your mental and emotional energies for tennis.

I'm not getting within 20 feet of a married man ever again - not even talking to one!

There were times when deep down inside I wanted to win so badly I could actually will it to happen. I think most of my career has been based on desire.

Relationships are give-and-take, and when you're a tennis player, you're certainly not giving. You have to be self-absorbed. It has to be about you.

When I was in grade school and we had to write papers about what we wanted to be when we grew up, I wanted to be a social worker or a missionary or a teacher. Then I got involved with tennis, and everything was just me, me, me. I was totally selfish and thought about myself and nobody else, because if you let up for one minute, someone was going to come along and beat you. I really wouldn't let anyone or any slice of happiness enter ... I didn't like the characteristics that it took to become a champion.

I can definitely say the same thing [discussing Steffi Graf's claim that she had played against at least one top player who used steroids]. Steroids can really make a difference, physically and mentally. I'd be really disappointed if I had been ranked No. 2 behind someone who took steroids.

I wanted always to appear strong and in control ... Then the cookie began to crumble.

I still have this image: I can't be controversial, I can't say things.

You can't give up! If you give up, you're like everybody else.

Cats are peaceful and tranquil - they bring calmness with their serene personalities.

Competitive toughness is an acquired skill and not an inherited gift.

I realized that with hard work, the world was your oyster. You could do anything you wanted to do.

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

I always looked ahead.

My first U.S. Open I think was just very special for me because that was sort of the beginning of what was a 'Cinderella' story for me.

If you're a champion, you have to have it in your heart.

Find something that you're really interested in doing in your life. Pursue it, set goals, and commit yourself to excellence. Do the best you can.

Whatever your goal in life, be proud of every day that you are able to work in that direction.

I think team sports probably teach you more about giving - about being unselfish and being flexible.

The difference is almost all mental. The top players just hate to lose. I think that's the difference. A champion hates to lose even more than she loves to win.

When I was younger, I was a robot. Wind her up and she plays tennis.

Not every child is cut out for an individual sport.

Being famous before you've formed your personality, before you have that self-esteem, is dangerous.

If you can react the same way to winning and losing, that's a big accomplishment. That quality is important because it stays with you the rest of your life, and there's going to be a life after tennis that's a lot longer than your tennis life.

The great high of winning Wimbledon lasts for about a week. You go down in the record book, but you don't have anything tangible to hold on to. But having a baby
there isn't any comparison.

Tennis helped give me an identity and made me feel like somebody.