I strongly believe the black culture spends too much time, energy and effort raising, praising, and teasing our black children about the dubious glories of professional sports.
Let me put it this way: I think Republicans tend to keep the ball in play, Democrats go for broke.
Later, I discovered there was a lot of work to being good in tennis.
Every time you win, it diminishes the fear a little bit. You never really cancel the fear of losing; you keep challenging it.
I have tried to keep on with my striving because this is the only hope I have of ever achieving anything worthwhile and lasting.
We must reach out our hand in friendship and dignity both to those who would befriend us and those who would be our enemy.
You learn about equality in history and civics, but you find out life is not really like that.
You really are never playing an opponent. You are playing yourself.
I have always tried to be true to myself, to pick those battles I felt were important. My ultimate responsibility is to myself. I could never be anything else.
With what we give, we make a life.
Life is like a tennis game. You can’t win without serving.
I know I could never forgive myself if I elected to live without humane purpose, without trying to help the poor and unfortunate, without recognizing that perhaps the purest joy in life comes with trying to help others.
My humanity, in common with all of God’s children, gives the greatest flight to my full range of my possibilities.
You’ve got to make a lot of sacrifices and spend a lot of time if you really want to achieve with this sport, or in any sport, or in anything truly worthwhile.
Sometimes, a defeat can be more beautiful and satisfying than certain victories. The English have a point in insisting that it matters not who won or lost, but how you played the game.
If one’s reputation is a possession, then of all my possessions, my reputation means most to me.
If I didn’t play tennis I probably would have to see a psychiatrist.
Martina’s like the old Green Bay Packers. You know exactly what she’s going to do, but there isn’t a thing you can do about it.
It is not just the more talented player who wins. Some players may try a little harder.
Someone once told me that God figured that I was a pretty good juggler. I could keep a lot of balls in the air at one time. So He said, “Let’s see if he can juggle another one.”