Rafael Nadal

I tried to find a solution to the problem that I had, tried to find a way to start playing better.

My serve can get better, for sure. It’s not just about serving bombs, but positioning, variation in speed, in spin.

In your career you have a lot of good moments and bad ones. The important thing is to have enough motivation to keep working all the days with humility and trying to be a better player than before. I am going to try to continue doing this.

No one is perfect. Everybody does stupid things.

Some people may learn something from the way I play tennis. But there are also players who are better than me in certain techniques.

I’m always searching for new music, and I change what I listen to on a regular basis.

Girls had never been important. I’d had a girlfriend or two and had liked them a lot but it wasn’t love, because my first love was tennis.

The thing, when you’re down two sets to love, is to stay calm, even though it’s hard, because people are freaking out, people are worried for you.

However great your dedication, you never win anything on your own

I drew my strength from fear. Fear of losing. I don’t remember the games I won, only the games I lost.

Two weeks ago, I was in a fantastic situation, winning at Roland Garros. Now, losing in the first round, it’s tough. The tour continues. Life continues. This is a sport of victories, not a sport of losses. Nobody remembers the losses. I don’t want to remember the loss.

I only ever run when there’s some point to it – say, if it’s in a game of tennis.

I want to be remembered as a great athlete. As a boxing champion.

It’s good sportsmanship to not pick up lost golf balls while they are still rolling.

The record of Borg and Vilas? I have thought about it.

The worst thing is to play too defensively. I need to play with more intensity and be aggressive. If I do that, I’m going to do well because my touch is good.

Our strategy [at Chelsea] is to bring up our own players through the academy, which we have invested a lot in, and hope it gives results.

I started to travel like this at the age of 15 so for me, it’s normal. Some days you get tired and you feel, ‘I want to stay at home a little bit more,’ but it’s only the moment.

All sports are continuously developing, but what they all have in common is that the speed is increasing. That’s also true of tennis; the ball is getting faster and faster.

It should not be a child’s only goal to become the best player in the world. That would be a bad, a harmful attitude.

My feeling would be that you lose something of the beauty of the Premiership by joining something not defined at the moment.