You just try to play tough and focus point for point. Sounds so boring, but it’s the right thing to do out there.
Tennis is a hard sport. There is a lot of competition all year and you play alone.
I always wanted to be honest with myself and to those who have had faith in me.
Every year I go to Broadway to see a musical – I like the music. I saw ‘Mamma Mia;’ I saw ‘Les Miserables;’ I saw ‘Phantom of the Opera’ like six, seven times.
I spend a little time every day to play sports.
I will do as I usually do. Tomorrow is going to be a day like any other day.
I tried to find a solution to the problem that I had, tried to find a way to start playing better.
I am a guy who likes to do what I am doing with passion, whether it’s a soccer match with friends or golf.
I’ve stayed calm when I’m winning and I’ve stayed calm when I’ve lost. Tennis is a sport where we have a lot of tournaments every week, so you can’t celebrate a lot when you have big victories, and you cannot get too down when you’re losing, as in a few days you’ll be in the next tournament and you’ll have to be ready with that.
Since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to do sports for a living. In the beginning, I played a lot of soccer, but in the end I chose tennis. I love sports in general … But tennis is my passion.
My uncle developed the training philosophy. His idea of good tennis training is basically quite simple: you must try to gain time.
I appreciate a lot in this life; the things you cannot buy. Life is only once.
That’s the hard part about sport: as men we haven’t started to be in our prime, but as athletes we are old people. I needed support. I lost trust and did stupid things.
Please don’t call me arrogant, but I’m European champion and I think I’m a special one.
The bad thing about the tennis calendar is how it is made and obligates you to play tournaments all year. If you want to achieve the most you can and go as high up in the rankings as you can, you have to play from the start to the finish because there are important tournaments from the beginning to the end.
I became a player who goes to a lot of effort while training, who can rely on his will and his mental strengths.
Gaudio is playing very well. Today he played at an incredible level, especially on his backhand. But I am only thinking of my own game, and of playing well.
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.
I used to wear sleeveless T-shirts all the time on court, but now I’ve got a brand new look – I’ve moved on to polo shirts. Sleeveless T-shirts give you real freedom of movement and they keep you cooler in matches, but I just thought it was time for a change.
Honesty, willingness to exert oneself, friendship – all these things shaped me too.
I haven’t lost a war. No one got killed. I just lost a tennis match.
