Boris Becker

When I was a child, I had posters of James Dean in my room. I was a big admirer of his work and was fascinated by him living on the edge. Looking back, my life was kind of the same.

Before, I wouldn’t have sacrificed anything for tennis but when I met Barbara it was different. I would have sacrificed tennis for Barbara.

I love the winning, I can take the losing, but most of all I Love to play.

I lost in the second round of the French Open and had 10 days off. I went to the Hard Rock Cafe. It was exciting to be away from my parents, to stay in a hotel. Hotels at 17 meant freedom.

A few years after my first son was born, he wanted to know how we chose his name, so I began reading him the story of Noah’s Ark.

Andre Sa is playing close to his potential – maybe even above it.

Tennis is a psychological sport, you have to keep a clear head. That is why I stopped playing.

The young athletes are supposed to mature, to improve their personality.

I am afraid of a lot of things. A dog. I could be afraid of a dog that’s upset, for example. And on the tennis courts, maybe on the outside I look fearless, but on the inside, I’m scared. There’s not one player in the world who isn’t nervous before matches. Especially important matches.

I need to improve, I want to improve, and to be able to stay in London and play on grass before Wimbledon is a very good opportunity for me.

I’m lucky enough to do what I like for work – not everyone’s that fortunate.

I like fishing. Not actual fishing – I like the peace and quiet of being at sea. It’s different.

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

Above all, such sports as judo, in my view, teach people to relate to each other. They teach us to respect a partner, teach us to understand that an externally weak partner can not only put up worthy resistance, but, if you relax and take too much for granted, may even win.

Everyone is entitled to have their own opinions.

I am decidedly unfriendly during a golf game, from the first hole to the last.

I know my serve stinks, but I was a pretty good tennis player.

The US player Andy Roddick reaches speeds of 220 kilometers per hour when he serves. If I train with him every day, I will later be at an advantage against a player whose service crosses the net at 190 kilometers per hour.

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.

I will do as I usually do. Tomorrow is going to be a day like any other day.

My uncle developed the training philosophy. His idea of good tennis training is basically quite simple: you must try to gain time.