Chris Evert's Quotes

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

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

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

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.

When you're a famous, successful person at 16 years old, the rules change for you. Everybody is doing things for you to make life easier so you can go out and play. And I think you miss out on lot of growing up and a lot of reality checks.

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

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.

Every time, all the time, I'm a perfectionist. I feel I should never lose.

You pay a price for everything in life.

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

To be a tennis champion, you have to be inflexible. You have to be stubborn. You have to be arrogant. You have to be selfish and self-absorbed. Kind of tunnel vision almost.

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

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.

I always looked ahead.

I love hiking in the mountains in Aspen. Breathing the clean, fresh air is great. Plus, it gives me a cardiovascular workout and firms my legs.

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

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