50 Tennis Quotes Every Player Should Know
Share
Quotes About Hard Work & Discipline
- “Tennis is mostly mental. You win or lose the match before you even go out there.” – Venus Williams
- “Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” – Arthur Ashe
- “The mark of great sportsmen is not how good they are at their best, but how good they are at their worst.” – Martina Navratilova
- “The more I train, the luckier I get.” – Novak Djokovic
- “Champions keep playing until they get it right.” – Billie Jean King
- “You’ve got to get to the stage in life where going for it is more important than winning or losing.” – Arthur Ashe
- “Losing is not my enemy... fear of losing is my enemy.” – Rafael Nadal
- “I play each point like my life depends on it.” – Rafael Nadal
- “Effort is a choice.” – Roger Federer
- “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.” – Vince Lombardi (applicable to tennis and any sport)
Mental Toughness & Confidence
- “What matters isn’t how well you play when you’re playing well. What matters is how well you play when you’re playing badly.” – Martina Navratilova
- “It’s not the opponent across the net who defeats you—it’s your own mind.” – Anonymous
- “I never look back, I look forward.” – Steffi Graf
- “Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquility.” – Billie Jean King
- “Doubt is your enemy. Confidence is your best partner.” – Anonymous
- “Every champion was once a contender who refused to give up.” – Rocky Balboa (frequently cited by athletes)
- “You have to believe in yourself when no one else does.” – Serena Williams
- “You can’t always control circumstances, but you can control your reaction.” – Anonymous
- “I am not afraid of anyone, but sometimes I am afraid of myself.” – Justine Henin
- “Pressure is a privilege.” – Billie Jean King
Wisdom from the Legends
- “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan (used widely in tennis coaching circles)
- “The serve was invented so that the net could play.” – Bill Cosby (humorous, but loved by tennis fans)
- “Tennis is a solo sport. You compete with yourself.” – Anonymous
- “You only live once, but you get to serve twice.” – Anonymous
- “Being number one is not nearly as fun as being number seventeen.” – John McEnroe
- “You can’t be serious!” – John McEnroe
- “Tennis uses the language of life. Advantage, service, fault, break, love.” – Andre Agassi
- “It’s no accident that tennis uses the language of life.” – Andre Agassi
- “Even if you’re not winning, you can still fight like hell.” – Serena Williams
- “I hate to lose more than I love to win.” – Jimmy Connors
Motivational Quotes for Any Player
- “If you can keep playing tennis when somebody is shooting a gun down the street, that’s concentration.” – Serena Williams
- “You don’t have to be the best, you just have to be better than you were yesterday.” – Anonymous
- “Tennis is life in miniature.” – Andre Agassi
- “What you feel doesn’t matter in the end; it’s what you do that makes you brave.” – Andre Agassi
- “No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment.” – Carol Dweck
- “Love means nothing to a tennis player.” – Anonymous
- “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” – Tommy Lasorda
- “Don’t let one point define your match.” – Anonymous
- “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky (still motivates many tennis players)
- “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb
Quotes to Share, Gift, or Wear
- “Rise and grind—it's match day.”
- “Train like you’re the worst. Play like you’re the best.”
- “Serve it. Smash it. Win it. Love it.”
- “Some dream of success. Others wake up early and practice.”
- “Leave it all on the court.”
- “Work until your idols become your rivals.”
- “No regrets. Just rallies.”
- “Sweat is your best accessory.”
- “The court reveals character.”
- “Hustle, Hit, Never Quit.”
