Lleyton Hewitt Quotes

I probably visualize myself, the shots I'm going to get in the game, how I'm going to play defense, what we have to do to stop the other team's best player, what it's going to take out of me, the whole aspect of the game.

Just try to focus one game at a time, not worry about points or anything like that. Worry about playing the right way and see what comes of it.

I always say that mentality is a crucial aspect in a football environment.

As professional cricketers, we have to ensure that we are battle-ready all the time.

There were butterflies, otherwise, you're not really ready to play. The locker room, I remember, was quiet and we were very focused on playing that game.

My mental approach is totally different. My coach predicated everything on defense. He always talked about defense, defense, defense. I took it to heart that if you play defense, you can take the heart from an offensive player.

You don't win tournaments by playing well and thinking poorly.

Especially young guys, it's always fun to see young guys come in and have that same enthusiasm about playing a certain way and fitting into a certain role and going after guys, trying to get them off their game.

As a player, you have to focus on the match and not too much on the surroundings.

When I'm on the field, I'm locked in, focused on my job. I try to have a positive play and try to get points on the board.

When teams see coach Gruden and myself run out on the field, they know, 'Hey, man, we are in for it mentally today.'

We players are very well aware that being a favourite won't win you a game, that your jersey won't win you a game.

That is one of the problems big teams face - their rivals always take the field very motivated, and I say this from experience.

I think competing gets overlooked sometimes. The competitiveness that you bring to a game and an at-bat, it can go a long way. It really can.

Always, always, always when you prepare for a game, you prepare to win the match.

You don't want to let the other team feed off your outward physical demeanor. But at the same time, you can't go out and play this game and not expect to just be angry and be competitive and be excited and have that fire in your belly.

I've played in a few Champions League matches and got into quarter-finals - sometimes unluckily knocked out - but you have to prepare like any other football match: you have to play the game, not the occasion. That's been instilled in me since I was a kid.

As a player, I don't want to come off the field.

You take it one game at a time because it's the most important game of the season.

When I went to work with Garinger, they were good kids and a very good team. But they had a nine-game losing streak, and you can see that they were getting down and depressed and not feeling rewards for their efforts. But when I came in there, I didn't need to teach them much about X's and O's.

By the time you get to the conference finals, you can't hide. It's not like your opponent is going to be experienced on how to try to exploit you. You have to have the right kind of habits and hopefully have been tested enough in those habits... to be able to still get to your identity.

In my own opinion, psychology in football is far more important than anyone believes, including the coaches.

It's pretty tough to play some good footy when your team is always losing.

I always speak with all the players during the week before every game we play, because it's important for them to know what I think and for me to see how they are before the game.

Kids want to see relevant teams.