Rod Laver Quotes

On clay, you know that you have much longer rallies, and you must run for maybe two or three hours.

It's tough to control the ball on the clay.

On clay courts I have some weapons to play a good match.

I like my groundstrokes, I can say. I like it. That's my game - I'm a groundstroke player and I play pretty aggressive.

I'm a decent tennis player. Good backhand.

Tennis is basically a game where you try to create an opportunity for yourself to finish the point, because you can't wait for the opponent to miss anymore. Well, if you create an opportunity and don't take advantage of it, you let the opponent back to even, then you are just starting the point over, so you have to take advantage of them.

I served, she came to the net, it was a passing shot.

Tennis is a running game, not a hitting game - it's not golf.

My father loved the single-handed backhand, so to him, that was the main goal; we were always fascinated by that shot. He taught me all the technique and how to structure my game. I was really privileged to have a father like that.

I first started out by hitting a ball against a wall when I was four.

Janowicz is more than just a big server. He moves well, has a fantastic forehand and good hands.

We had a court in our backyard, and I would mess around with the players on my dad's team. I hit with two hands on both sides, which I didn't stop doing until I was about 8.

Mary Joe Fernandez rarely has a bad loss. She never tries for stupid shots.

Some people get very confused about my game. They think it's better if the court is slow, because I have a good defence. But the faster it is, the better for me. My spin is more painful for my opponents, my aggressive game works better.

I always liked serve-and-volley players and big athletes.

I think I have a lot of room for improvement. My serve is okay, but I need to work on a lot of things: return, transition game, backhand.

I watch the ball fiercely to see its height and speed off my opponent's racket so I can decide how I want to hit it.

Good shot, bad luck and hell are the five basic words to be used in a game of tennis, though these, of course, can be slightly amplified.

I have a strong tennis arm.

I try not to hit a swing volley and run back. So my swing volley is kind of that transition to the net. It's been one of my favorite shots ever since I was young.

My tennis is aggressive, though I wouldn't say that it's more physical than technical. I rely more on technique than physique, but being physical is always a help to me.

Well, I like to - the game of serve and volley, but it's very tough, you know, against the best players because they return so good and their passing shots are really good. So it's really tough to get there with those players.

I grip very close to the butt of the racket. This allows me to get a lot of wrist action to create more spin and whip.

Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquillity.

I always dribble for a reason, and I always head for the goal.