Choking Under Pressure Quotes

The fifth set is not about tennis, it's about nerves.

On a given day, Serena Williams could beat some players. I believe because she's so incredibly strong mentally that she could overcome some situations where players would choke 'cause she's been in it so many times, so many situations at Wimbledon, The U.S. Open, etc. But if she had to just play the circuit - the men's circuit - that would be an entirely different story.

In my case what happened next in 1999 was that I fell apart over that back nine. When I saw I was in genuine contention that year I felt like throwing up. That remains probably the most nervous I've ever been on a golf course.

If you start worrying about your shooting percentages, you start not taking the shots you know you can make. You start worry about taking shots because you don't want to mess up your percentage.

Learning how to compete is one of the most important things that an athlete can do. You can train as well as you possibly can and go compete and completely choke.

We all choke. Winners know how to handle choking better than losers.

We all choke, and the man who says he doesn't choke is lying like hell.

I don't care who you are, you're going to choke in certain matches. You get to a point where your legs don't move and you can't take a deep breath. You start to hit the ball about a yard wide, instead of inches.

I believe all teams choke in certain situations.

You may score 50 points and grab 40 rebounds and have 30 assists, but if I don't make the free throws at the end of the game, and we lose, does that make you not a champion?

Anybody who has played sports and says they have never choked is lying to you.

When you're out there in the heat of the moment and you're pitching, and it's a big situation, you're saying 'Don't throw a ball, don't give up a hit, don't walk this guy.' But the harder you want to control something the more it gets out of your control.

You can freak when you are at the Olympic Games. There are millions of cameras. Everyone is watching every move. Some people will trip where they would never trip in a routine. It's the small thing that nerves really bring out in people.

Last year I was the favorite going into the world champs in Beijing, but I felt like I had to do something phenomenal in order to win. Instead of just having fun and competing, it became "I want to win so bad." But the person who wants it the most doesn't win. It's the person who executes. I still look back on that 200-meter race and say what the hell happened? I wasn't hurt, I wasn't sick, the conditions were perfect, and I ran like total crap.

Nick Diaz is a champion so he's got the spirit that comes with it. So he's not going to give up mentally. You see a lot of guys give up mentally and that's why they get knocked out or submitted. They give up mentally before they lose.

I can't overstate the part the yips played in bringing my career to a close.

He's a threat to win until his brain turns to tapioca.

More than any other major sport, professional or amateur, college football games are decided by the physical incompetence and downright chokery of their players.

It's interesting about people who choke. I'm, believe it or not, a good athlete. I've watched people choke over the years.

However much I try, I can't shake off the effects of the yips.

Even though I say to myself that I was seven-times World Champion, the voice in my head says, 'You can't play this shot.' It's completely mental - quite literally. My confidence is sapped every time this happens.

For me, 'choking' is just another term in golf.

There is a syndrome in sports called 'paralysis by analysis.'

It's quite possible that Beckham suffers from a mental block at big tournaments