Rod Laver Quotes

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Rod Laver

Profession : Athlete

Birth : August 9, 1938

The next point - that's all you must think about.

Rod Laver

It occurred to me that it would benefit me to play without emotion - well, without emotion others could see, anyway. Card players profited from having a poker face so opponents wouldn't know how good or bad their hand was, and I figured a deadpan expression would work in tennis, too.

Rod Laver

There's a lot of ingredients go into being a good tennis player.

Rod Laver

I competed hard in the heat of the battle, and there were a few occasions where I played my best in the top matches. As for the best ever? I don't think so.

Rod Laver

I wasn't embarrassed that I'd had a stroke, but I just didn't want people to think I was milking it or looking for sympathy. It happened, and I dealt with it. Afterwards, I tried to do what I could for other people who had strokes, speaking at hospitals that treated stroke victims.

Rod Laver

When you have the opportunity, you strike.

Rod Laver

When you've got your man down, rub him out.

Rod Laver

I saw Kyrgios down in Australia. He played some very good tennis, won two or three matches, and has done the same here at Wimbledon. I think Australia's got a good prospect in Kyrgios.

Rod Laver

I don't know much about Mauresmo apart from the fact she played great tennis. Is she a good technician? I don't know those parameters.

Rod Laver

Yes, I hit with heavy top-spin, but when you look at the little rackets I played with, the Maxply Dunlop, you had to hit the very centre all the time. I had my share of miss-hits.

Rod Laver

We were pretty darn good - fit and ready to play - but today's level is different. Those ground strokes are ever so much faster, coming back at you at a pretty good speed. Footwork-wise, you've got to be ready to hit that next shot. It's a tough time.

Rod Laver

Forty years ago, the players were like a travelling circus - we went everywhere together and were pretty good friends.

Rod Laver

As a tennis player, you have a record, and that is what counts. I feel like I enjoyed myself, and I'm proud of what I accomplished.

Rod Laver

Camaraderie builds. We travelled together to Rome, Paris, Wimbledon, the U.S., lots of places. In a way, I miss it right now. My opponents were also my best friends.

Rod Laver

When Hoad and Rosewall were at their best, and I was a youngster, they had no qualms about saying, 'Hey kid, let's go and play.' That helped me to get up the ladder.

Rod Laver

Each match is a huge effort from a physical point of view. You can only hit so many balls before your elbow or some part of your body is going to say, 'Hey, don't do that to me.'

Rod Laver

Looking back, in comparison, there wasn't that much that you could do with a wooden racket. In my day, the matches were certainly much less demanding physically.

Rod Laver

I'm usually pretty good in the garden.

Rod Laver

I don't want to get blase about being recognised. It's pretty amazing.

Rod Laver

Tennis was a big part of my life from as far back as I can remember.

Rod Laver