The best way I knew how was to give 110% and want it more than them, and walk on the court and every moment of the match feel like it was the end of the world, in a sense. So that worked for me in a lot of ways. There were times that it hurt me, but for the most part, it helped me.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of giving your all and being fully committed to your endeavors.
John McEnroe reflects on his approach to competitive tennis, where he believed that giving 110% effort and being deeply passionate about winning made a significant difference in his performance. While this intense dedication sometimes led to pain, it predominantly contributed positively to his success, highlighting the balance between hard work and the emotional toll of competition.
In practice
This quote can be used in a motivational speech to encourage athletes to put their best effort into their games.
I was a different kind of player as a kid and didn't do too much shouting and screaming. If things didn't go my way, I tended to get a bit overwhelmed. All I wanted to do was cry on my mom's shoulder. I didn't know how to handle defeat in front of a crowd, and I didn't want to be the loser.
I just remember watching Federer the first year he won Wimbledon. He was struggling with his back problem. I remember it vividly. It looked like there was a chance he was not going to finish. He had that look in his eye. Then, somehow, he found the wherewithal to dig a little deeper, and suddenly he wins the thing, and he's a different player.
Tennis was a white, upper-class sport, and I wanted it to be treated like other sports were.
You hit a wall at some stage when you don't want it so bad, but you don't know when that's going to be - as far as competition or as far as health is concerned. Sometimes it's just natural. You just taste it, and you want it so bad that you find other gears.
The only thing 'championship' about Wimbledon is its prestige.
The important thing is to learn a lesson every time you lose.
Small daily improvements over time lead to stunning results.
I am made for running. Because when you run, you could be anyone. You hone yourself into a body, nothing more or less than a body. You respond as a body, to the body. If you are racing to win, you have no thoughts but the body's thoughts, no goals but the body's goals. You obliterate yourself in the name of speed. You negate yourself in order to make it past the finish line.
That feeling of finishedness does not come all at once, and it is not easily won, but I think once you get there it is hard to go back.
There's no traffic jam on the extra mile.
Once you've found your own voice, the choice to expand your influence, to increase your contribution, is the choice to inspire others to find their voice.
I know my role on this team, and I'm expected to prepare and to perform every week and play well. I relish that opportunity - to be somebody the guys can count on week in and week out, to play really well. That's what really motivates me: to make my coaches proud, my teammates proud, and the fans proud.
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