Quote

Choking is being in a position to win, and then experiencing some critical failure of nerve or spirit. That never happened to me. And I can't help but think it was because I was never afraid to lose.

Pete Sampras

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Pete Sampras
Age: 53
Born: 1971
Born: August 12
Tennis Player
Washington
District of Columbia
Petros Sampras
Peter Sampras
Helping
Failure
Choke
Spirit
Afraid
Nerve
Never
Lose
Experiencing
Think
Position
Nerves
Thinking
Loses
Tennis
Happened
Defeat
Winning
Critical
Help
Losing
Choking

More quotes by Pete Sampras

Image
Success is walking out of here with the title, and anything less is not good enough in my book.
Pete Sampras
Image
I admire the way golfers handle themselves. But tennis players are a lot younger, as a rule. There aren't many teenagers on the golf tour.
Pete Sampras
Image
It's not my place to tell you whom to vote for, to take any political stand, to tell you what religion to believe in. I'm an athlete. I can influence certain things, but when I see other athletes and celebrities telling you whom to vote for, I actually get a bit offended.
Pete Sampras
Image
People wrote me off, but I believed in myself. I got the confidence back, and it grew and grew. I won my first major and my last at the place that changed my life.
Pete Sampras
Image
Anything can happen out there on any court.
Pete Sampras
Image
There's always one shot that I can rely on when I'm not hitting the ball that well, is my serve.
Pete Sampras
Image
I let my racket do the talking. That's what I am all about, really. I just go out and win tennis matches.
Pete Sampras
Image
Golfers are forever working on mechanics. My tennis swing hasn't changed in 10 years.
Pete Sampras
Image
By putting pressure on myself to develop a great game, I had less pressure to win. These days, I tell kids that the way I grew up, it wasn't about winning. It was about playing well, about playing the right way. That approach helped me enjoy the game and develop mine to its maximum potential.
Pete Sampras
Image
I don't think it really matters, who plays first. Whatever they do, they do.
Pete Sampras
Image
I did it my way, and I have no regrets when I look back on my career that it was just a big focus for me.
Pete Sampras
Image
My goal one day is to be in the same sentence as Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall.
Pete Sampras
Image
I've got a great wife, a great life.
Pete Sampras
Image
Retirement is a work in progress. I try to figure out my day, and what I know about myself is that I need structure.
Pete Sampras
Image
When you go through certain moments of your career and you're struggling, it just takes time. Time heals, when you're a little bit down.
Pete Sampras
Image
Media access to us is more regulated than in golf.
Pete Sampras
Image
People watched the Masters. It was a huge event. It was at The Garden. Now that it is over here in Europe, it has lost a little bit of popularity in the States.
Pete Sampras
Image
A champion is suppose to hate to lose, and it wasn't like I was ever crazy about the idea. But I learned to deal with losing without having my spirit or confidence broken, which would help immensely over time, not just in the big picture but even in specific matches when I found myself in a jam. Fear of losing is a terrible thing.
Pete Sampras
Image
People know me. I'm not going to produce any cartwheels out there. I'm not going to belong on Comedy Central. I'll always be a tennis player, not a celebrity.
Pete Sampras
Image
When you struggle winning matches all year and you don't really get into a groove or rhythm, you just can't expect to just come in here and have it click.
Pete Sampras