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

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

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Golfers are forever working on mechanics. My tennis swing hasn't changed in 10 years.
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I think the image of golfers is terrific, and rightly so.
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Winning is about taking your opponent's heart out and squeezing it until all the blood has come out, even the very last drop. There are no prizes for a funny loser.
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If Davis Cup was a little bit less or once every two years, I would be more inclined to play. But the way it is now, it is too much tennis for me.
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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.
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Baseball is America's pastime, and that record is absolutely huge in the States.
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For so long people have just taken what I do for granted. It is not easy to do year-in, year-out, to win Grand Slams and be No. 1.
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I let my racket do the talking. That's what I am all about, really. I just go out and win tennis matches.
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The future is flying home. That's the immediate future. But long-distance future, I plan on being back. I'm not going to end my time here with that loss.
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I've always led a pretty simple life, with few extravagances. The money in tennis never drove me.
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My serve was there, everything was just clicking. Those are the days you dream about, especially in a final.
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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.
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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.
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Media access to us is more regulated than in golf.
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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.
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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.
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I don`t know why, but I love the dog eat dog nature of tennis. It`s real, it`s brutal and there`s no hiding place - it's like a one to one street fight. I love the intensity that comes with knowing you walk off court either a winner or a loser. It`s daunting but very exciting. There is no one to blame except yourself, no one cares who comes second.
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My goal one day is to be in the same sentence as Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall.
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It is nice to walk out on a court to have it packed.
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Anything can happen out there on any court.
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