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
Help
Losing
Choking
Helping
Failure
Choke
Spirit
Afraid
Nerve
Never
Lose
Experiencing
Think
Position
Nerves
Thinking
Loses
Tennis
Happened
Defeat
Winning
Critical

More quotes by Pete Sampras

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You kind of live and die by the serve.
Pete Sampras
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I made it look so easy on court all those years. No one realized how hard I had to work. No one realized how much I had to put into it. They underestimated my intensity.
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Baseball is America's pastime, and that record is absolutely huge in the States.
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The difference of great players is at a certain point in a match they raise their level of play and maintain it. Lesser players play great for a set, but then less.
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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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It's one-on-one out there, man. There ain't no hiding. I can't pass the ball.
Pete Sampras
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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.
Pete Sampras
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There should be more of an off-season in the game. I think you need to have less tournaments, more of a break at the end of the year so guys can recover.
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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.
Pete Sampras
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As long as I feel like I can win majors and contend, I'll continue to play.
Pete Sampras
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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
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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.
Pete Sampras
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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.
Pete Sampras
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When I committed to playing a little tennis in some exhibitions, it was the best thing for me. It got me in shape. It got me out of the house. It got me doing something I love to do.
Pete Sampras
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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.
Pete Sampras
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The only person that I have met, that I have ever been in awe of, is Eddie Vedder.
Pete Sampras
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Golfers are forever working on mechanics. My tennis swing hasn't changed in 10 years.
Pete Sampras
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Anything can happen out there on any court.
Pete Sampras
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Tennis is seen all around the world if I am home or anywhere in the country, United States, people will stare.
Pete Sampras
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My serve was there, everything was just clicking. Those are the days you dream about, especially in a final.
Pete Sampras