John McEnroe

“If you're out there and things are going badly, are you going to cry or break down?”

“Look at Becker and Djokovic. If you look at Novak's record since Boris has been there, it's been phenomenal.”

“It means a lot to be back in New York. Particularly since one of the last senior event scheduled in the States was supposed to be here in New York. We were supposed to play in Central Park right after 9-11 and when 9-11 happened obviously things changed.”

“What made my matches against Borg and Connors interesting was, comparing it to boxing, it was like a puncher and a counter-puncher.”

“I went to play in Brazil when I had just turned 18 and was the world's top junior player. I got to the airport, and no one knew who I was. I couldn't speak any Portuguese, and no one spoke English. Then someone said something that resembled 'tennis,' and I went with that.”

“Believe it or not, I was a pretty shy youngster growing up.”

“I thought doubles was a good way for me to practice and get some reps in - I didn't like to train in the gym as much as players these days.”

“With commentating, I've had a chance to show the humorous side of my personality that I didn't use on the court. It's fun, and I don't take myself too seriously. I have good broadcast teams with me, but I'm not a huge stats guy. I think they post the numbers too quickly, and I'd rather let the match play out a bit first.”

“I grew up watching Dr. J, and I was like, 'Oh my God, this guy is the greatest basketball player I ever saw.'”

“I believe there's only one autobiography you can do.”

“I'm generally happy, although my kids and wife may sometimes argue with that.”

“It's only human nature to want to know what you can do on your own or with someone else.”

“If you really want to get it more exciting, no linesmen. And have the players call their lines. That would make the game more exciting, I promise you. It would be awesome.”

“No one cares about the Davis Cup. How many people know I won five Davis Cups and seven majors, but that I rarely played the Australian Open?”

“I can't advocate people not liking each other. But... I'd prefer it.”

“Jack Nicholson didn't get anything until he was in his thirties. You have to persevere and put yourself in positions, and sooner or later, you will break through.”

“I used to get two racquets a year. As you can imagine, they didn't last me too long.”

“I didn't get along with most of the players I played against, but the one guy I did get along with was my greatest rival, so it can be done.”

“I would not have an event before the majors. I would build them up. It very rarely happens that a player plays the week before, wins the event, and then goes on to win the slam.”

“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.”