Ninety five percent of the field is not competitive when Nadal is playing.
M
Mats Wilander
Profession:
Athlete
Born:
August 22, 1964
Nationality:
Swedish
Quotes by Mats Wilander
Showing 50 of 100 quotes
I'm a useless guitar-player. When I put myself in a band I immediately became its weakest part. I was like my forehand volley at tennis.
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Mats Wilander
I'm not Borg Two, I'm Wilander One.
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Mats Wilander
I like to camp and to not have to check in to airports and hotels and I love to just drive, man.
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Mats Wilander
I love the freedom of the road.
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Mats Wilander
Sure, it comes with a lot of bonus rewards, whatever it may be, some of it may be financial. And it is great to have been No 1 in the world, when you get a bit older you can reflect on it. But I was No 1 in the world before I actually was No 1 in the world, in my mind at least.
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Mats Wilander
The point is to win the biggest tournaments and beat the biggest guys head to head. Then, if the computer ranking works out that you are No 1 in the world so be it.
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Mats Wilander
Guys like Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal know how to win matches, they don't need to have as much confidence as other players.
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Mats Wilander
I was No 1 in the world but too much is made of it.
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Mats Wilander
Maybe being number one has got to me, because from there you can only go down.
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Mats Wilander
I'm a private person and being recognized makes me uncomfortable.
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Mats Wilander
That's why the tactics are so hard against Kyrgios because no one knows what he is going to do.
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Mats Wilander
Nadal tries his best all the time, every point. But Kyrgios can spend 10 minutes looking like he would rather be walking down the King's Road.
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Mats Wilander
If it doesn't mean more to a normal human being like Dan Evans, who could change his life and career by winning not a gold but a bronze medal for Great Britain, if he doesn't want to take that chance, I would say something is wrong with the Olympics in what it's worth in tennis.
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Mats Wilander
You should play all the slams you physically can.
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Mats Wilander
I don't think there is anything missing from Tsitsipas.
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Mats Wilander
Svitolina moves a little bit better than Ostapenko but Ostapenko goes for it a little earlier in the rallies. The way she plays she can take you out of the equation.
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Mats Wilander
Hockey is the dream of all Swedes. They get the girls.
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Mats Wilander
Rafael Nadal, I see no demons in him. None. Unless he picks up the racket with his right hand.
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Mats Wilander
If you don't get tired or bored then there is something wrong with you - you are not human. People maybe don't realize that. Players try to hide it and try to be the perfect role model, but it is not always so easy.
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Mats Wilander
Everybody gets bored or rather emotionally flat sometimes, but most players are not so honest as Tomic. They have sponsors that need to be happy, and they want to keep the tour happy.
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Mats Wilander
We need more honesty out there, but it is hard when you see what the media does to someone who is trying to be honest.
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Mats Wilander
In 2015, there was no chance Djokovic would have an off day.
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Mats Wilander
People talk about the drama of the set that goes on and on. But it leaves one guy exhausted for the next round, it's horrible for the players waiting to come on court, and it has the potential to mess up the schedule for everyone.
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Mats Wilander
Your game stalls when you assume you're the finished product.
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Mats Wilander
At Wimbledon if it is slightly wet you don't even play the match. At the French Open you need to just get on with it and somehow adjust.
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Mats Wilander
The Davis Cup should be home and away from the semi-finals as a minimum, I would say even the quarters.
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Mats Wilander
I've gone past the stage where I feel pressure.
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Mats Wilander
I think people expect me to be around at the end of a tournament.
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Mats Wilander
Every player, they should sit down and have a meeting. They should agree, 'this is how we play Nadal, this is how we play Federer, this is how we play Djokovic.' Then, all try to play them the same way. The right way. First you have to play the right way, then you need to play well.
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Mats Wilander
I have a better backhand than forehand.
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Mats Wilander
I couldn't ever be a better player than I was in 1988.
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Mats Wilander
I decided to work really hard in 1987. I hired Matt Doyle, a former pro player, and he helped me with my physical training. Lendl was the first to focus on that. He used to be weak, physically and mentally.
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Mats Wilander
The biggest mistake we usually tend to make with young players is over-coaching.
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Mats Wilander
There's definitely a lack of self-belief in many players, which is the only complaint I have about men's tennis.
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Mats Wilander
Andy Murray's already done what is needed for British tennis, which is ignite it. There's a person, there's a player that kids want to be like.
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Mats Wilander
I love my life. I commentate for Eurosport, so you could say I've reached the final of every grand slam since 2002 when I started that. I love what I do, and I love playing tennis with amateurs, regular guys, helping to teach them to enjoy tennis more.
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Mats Wilander
The really top guys play within themselves 99 percent of the time.
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Mats Wilander
I'm never really aware of mistakes I've made when I'm commentating or on TV, I'm sure they happen sometimes and I guess it makes for a more interesting experience!
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Mats Wilander
The conditions change so much at the French Open, you know, you have to be prepared for something you really don't know what it is. You can practice in the morning and it's fine, and the weather is great then you come to play in the afternoon and it is drizzly and the conditions are totally different.
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Mats Wilander
Del Potro is one of these miracle men he can come up with these matches where you least expect it and he pulls something out of the bag. I have no idea what it is but he becomes a magician.
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Mats Wilander
I think when you can beat Novak Djokovic in the final of a Masters tournament, you are going to be OK.
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Mats Wilander
Everyone has a temper, but in Sweden, no one throws a racquet or screams. We show more manners and common sense. This is a game, not war.
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Mats Wilander
Only so many can succeed. Only one can be number one.
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Mats Wilander
I think it's bad in a way for junior players and college players to feel they must be number one.
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Mats Wilander
I am disappointed when I lose and don't play well, for example. But it is not so disappointing to lose when you play good. And I never feel I want to put the racquet down and walk away because of losing.
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Mats Wilander
Mladenovic knows how to use the power of the crowd.
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Mats Wilander
We've never had a hungrier player than Federer and Nadal and I would say that Nadal is probably much hungrier than Federer.
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Mats Wilander
I think someone like Denis Shapovalov on a fast court and being left-handed is a massive, massive danger to everybody.
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Mats Wilander
I never contemplated retiring but when I was a teenager I never thought I'd play past 30 years old. I thought I'd win a few tournaments and then have a family.
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Mats Wilander