(The tournament) was one of my more favorite stops and I know a lot of players love playing in the desert and it's good to see it's staying in the desert. Obviously playing the event for 14 or 15 years, I love the two weeks I would spend there. I have a home close to there and I can have a presence at the event now that I'm a very small piece to a big puzzle. |
[Full yet empty at the same time, he took the rest of 2002 off and the first three months of 2003. In late April he was just about to begin the two-month sweat-a-thon that would get him ready for this year's Wimbledon when something turned up missing -- his desire.] I've always had this little thing I do when I tie my shoes, ... I finish tying them, slap the ground and say to myself, Here we go! But this time, it didn't feel good. And I stopped, right there and then. |
Clay will be the toughest surface for Roger. If things go right, if the weather's right, I think he can win it. |
He moves great, does everything very well. He's gotten to a point that when he's not at his best, he's finding ways to win, and that separates him from the rest. |
He's got a big game and a big future. I never really felt I was in control of his service games. You're looking at the future of American tennis. He's a standout. He's got a big serve and grass is a surface he's going to get better on. |
I don't know how I do it, I really don't |
I have fond memories of being involved in the event as a player, and now to be involved as an owner should be equally rewarding. Our investment group believes that even though this event is already the most attended event outside of the Grand Slams it has the potential to reach even greater heights, and there is not a better place for that to happen than at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. |
I just believed it would be a shame to lose this tournament. To have it leave the country would have been a big blow. |
I just had to hang in there and make sure I was dictating play, |
I let my racket do the talking. That's what I am all about, really. I just go out and win tennis matches. |
It's weird to say, but I'm content, ... I'm happy. I've got nothing left to prove to myself. That's a big statement. I'm coming to terms with it, you know? I'm like, 'I'm stopping?' But there's nothing left in tennis I want to achieve. |
My serve was there, everything was just clicking. Those are the days you dream about, especially in a final. |
Not only is he winning majors, but ... he's winning them with pretty much ease. Clearly, he's head and shoulders above the rest. I don't see anyone pushing him over the next three or four years. |
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. |
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. |