“Bobby Riggs was one of my heroes. I admired him. That’s one of the reasons I beat him – because I respected him.”

Sports teaches you character, it teaches you to play by the rules, it teaches you to know what it feels like to win and lose-it teaches you about life.

Ladies, here’s a hint. If you’re up against a girl with big boobs, bring her to the net and make her hit backhand volleys. That’s the hardest shot for the well-endowed.

It’s your birthday today, so what would you say, if we turned that frown upside down

I always respect right off the bat because we are human, but then over time you learn who the person truly is, just like they learn about you.

That’s why my place in the all-time rankings means so very little to me, because I know I won’t be anybody’s number one, and it’s that same old thing: if you’re not number one, then what does it really matter?

Men can have a huge turnover of sponsorship and still survive a lot better than the women. But the women’s ratings are better, at least at home in the United States than in the men’s tennis.

The most important words that have helped me in life, when things have gone right or when things have gone wrong are ‘accept responsibility.’

Winning comes down to who can execute under pressure.

You’ve got to win in sports – that’s talent – but you’ve also got to learn how to remind everybody how you did win, and how often. That comes with experience.

When I was playing, we didn’t have to compete against everybody in the world. Now it’s a truly global sport, so the competition’s much greater, just like it is for our children in every other area, whether it be in science or technology or whatever you talk about.

Don’t worry about what people say.

Being Number One isn’t everything to me, but for those few hours on the court it’s way ahead of whatever’s in second place.

Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquillity.

I knew after my first lesson what I wanted to do with my life.

Don’t go into debt and don’t spend a lot. It’s not how much money you make, it’s how much you spend.

Winning is very tangible, it’s very exciting, it’s very pleasing, but it’s momentary. If you can do things that last, that each generation can build upon, then that’s when you’re cooking.