“I think each player has a different style of play, and every match is different.”

I prepare the same for every opponent.

Talking about world-class player, no player is easy to play at this level. Each player has a different style of play.

I have been playing with boys, which is helpful for me.

Fitness is the key. You need to have strokes and stamina and agility; you need to exercise really well. On-court and off-court are equally important.

Tennis, at times, I follow, but not much.

One tournament win doesn’t make you perfect.

The key is not being overconfident. You should not think that because I’m a top-ranked player, I will win this game. You have to be focused.

I have to keep moving and keep working hard.

Life has changed after Rio. Winning a silver medal was a huge moment for me. It has come with a lot of responsibilities.

I train for six days in a week for eight to ten hours of practice per day.

When you lose, you keep thinking, ‘I could have done things differently,’ but at that moment, you can’t do anything, so it is important to let go.

While I am training, I don’t go out for events, so rest days, in a way, take away that time. Apart from that, I just stay at home and rest, maybe relax at home and spend time with family.

In my early years, I would travel 56 km. from home to the training institute and back every single day.

Whoever plays well on a given day, that player wins.

I was 18 when I was presented with the Arjuna Award. To say it feels really good would be an understatement. But I don’t know how else to convey the feeling. I am grateful for having received this prestigious award at such a young age.

Sometimes you don’t play up to the mark, and you win even then.

When you do 10 interviews in one day, and 10 different sources want to talk to you, that means you’re doing good. I think about that every day.

Nice guys may appear to finish last, but usually they are running a different race.

Wherever people feel safe – they will be indifferent.

Even though Prince wasn’t rapping and it was a whole different era, it shows how artists expressed themselves without saying too much, and that was the real beauty of the art.

I can make any type of music, so I wouldn’t want to describe myself as having one type of sound. I think music is about keeping it diverse.

I would do the baby voice and it’s kind of like this character I made up. But in real life, I’m completely different. I’m very smart. I think a lot of people will assume I’m an airhead.

You cannot keep doing the same thing, the same way, and keep expecting something different to happen.

We know we’re coming full circle with God when we stand at a very similar crossroad where we made such a mess of life before, but this time we take a different road.