“I enjoyed the position I was in as a tennis player. I was to blame when I lost. I was to blame when I won. And I really like that, because I played soccer a lot too, and I couldn’t stand it when I had to blame it on the goalkeeper.”

I’ve always been aware that the image you patiently construct for an entire career can be ruined in a minute. It scares you a bit, but that’s the way things are.

It’s just unreal, I’m shocked myself. I’ve played good matches here, but never really almost destroyed somebody.

No, I’m not (disappointed). There’s no reason to be because I’m on an incredible run. You always expect a loss once in a while. So when it happens, why be disappointed if I win over 90% of my matches.

Being down match point, it’s just not fun.

When I won in 2003, never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would win Wimbledon and have my kids seeing me lift the trophy, so this is pretty surreal. And yeah, I was almost shocked in the moment that it all came together so nicely.

You’ve never seen me dance, have you?

I’ve done so many interviews over the years in so many different languages. Radios. Papers. Magazines. There’s always another interview to do. It’s quite something, I have to say.

When you do something best in life, you don’t really want to give that up – and for me it’s tennis.

Sometimes you have to accept that a guy played better on the day than you.

I can’t stay No. 1 for fifty years, you know. We’ll see what happens.

There is no way around the hard work. Embrace it.

I don’t mind fans coming up in a friendly, respectful way. That’s all part of the fun of being a top tennis player. But if people take pictures without permission, particularly if my children are in the shot, I feel uncomfortable.

Seriously. I’m not playing to prove anything to journalists. I’m playing for myself, for my fans,to make people happy.

I fear no one, but respect everyone.

Hopefully I can just have another terrible year with only the one Grand Slam and that will be just fine.

In the locker room I was getting impatient to get on the court, I had to warm up several times.

One person cannot be blamed for years of problems as it relates to race in America. This is something that has been with us since the founding of this nation. I mean, we were founded with slaves.

When your child is in trouble, the first thing you do is blame yourself.

A car crossed two lanes of traffic, flipped, and landed on my dad’s car. I don’t blame cars. My dad loved cars. I don’t have many memories of my dad. The love of cars is all I have of him, really.

Why then should money be blamed for all the dirt and crimes it causes? For is love less filthy – love which creates life?

When the enemy comes with shame and blame, tell him to go measure the distance from east to west and get back to you.

My mum’s always on at me to have children and blames ‘that stupid stage thing you do’ for me not already having a family.

You can do anything in the world if you say “Hey man, don’t blame me, the devil made me do it. It’s an easy way to escape responsibility.”

You got a lot but you just waste all yourself. They’ll forget your name soon and won’t nobody be to blame but yourself.