Olympic Quotes of The Day – Olympics Day 9

Written by: Staff on 5th August 2012

Olympic Quotes of The Day - Olympics Day 9

epa03342672 Roger Federer of Switzerland in action during the Men's Final against Andy Murray of Britain during the London 2012 Olympic Games Tennis competition in Wimbledon, Greater London, Britain, 05 August 2012. EPA/ANDY RAIN |

(Courtesy of the ITF)

Serena and Venus Williams (USA)

On creating history by becoming the first tennis players to win four Olympic gold medals…

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, for us it’s so exciting in this Olympics winning the gold together. For me it was amazing to watch Serena from the stands and see her complete the golden slam. So it’s been amazing for us. We’ve been winning this title since 2000, but it’s easier said than done. We come in as the favorites, but it’s not a given. We fought hard. Our opponents played well. They’re very talented. We’re glad to keep the medal for us. It was great.

On the reason why she is playing such good tennis nat the moment…

SERENA WILLIAMS: I mean, I don’t know. I just always give all the glory to God. You know, lately I’ve just been focused only on tennis, nothing else, no distractions, no life (smiling). My life is practice in the morning, training in the afternoon. Wake up to practice in the morning, training. Definitely been spending a lot more time maybe on the tennis court. I have a nothing‑to‑lose attitude.

Juan Martin del Potro (ARG)

On winning a bronze medal after the disappointment of losing in the semifinals…

DEL POTRO: I think I’m the most happy of the world at this moment. After a really sad day two days ago, it’s not easy to recovery and to play these kind of matches, but I had energy into my body, into my heart, and that’s help me to play this big challenge for me.

On how he was able to lift himself…

DEL POTRO: Well, speaking a lot with my team, with my friends, family, with everybody. Everybody help me to play hundred percent this match. I know everybody in Argentina was follow this match, trying to give me power to play my best tennis. I really appreciate that. I think this gift is for all our country.

On what it means to Argentina…

DEL POTRO: Well, it’s our first medal in this Olympic Games. It’s the first time in singles men. I think means a lot for us. I wish a fantastic day for them to celebrate this with me.

Andy Murray (GBR)

The manner of the victory, as much as the significance of it, astonishingly one‑sided match looking at the score line.

MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, in a lot of ways the scoreline is irrelevant, but when I look back on the match, it will be one that I’ll look at as the biggest win of my career for sure. It’s definitely one of the best matches I played. I dealt with all the situations that were in front of me well. There were some important moments in the match, right at the start of the match, important not to underestimate how the first few games are where I saved some breakpoints, then also the 2-0 game in the third set. We had some really long games in the Wimbledon final, as well, in the third set, and he got them. Also in the Wimbledon final, I had chances in the second set to break and didn’t get them. Today I converted those chances, and that gave me the momentum for the rest of the match. If those games or those points had gone the other way, it could have been a different match, but I took my chances today. I think I deserved to win.

On the win being sweeter because of tough losses in the past…

MURRAY: Yeah, it helps for sure. I have lost some tough matches. I’ve had a lot of questions asked about me many times. I’m just glad that today I managed to put on a performance, I don’t know, that I’ve been waiting for I guess. It was obviously a huge match for me. It was a big match for Roger, as well. I’m sure it was something that he would have wanted to win the gold. It’s one of the few things in tennis he hasn’t done in his singles career. So it was a big match for both of us. Just to win today, in the way that I did, makes those losses a little bit easier to take. Just to keep coming back from them, as well, because it has been tough at times, but that’s why getting to spend that moment after victory with the people around you that have seen all of those losses and how tough it’s been makes it special.

On whether this match avenged his defeat against Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final…

MURRAY: For me, (they were) two separate results, but good to know that after that match, which you guys saw afterwards was a tough one for me to take, that I was still able to learn from it and not just look at it as I’d blown it in a Grand Slam final when I had my chances. I’ve actually used it in the right way to become a better player. I hope that that showed today. Having someone like Ivan around after that Wimbledon final was very important, as well, someone to talk to about the emotion, how it feels. He understands all of that. I spoke to him before today’s match about the tactics, going over a little bit what happened at Wimbledon, used it in the right way instead of negatively, which in the past I’ve certainly done after a few of the Grand Slam finals.

On whether this win at the Olympics help with big Grand Slam matches in the future…

MURRAY: It will help I think with the way I go into the matches probably. Ivan told me after the Wimbledon final that he was really happy with the way I played the whole tournament. He’s never been around a British player during Wimbledon, so he maybe didn’t quite know what it was like. He was saying, I’ll never play in a match under that much pressure again in my life. So that’s good news. I did feel much more relaxed going into today’s match than I did going into the Wimbledon final. I think now that I managed to win today…

MURRAY: I said after I lost in the Olympics in Beijing, I knew how much that meant to me, how much that hurt me. I mean, I think that it belongs. I think the way the crowds were this week for all the matches. You take a mixed doubles match in the first round of a Grand Slam, there will be very few people watching. You get a mixed doubles match in the Olympics, you were looking at packed crowds throughout. People love to see all sports. Just anybody from their country doing well. I think tennis belongs in the Olympics. I think this week, the way that the crowd have been in all the matches, proves that.

Roger Federer (SUI)

On whether he’s happy to win a silver, or disappointed not to win a gold…

FEDERER: No, no, I’m very happy. I am satisfied. I think this is as good as I could do during these championships. Andy was much better than I was today in many aspects of the game. For me, it’s been a great month. I won Wimbledon, became world No. 1 again, and I got silver. Don’t feel too bad for me. I am very, very proud honestly to have won a silver. Had a very emotional tournament from start to finish. I could have lost in the first round against Falla. Same thing obviously with del Potro. I felt like I won my silver, I didn’t lose it, so I feel very, very happy.

On why the Olympics are emotional for him…

FEDERER: Well, I mean, look, Olympics don’t come around every year, so this is obviously just a different feel to it. Crowds were different. Early on I could sense that right away when I came on court against Falla. I really badly wanted to come through in the early rounds to get into the tournament. Then you sort of install a certain way of acting and being during the Olympics. I think all of that made it, for me, very special. Every Olympics has been a life‑changer for me, to be quite honest, in Sydney, in Athens, and Beijing. Good or bad, I think I took away a lot of positives, from the Olympic spirit, from the way, I don’t know, you appreciate other sports, appreciate winning, losing. I love watching sports because of the reactions of the people at the very end. How do they take wins? How do they take losses? All these things. For me, it’s always been a dream to be part of the Olympic spirit. I didn’t want to just have it go on for one day or two days with the doubles. I tried everything I could in singles and doubles. I got a silver medal, so I’m very proud. It was emotional in many ways.

Victoria Azarenka (BLR)

On how the Olympics compare to other achievements, like reaching the world No. 1 rankings and winning the Australian Open title…

AZARENKA: It’s definitely very different emotions and very different accomplishment. The feeling I had yesterday on the court, just also winning a bronze, it was absolutely amazing. It’s been a dream come true for me to achieve gold because I think every athlete in the world is dreaming about this prize to get. You don’t get so many chances. In the Grand Slams, you kind of have a few more, but definitely I’m really proud of all of those achievements. This is definitely something special.

Laura Robson (GBR)

On winning the mixed doubles silver medal in her hometown…

ROBSON: I don’t really know at the moment because we were so close to the gold medal. So for the moment I’m just a bit disappointed, but it’s been a really, really good week. Just to be playing in the Olympics, I was really happy with that. At the start of last week, I just thought I was playing doubles. So to be a silver medalist is pretty cool. I’m looking forward to seeing my medal.

Topics: Andy Murray, Juan Martin Del Potro, Laura Robson, Olympic tennis quotes, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Sports, Tennis News, tennis player quotes, Venus Williams, Victoria Azarenka