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Doing what I do out there, fighting and going crazy, that's my self-expression. That's my art.
I get on a mission to prove myself. As soon as people write me off...I'm like, 'I'll show you'.
I've been a fighter, I think, since the day I was born.
The only pressure I feel is the pressure I put on myself.
I am a fighter. Others give up but I don't. I just dig deeper.
I put myself on the line anyway and I have to give myself credit for that...even if I went out the loser.
It's in my nature not to give up or to let anybody stop me from doing what I want to do.
[After the winner at the '01 Australian Open] Who would have thought I would ever make it here?. Dreams do come true. You have to believe in yourself.
Tennis is what I do and is part of who I am.
[After the winner at the '01 Roland Garros] Get well Corina!.
I stopped thinking about what the world was going to think about me. That was a big step in
my progress. I've changed my attitude. I've always been a fighter. When I look back on my career, I am
very proud of the Grand Slams I won, and getting to number one. I am proud to have been able to come
back from everything that has happened in my life, and be able to enjoy tennis and play this well. I
think this shows everybody that's it's never too late to realise your talent, or your dream. If you
think positive and believe in yourself, good things are going to come. Really, just believe in yourself
and don't rush your youth at all.
I had to take a lot of time off with an injury like that and it crossed my mind that if
it doesn't get better perhaps I can't get back. It scared me, which is a good thing. I wanted to decide
when it was going to be over, and I knew I wasn't ready. I wasn't able to play when I wanted to and I
didn't like that. I realised I missed it.
I'm just happy for what I have and really have no complaints. I don't have to prove anything
to anybody or myself, really. I feel like I've realized that I've achieved a lot, at least in my tennis
career. That's one less worry. That was kind of a worry before. I let that go.
I fight my heart out, you're in this huge arena, and so many people on top of you watching you.
So you're just two warriors out there, fighting. I've been fighting since I started playing. It's been
a struggle to come back and play at the top level again. Fighting against outside and inside forces.
I was struggling on the court today but it's no comparison to a lot of the friends who I
have who are struggling right now, and especially one in particular right now, I'd like to say, Darren,
thanks for coming and I love you.
I don't care about the stardom and the hype. The tennis is what matters to me. I look back
on this year, and I'm relieved, I'm happy, I'm proud. I guess it all makes for a good story, but it's
not like it's over yet.
I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my father. Today he was looking on more as my dad than as my coach.
The reason I came back is because I love tennis and always will do.
There was so much against me, there were times when I thought, 'Maybe this isn't worth it,'. But once I got
over the hump and enjoyed the game and stopped worrying about the other stuff, I knew I'd break through
eventually.
[The statement] I write this letter to you using my own words and my own thoughts. I've been wanting to
share this with you for a long time. I wasn't ready until this moment. By giving this to you all, I
wish to close the envelope of my past. I know there is much mystery, much question to what happened,
and I must also say, many lies. Yes, I made mistakes by rebelling, by acting out in confused ways. But
it was all due to the fact I was very young and I was experiencing my adolescence. Most of you know how
hard that can be. When you do it in front of the world, it is even harder. I took a different path, one
you might not expect. But along the path, I learned a lot about my life -- about life. It has molded me
into what I am now. If I knew there would be so much pain in learning life's lessons, I would have been
hesitant to take the path that I took. It's the only thing I do regret. Let me say that the path I did
take for a brief period of my life was not of reckless drug use, hurting others, but it was a path of
quiet rebellion, of a little experimentation of a darker side of my confusion in a confusing world, lost
in the midst of finding my identity. I made mistakes, and, yes, I am to blame, and no one else. I am
sorry to my loved ones that I humiliated and embarrassed. And I'm sorry to my fans who I feel I let down.
I'm sorry to myself for causing such pain. But I've put a great deal behind me, moving forward in the
right direction, the direction I feel is right. I feel like I've started a new chapter in my life, and
I need to leave the past behind. So this will be the final time that I speak about the past. I just ask
that after today, you please respect my wishes. I want to thank many of you for the support you've given
me in the past and here at this great US Open. I can't thank the fans enough. They have touched my heart
with their support from all over the world. I feel each day for me now is getting better and better. I
wrote this statement before The Open began and waited until my run was over to say all this. Thanks for
listening and understanding.
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