I want to be as self-reliant as possible and do it all from within.

I didn't want to use anything as a crutch and ever have excuses heading into a match.

Physically I'm not as strong as I was, but I try to make up for it mentally. It's a big challenge, and I relish it, competing with guys half my age.

When you’ve done everything you can to train yourself for competition, you’ll sleep well when the tournament is over, win or lose.

I played a kid's game, I got to do it at the beach, and I was able to support my family. I consider myself incredibly lucky.

Practice like it's competition and compete like it's another day on the practice court.

I couldn't be messing around and acting like an 11-year-old if we expected to compete well. I wanted to compete well, because it was great to see the looks in the eyes of men—like, "Wow, I am having a hard time beating this kid."