Martina Navratilova Quotes

People in the States used to think that if girls were good at sports their sexuality would be affected.

Losing still hurts, but that's good. When it stops hurting, that's when I stop playing.

The more people come out, the less it will be an issue.

I just try to concentrate on concentrating.

Once you start believing in yourself, anything is possible. Once you start believing in yourself, your dreams take shape. The more you believe, the more you achieve.

The mentality, that's something you should be able to control. Whether you are healthy or not, how fast you can run - they aren't things you can work on, but the mentality should be.

Just go out there and do what you've got to do.

I came to live in a country I love; some people label me a defector. I have loved men and women in my life; I've been labeled the bisexual defector. Want to know another secret? I'm even ambidextrous. I don't like labels. Just call me Martina.

I shouldn't say I'm looking forward to leading a normal life, because I don't know what normal is. This has been normal for me.

You don't have to be pretty for people to come and see you play. At the same time, if you're a good athlete, it doesn't mean you're not a woman.

Lady' is an opinion; 'woman' is a fact.

I've been in the twilight of my career longer than most people have had their career.

Life is about challenges and how we face up to them and the attitude we take into every day life so hopefully we'll be able to motivate people to do more with their life.

The tennis ball doesn't know how old I am. The ball doesn't know if I'm a man or a woman or if I come from a communist country or not. Sport has always broken down these barriers.

The more people come out, the less it will be an issue. Of we are ashamed of ourselves, how the hell can we expect the rest of the world not to be ashamed of us?

Just by being out you're doing your part. It's like recycling. You're doing your part for the environment if you recycle; you're doing your part for the gay movement if you're out.

When one man becomes more important than the country he's supposed to be leading, this will always create a problem.

All top players are the same strokewise, but mentally I can improve and that's where it's at for top players.

I haven't bought any leather articles for a very long time. My ideal is to be able to avoid all animal products, in food as well as clothing.

What I would tell girls coming up is just be yourself and don't let people get in the way.

I'm not a one-sex person, and yet I hate the term bisexual. It sounds creepy to me, and I don't think I'm creepy. There are times when I feel downright romantic.

I'm an American. You can't go on where you were born. If you do then John McEnroe would be a German.

Whoever said, 'It's not whether you win or lose that counts,' probably lost.

People in the States used to think that if girls were good at sports their sexuality would be affected. Being feminine meant being a cheerleader, not being an athlete. The image of women is changing now. You don't have to be pretty for people to come and see you play. At the same time, if you're a good athlete, it doesn't mean you're not a woman.

I think the key is for women not to set any limits.

I think retirement beats the heck out of life after death, that's for sure.

Sport doesn't know barriers, really. You are judged on your performance... how far you can jump, how fast you can run, how well you can hit a tennis ball.

The whole idea of image is so confused. On the one hand, Madison Avenue is worried about the image of the players in a tennis tour. On the other hand, sports events are often sponsored by the makers of junk food, beer, and cigarettes. What's the message when an athlete who works at keeping her body fit is sponsored by a sugar-filled snack that does more harm than good?

Sure I know where the press room is - I just look for where they throw the dog meat.

I have always had this outrage at being told what to, how to act, whom to love.

Some players when they become No. 1 they put too much pressure on themselves.

Sachin was so focused. He never looked like getting out. He was batting with single-minded devotion. It was truly remarkable. It was a lesson.

The better I get, the more I realize how much better I can get.

People who are rich want to be richer, but what's the difference? The toys get different, that's all. The rich guys buy a football team, the poor guys buy a football. It's all relative.

On Chris Evert: Before I even met her, she stood for everything I admired in this country: poise, ability, sportsmanship, money, style.

Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you're needed by someone.

I know some of my self-worth comes from tennis, and it's hard to think of doing something else where you know you'll never be thebest. Tennis players are rare creatures: where else in the world can you know that you're the best? The definitiveness of it is the beauty of it, but it's not all there is to life and I'm ready to explore the alternatives.

Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path. Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back.

Concentration is born on the practice court... you must mentally treat your practice sessions as matches, concentrating on every ball you hit.

The longer I stay in the States, the more I understand how important it is to smile and seem like a nice guy. Like Ronald Reagan. Your image seems to count more than what you do.

I've been talking to Martina [Hingis] about playing for a couple of years. Maybe I can convince her to play some doubles.

You can't live in the past, there's nothing you can do about it.

Keeping a journal of what's going on in your life is a good way to help you distill what's important and what's not.

I'm not involved in tennis but committed.

My worst memory is of my first dance lesson as a 14-year old in Prague. My mother put me in this silver and pink lame dress. My hair was all curled, and it was the first time I wore a garter belt. I felt so out of place!

The goal for the Laureus Sport For Good Foundation is to give kids an opportunity to be involved in sports and hopefully learn some lessons along the way. We want to put them in a safe environment, help them if they need it and maybe they will get a scholarship to a school because of the skills that they learn. Sport is just a starting point.

What matters isn't how well you play when you're playing well. What matters is how well you play when you're playing badly.

The moment of victory is much too short to live for that and nothing else.