925-7 FM r1 11/15/04 10:07 AM Page i MORE PRAISE FOR YOU CAN QUOTE ME ON THAT “To read this book is to visit tennis through the voices of its people.” —Mary Carillo, TV tennis analyst and 1977 French Open mixed doubles champion “Out of the mouths of tennis players comes Paul Fein’s wonderful, witty, profound, catty collection of quotations from a who’s who of tennis past and present.” —Donna Doherty, former editor of Tennis magazine “You Can Quote Me on That is as fascinating for its historical dimensions as its human revelations. It’s informative and entertaining.” —Louis Cayer, head national coach, Tennis Canada “Started reading and couldn’t stop....La Rochefoucauld and John Bartlett would have approved. These are maxims for the modern tennis fan.” —Christopher Clarey, tennis writer, International Herald Tribune and New York Times “It’s a must for both tennis cognoscenti and all those who enjoy a light and entertaining read.” —Greg Hunter, former editor, Inside Sport (Australia) PRAISE FOR PAUL FEIN’S PREVIOUS BOOK, TENNIS CONFIDENTIAL “Paul Fein hits an ace with Tennis Confidential.” —Pete Sampras, fourteen-time Grand Slam champion “A must-read for tennis fans!” —Jon Saraceno, sports columnist, USA Today “Tennis Confidential is the kind of thought-provoking book you’ll return to again and again. Highly entertaining and always engaging, it makes a terrific addition to any collection of tennis literature.” —Alan G. Schwartz, chairman of the board and president of the USTA 925-7 FM r1 11/15/04 10:07 AM Page ii “Paul Fein’s book is as informative as they come among contemporary tennis compendiums....So do add Paul Fein’s book to your tennis book- shelves.” —Edward T. Chase, Tennis Week “Paul Fein brings to tennis an insight and intensity that’s as rare as an Anna Kournikova victory speech. Tennis Confidential hits all the shots and touches all the hot buttons in the game: a page turner and must read for any tennis buff.” —Bill Simons, editor and publisher, Inside Tennis “If you like tennis, this is a must read.” —Tony Trabert, Tennis Hall of Famer and TV tennis analyst “Tennis Confidential gives you an ‘inside look’ and really brings the players and pro circuit to life.” —Bob and Mike Bryan, American Davis Cuppers and former world No. 1 doubles team “If you are proud of your tennis library, you must have a copy of Tennis Confidential.” —Alan Trengove, Australia’s leading tennis writer “I’m pleased to recommend Tennis Confidential. It’s an insightful study of the game, a vivid evocation of significant matches and a sterling character- ization of legendary players. Must reading for anyone who follows tennis.” —Michael Mewshaw, author of Short Circuit and Ladies of the Court “Tennis Confidential does a great job of properly framing many of the ongoing debates in tennis....He deserves thanks for providing the tennis community with ‘both sides of the coin’ on these topics.” —Kurt Kamperman, USTA chief executive for community tennis, and former president of the USPTA 925-7 FM r1 11/15/04 10:07 AM Page iii YOU CAN QUOTE ME ON THAT 925-7 FM r1 11/15/04 10:07 AM Page iv Also by Paul Fein Tennis Confidential: Today’s Greatest Players, Matches, and Controversies Other sports titles from Brassey’s, Inc. The Masters: A Hole-by-Hole History of America’s Golf Classic, David Sowell Tennis’s Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Baseline Blunders, Clay Court Wonders, and Lucky Lobs, Floyd Conner Soccer’s Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Clumsy Keepers, Clever Crosses, and Outlandish Oddities, John Snyder Golf’s Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Golf’s Outrageous Duffers, Deadly Divots, and Other Oddities, Floyd Conner 925-7 FM r1 11/15/04 10:07 AM Page v YOU CAN QUOTE ME ON THAT GREATEST TENNIS QUIPS, INSIGHTS, AND ZINGERS PAUL FEIN Potomac Books, Inc. DULLES, VIRGINIA 925-7 FM r1 11/15/04 10:07 AM Page vi Copyright © 2005 by Potomac Books, Inc. Published in the United States by Potomac Books, Inc., All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Paul Fein. You can quote me on that : greatest tennis quips, insights, and zingers / Paul Fein. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 1-57488-925-7 (alk. paper) 1. Tennis—Quotations, maxims, etc. 2. Tennis players—Quotations. I. Fein, Paul, 1944– II. Title. PN6084.T44Y682005 796.342—dc22 2004013322 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper that meets the American National Standards Institute Z39-48 Standard. Potomac Books, Inc. 22841 Quicksilver Drive Dulles, Virginia 20166 First Edition 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 925-7 FM r1 11/15/04 10:07 AM Page vii To my twin sisters, Jane and Betty, for their loving support and valuable advice 925-7 FM r1 11/15/04 10:07 AM Page viii 925-7 FM r1 11/15/04 10:07 AM Page ix CONTENTS List of Photographs xi Foreword—by Billie Jean King xiii Acknowledgments xv Introduction xvii 1. They Call It a Game 1 2. Nothing Personal 3 3. Talk Is Cheap! 16 4. Stuff of Champions 23 5. Triumph and Disaster 31 6. The Fame Game 37 7. All in the Mind 46 8. Child’s Play 53 9. Oh, Behave! 60 10. Open Tennis 69 11. The Feminine Mystique 75 12. Paeans to the Champions 84 13. For the Love of the Game 100 14. What a Racket! 104 15. You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby! 108 16. Life on the Tour 113 17. The Majesty of Wimbledon 123 18. Points of Contention 129 19. The Ego Has Landed 142 20. Homosexuality 148 21. The God Squad 153 22. Personality Cult 158 23. Race Matters 162 24. Double Your Pleasure 172 25. Styles and Strategies 177 ix 925-7 FM r1 11/15/04 10:07 AM Page x x Contents 26. Love Affairs 193 27. Sex and the Singles Player 197 28. Money Talks 200 29. True Confessions 208 30. Davis Cup 218 31. All in the Family 224 32. Athletes Only Need Apply 232 33. Passion Play 237 34. Did They Really Say That? 244 35. Tennis Forever 255 Index 261 About the Author 271 925-7 FM r1 11/15/04 10:07 AM Page xi PHOTOGRAPHS Andre Agassi 8 Ilie Nastase 42 Pete Sampras 68 Boris Becker 96 Jimmy Connors 126 Venus Williams 145 Chris Evert 180 Martina Navratilova 191 Andy Roddick 233 Anna Kournikova 246 xi 925-7 FM r1 11/15/04 10:07 AM Page xii 925-7 FM r1 11/15/04 10:07 AM Page xiii FOREWORD You Can Quote Me on That brought back a flood of wonderful memories, and I discovered plenty of juicy quotes I never heard before. Ever since I first picked up a tennis racket as an eleven year old in Long Beach, California, I’ve crusaded to improve the sport I love. I battled country club elitism and snobbery, the reactionary establishment,“shama- teurism,” racism, homophobia, and sexism. Winning thirty-nine Grand Slam titles, including twenty at Wimbledon, and thumping Bobby Riggs in the famous “Battle of the Sexes” match gave me the public platform I needed. Early on, I learned the power of words. They can make people laugh and cry, think and argue, and ultimately inspire us to do good and great things. Tennis history has always been a huge fascination for me. I loved stories about the tradition-breaking flamboyance of Suzanne Lenglen, the classic elegance of Helen Wills Moody, and the serve-and-volley boldness of Alice Marble. As an enthusiastic teenager, I not only dreamed of playing like these champions, I wanted to be like them. Lenglen liberated tennis women in the 1920s with her attitude as much as her then-risqué attire. “I just throw dignity to the wind and think of nothing but the game,” she proclaimed. Those words stuck in my mind, as did the eloquence of Helen Wills Moody, the first American to dominate women’s tennis. Seventy years ago she said, “Concerning the limits and limitations of the women’s game— why should we believe there are any?” My thoughts exactly! That passion for tennis is reflected every day around the world, whether it be at a gritty public court in Compton, California, where Venus and Serena got started, or Centre Court at Wimbledon—my favorite place in the world. Tennis players tell it like it is. They praise and lambaste opponents, confide xiii 925-7 FM r1 11/15/04 10:07 AM Page xiv xiv Foreword their hopes and fears, talk tennis issues, and express themselves in every con- ceivable way. Andre Agassi is one of my favorite players because he’s a champion off the court, too. He’s raised millions of dollars for charities, and his college preparatory academy in Las Vegas has given hope to hundreds of disad- vantaged children. After Andre rebounded from a devastating career slump to win Roland Garros in 1999, he said, “I’ve got to say, what turns me on more than anything is just making a difference in people’s lives. That’s one thing I’ve taken with me and I’ll keep. Probably even more so than the accomplishments itself at the French Open is the fact that some- where along the line it gave hope to people.” Paul Fein, an award-winning journalist, is also a sectional tournament player, former satellite tournament director and regional TV commenta- tor, and teaching pro, who knows first-hand about the pressures, joys, and disappointments of competition.