You Can
Quote Me On That!
The greatest quips, insights and zingers from the world of professional tennis
by Paul Fein
Quote
of the Week:
June 24, 2009: "Martina has got a fight on her hands. Without any warning, my life came crashing down around me. I was kicked out on the streets with only the clothes on my back. I was left an emotional wreck, with nothing to show for eight years of my life. I still suffer nightmares today. It’s something I don’t think I will ever properly recover from. But what I want now is justice. Justice for all those lost, wasted years."
— Toni Layton, 56, who married tennis legend Martina Navratilova in an official wedding ceremony, is now suing her for millions of dollars because Navratilova dumped her without warning after eight years, in the Daily Mail (UK).
June 24, 2009: "A series of graduating penalties – loss of point, loss of game, loss of match – could, and should, be employed."
— Noted tennis coach Nick Bollettieri, advocating a series of penalties, culminating with a default, for players, such as the shrieking Michelle Larcher del Brito who make persistently loud noises during pro matches, in The Independent (UK).
June 24, 2009: "I think serve and volley is not dead. I can play this game and win, of course. I have practiced a lot, I feel good and I am excited about Wimbledon. I feel like I can do it."
— Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a flamboyant, 24-year-old Frenchman, likes his chances of winning Wimbledon.
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"Paul
Fein is tennis' answer to John Bartlett.
This exhaustive work belongs next to Bud Collins'
encyclopedia on your tennis reference desk."
-- Sports Illustrated
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You Can Quote Me on That
isn't about the polite, country-club sport where
players shake hands over the net and offer congratulations
on a fine drop shot. It views tennis from inside, where
competition is grueling, tempers flare, and egos collide.
Top tennis journalist Paul Fein has compiled hundreds
of the most outrageous, most significant, and most illuminating
quotes on, by, and about tennis's biggest stars and
hottest controversies.
You want smack talk? How about
Maria Sharapova brushing aside an intended compliment
with "I'm not the next Kournikova—I want
to win matches!"
Wonder why Jimmy Connors
was such a cutthroat? According to his mother, "Jimmy
was taught to be a tiger on the court. When he was young,
if I had a shot I could hit down his throat, I did.
And I'd say, ‘See, Jimmy, even your mother
will do that to you.'"
Fein even delves into
the gritty detail of players' personal lives. Witness
Andre Agassi's explanation that "sex
doesn't interfere with your tennis; it's staying
out all night trying to find it that affects your tennis."
And of course legendary bad boy John McEnroe
both fires off and gets hits with multiple zingers.
Fein includes quotes of praise,
thoughtful commentary, and interesting points about
players, tournaments, and the game—where it's
been and where it's headed. If it's about
tennis and worth remembering, well, You
Can Quote Me on That.
Read the Introduction
Read the Contents
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Writing Awards:
Paul won First Prize
in the 2007 United States Tennis Writers’ Association Writing Contest in the “Service Story” Category for his story, "Playing Drop Shots." It was his sixth 1st Prize award in the annual USTWA writing contest in the past eight years.
Paul also won 2nd Prize in the 2007 USTWA Writing Contest in the “Hard News/Enterprise” Category for his story, “How Successful Is the U.S. Open Series?” and 2nd Prize in the “Feature Story (Pro Tennis)” Category for his story, “Tennis for the Bloody Fun of It.”
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Tennis
Confidential
and
Tennis Confidential II
Paul Fein's books on
Pro Tennis's
Greatest Players, Matches
and Controversies!
Do you have strong opinions on this issue?
E-Mail
Paul directly to share your thoughts.
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