Once you succeed in tennis, financially you become quite well off.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
My dad said if you become a tennis professional just make sure you get into the top hundred, because you have to make a little bit of money. You make a living so you can pay your coaching and, you know, your travels.
You don't just have to be skilled and talented at tennis, but you have to be so physically strong.
I've got more out of tennis than I could ever give back.
What I want out of tennis is not necessarily just winning.
Tennis has to become everything to you if you're going to make it to the top. You have to live it.
If you can react the same way to winning and losing, that's a big accomplishment. That quality is important because it stays with you the rest of your life, and there's going to be a life after tennis that's a lot longer than your tennis life.
Tennis is all about mental toughness, and you have to keep your head in the game. I make time to relax away from competition pressures, travel and intense training schedules to make sure I'm looking after myself. Taking time out with family and friends helps to maintain the work-life balance everyone needs.
It's very expensive to be a professional tennis player with all the travel and the flights and the hotels and everything.
I'm actually a pretty good tennis player!
People think that there is so much money in tennis, but the reality is unless you're ranked in about the top 50 you don't earn much at all. It is hard to support yourself travelling the world, to be away from home most of the year and to pay for a coach to help you become a better player.