50+ Tennis Quotes That Will Make You Want to Hit the Court in 2025

Did you know that tennis has more than 87 million players in the world, ranking it as one of the most populated individual sports played in the planet? If you need some famous tennis quotes to get you through a grueling workout or need some inspiring tennis quotes to carry you through a difficult tennis match.

The correct words can be the deciding factor between quitting and going that extra mile to win that match point. I have gathered some strong 50+ tennis quotes of great tennis players all through the years, and what I can tell you is when a tennis quotes from a tennis champion has been offered to the world.

Whether it be motivational jewels to pick you out of the doldrums, the wisdom of tennis masters teaching you things you can apply to life off the baseline, or just an interesting snippet of tennis trivia, all the tennis quotes in this catalog can give a boost to your game and your morale.

Funny Tennis Quotes

Tennis isn’t only about competition, it’s about joy too. These funny quotes show the lighter side of the game and are perfect for sharing smiles on and off the court.

• “I have no sense of humor about losing.” — Rafael Nadal
• “Being number two sucks.” — Andre Agassi
• “The ball is round, the game is long.” — Bjorn Borg
• “I dislike the gym, but I’ll chase a tennis ball all day.” — Matt Kuchar
• “What rivalry? I win all the matches.” — Martina Hingis
• “Experience is a great advantage. The problem is that when you get the experience, you’re too damned old to do anything about it.” — Jimmy Connors
• “The depressing thing about tennis is that no matter how good I get, I’ll never be as good as a wall.” — Mitch Hedberg
• “I never knew I was grunting, it was just part of my strokes.” — Monica Seles
• “Writing free verse is like playing tennis with the net down.” — Robert Frost
• “I was sporty in high school. I played tennis and hockey, and was basketball captain. Then I went to university and stopped doing sport and started eating ice cream.” — Rebel Wilson
• “If you can keep playing tennis when somebody is shooting a gun down the street, that’s concentration.” — Serena Williams
• A person in a white outfit is reaching up to hit a tennis ball mid-air with a racket. A quote by Matt Kuchar on the right says, “I dislike the gym, but I’ll chase a tennis ball all day.
• “When I was 40, my doctor advised me that a man in his 40s shouldn’t play tennis. I heeded his advice carefully and could hardly wait until I reached 50 to start again.” — Hugo L. Black
• “Ladies, here’s a hint. If you’re up against a girl with big boobs, bring her to the net and make her hit backhand volleys. That’s the hardest shot for the well-endowed.” — Billie Jean King
• “Nobody. NOBODY, beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row!” — Vitas Gerulaitis
• “I listen to him most of the time, some of the time, I switch off.” — Andy Murray, British tennis player
• “Sex doesn’t interfere with your tennis, it’s staying out all night trying to find it that affects your tennis.” — Andre Agassi, American tennis player
• “He can’t cook.” — Michael Chang
• “Tennis is a psychological sport, you have to keep a clear head. That is why I stopped playing.” — Boris Becker,
• “It’s not really a shorter skirt, I just have longer legs.” — Anna Kournikova.
• “It’s called retail therapy.” — Maria Sharapova.
• “Not yet. It’s my first day on the job. Give me some time.” — Marat Safin.

Motivational Tennis Quotes

Tennis is as much a mental game as it is a physical one. These motivational quotes remind us to stay focused, push through challenges, and keep chasing greatness both on and off the court.

• “When you start from nothing, when you come from nothing, it makes you hungry.”
  — Maria Sharapova, Russian tennis player
• “You play the ball. You don’t play the opponent. Be free in your head. Be free in your shots. Go for it.”
  — Rodger Federer, Swiss tennis player
• “My motto is: I’m alive, so that means I can do anything.”
  — Venus Williams, American tennis player
• “The mark of great sportsmen is not how good they are at their best, but how good they are at their worst.”
  — Martina Navratilova, Czech-American tennis player
• “Spectacular performances are preceded by spectacular preparation.”
  — Frank Giampaolo, award-winning coach and author
• “I’ll let the racket do the talking”
  — John Mcenroe, American tennis player
• “Nothing can substitute for just plain hard work. I had to put in the time to get back. And it was a grind. It meant training and sweating every day.”
  — Andre Agassi, American tennis player
• “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.”
  — Martina Navratilova, Czech-American tennis player
• “I just try to play tennis and don’t find excuses. You know, I just lost because I lost, not because my arm was sore.”
  — Goran Ivanisevic, Croatian tennis player
• “I used to think that losing made you more hungry and determined but after my success at the Olympics and the U.S. Open I realise that winning is the biggest motivation.”
  — Andy Murray, British tennis player
• “You’ve got to take the initiative and play your game. In a decisive set, confidence is the difference.”
  — Chris Evert, American tennis player
• “I’ve been in the twilight of my career longer than most people have had their career.”
  — Martina Navratilova, Czech-American tennis player
• “One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.”
  — Arthur Ashe, American tennis player
• “You have to continue working because everybody is. Once you stop, the others will overtake you.”
  — Dominic Thiem, Austrian tennis player
• “I just try to stay positive and focused on the tennis, not let anything get to me, like crazy questions. But I’m tough, let me tell you, tough as nails.”
  — Venus Williams, American tennis player
• “As a Tennis player, you have to get used to losing every week. Unless you win the tournament, you always go home a loser. But you have to take the positive out of a defeat and go back to work. Improve to fail better.”
  — Stan Wawrinka, Swiss tennis player
• “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
  — Arthur Ashe, American tennis player
• “Losing is not my enemy, fear of losing is my enemy.”
  — Rafael Nadal, Spanish tennis player
• “Champions keep playing until they get it right.”
  — Billie Jean King, American tennis player
• “I’ve said it lots of times before, I play for myself, so I’m not worried about other people’s expectations.”
  — Taylor Fritz, American tennis player
• “You’ve got to get to the stage in life where going for it is more important than winning or losing.”
  — Arthur Ashe, American tennis player
• “For me losing a tennis match isn’t a failure, it’s research.”
  — Billie Jean King, American tennis player
• “You’ve got to get to the stage in life where going for it is more important than winning or losing.”
  — Arthur Ashe, American tennis player
• “Whoever said, ‘It’s not whether you win or lose that counts, probably lost.”
  — Martina Navratilova, Czech-American tennis player
• “Victory is fleeting. Losing is forever.”
  — Billie Jean King, American tennis player
• “True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.”
  — Arthur Ashe, American tennis player
• “There are no shortcuts in best of five set matches”
  — Roger Federer, Swiss tennis player
• “If you don’t practice you don’t deserve to win.”
  — Andre Agassi, American tennis player

Famous Tennis Quotes

Famous tennis quotes give us a glimpse into the minds of great players. They capture the true essence of the sport and the spirit of champions.

• “I let my racquet do the talking. That’s what I am all about, really. I just go out and win tennis matches.”
  — Pete Sampras
• “To be a tennis champion, you have to be inflexible. You have to be stubborn. You have to be arrogant. You have to be selfish and self-absorbed. Kind of tunnel vision almost.”
  — Chris Evert
• “Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquility.”
  — Billie Jean King
• “Tennis is just a game, family is forever.”
  — Serena Williams
• “Everybody loves success, but they hate successful people.”
  — John McEnroe
• “Success is a journey, not a destination.” – Maria Sharapova
• “One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.” – Arthur Ashe
• “You have to believe in yourself when no one else does.” – Serena Williams
• “Winning is about having the whole package physically, mentally, and emotionally.” – Roger Federer
• “The mark of great sportsmen is not how good they are at their best, but how good they are at their worst.” – Martina Navratilova
• “It’s not the will to win that matters everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” – Pete Sampras
• “The only way to prove you are a good sport is to lose.” – Rafael Nadal

Inspirational Tennis Quotes

Tennis does not just speak about a sport, it also leads to lessons on resilience, focus and balance. These motivating tennis quotes give the victories of the court that apply in everyday life. Have them stimulate your game and be inspirational to you outside tennis.

• “The next point that’s all you must think about.”
  — Rod Laver
• “I want my tennis to speak for everything.”
  — Maria Sharapova
• “Tennis uses the language of life. Advantage, service, fault, break, love  the basic elements of tennis are those of everyday existence, because every match is a life in miniature.”
  — Andre Agassi
• “One win, and you are on top of the world. Lose in the first round the next tournament, you are back to reality.”
  — Sania Mirza
• “I love the winning, I can take the losing, but most of all I love to play.”
  — Boris Becker
• “The great part about tennis is you can’t run out the clock…”
  — Andre Agassi
• “You’ll hear a lot of applause in your life, but none will mean more to you than that applause from your peers. I hope each of you hears that at the end.”
  — Andre Agassi
• “Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.”
  — Arthur Ashe
• “The important thing is to learn a lesson every time you lose.”
  — John McEnroe
• “Being champion is all well and good, but you can’t eat a crown.”
  — Althea Gibson, American tennis playe
• “Some people say I have attitude maybe I do…but I think you have to. You have to believe in yourself when no one else does.”
  — Venus Williams
• “A champion is afraid of losing. Everyone else is afraid of winning.”
  — Billie Jean King
• “No one remembers defeats. People remember victories.”
  — Rafael Nadal
• “The winner is the one who believes in victory more.”
  — Novak Djokovic
• “You are never really playing an opponent. You are playing yourself, your own highest standards, and when you reach your limits, that is real joy.”
  — Arthur Ashe
• “I play each point like my life depends on it.”
  — Rafael Nadal
• “I go out there because I love tennis and I love playing.” — Bethanie Mattek-Sands
• “In my case, I can sincerely say nothing is impossible.” — Novak Djokovic
• “Hard work pays off. If you keep working, you’ll be rewarded.”
• “Stay focused, stay humble, and keep going.”
• “Effort beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”
• “A great player is someone who plays well even when they don’t feel their best.”
• “If you don’t fight for what you want, don’t cry for what you lose.”
• “Tennis is a mental game. Everyone is fit, everyone hits great shots. It’s the mind that wins matches.”
• “You are only as strong as your mindset.”
• “Pain is temporary, victory lasts forever.”
• “Every champion was once a beginner.”
• “Believe in yourself, trust the process, and the results will come.”

Tennis Captions for Instagram

Here you’ll find the perfect caption for Instagram.

• A bad day of tennis is still better than a good day at work
• Court is in session, and I’m ruling it!
• Court queen
• Game. Set. Match.
• Having a ball
• Hitting the court like a champion
• It all starts with love
• Just serve it
• Life is better on the court
• Life is like tennis those who serve well seldom lose
• Love all
• Love is nothing in tennis, but in life it’s everything
• Love. Passion. Tennis.
• Making a racquet
• Woman match point madness
• Only looking back to see how far I’ve come
• Queen of the court
• Slice, slice, baby
• Tennis: A racquet sport in which two players compete to see who has the shortest temper, the worst memory, the poorest eyesight, and the slowest watch
• Tennis is my therapy
• Tennis is not a sport it’s a lifestyle 
• To err is human. To put the blame on someone else is doubles.
• Topspin for the win
• When life gives you tennis, ace it!
• You only live once, but you get to serve twice

Related: 150+ Memorable Star Gazing Quotes 

Conclusion

Intelligence of all time tennis greats as well as the emerging genius of the tennis champions of today are captured by the wisdom of these 50+ tennis quotes discovering the power of the mind game on a tennis court to be as important as the physical technique! Whether its inspirational quotes in tennis to help you slog through an intense practice session.