Jason Babin Quotes

You don't want to let the other team feed off your outward physical demeanor. But at the same time, you can't go out and play this game and not expect to just be angry and be competitive and be excited and have that fire in your belly.

It is difficult to be yourself on court, as you become very involved in the match and very focused.

People used to talk to me about that and say, 'Rom doesn't play with passion.' I do, but I don't show it too much because in my mind, I'm a guy that thinks a lot about how to win the game. Sometimes I let the emotions just come now, and it helps me.

There were butterflies, otherwise, you're not really ready to play. The locker room, I remember, was quiet and we were very focused on playing that game.

I think rugby is 80 per cent mental.

I do a lotta trash talking to keep me motivated, to keep me to not want to lose.

Sledging makes things interesting. There are no robots playing. They are humans who want to perform well for the country. So when stakes are so high, emotions will take over. Sometimes sledging gets the best out of you.

You have to forget you are playing against your idol, because the guy on the other side also wants to play better than you and beat you. I don't think you should allow yourself to think like this when you go against any player.

I try to show a little bit of excitement, only when I'm on the court, but off the court I'm just chill.

If I play against you the first time - or it doesn't even have to be the first time - and you want to be all physical and just talk, or talking trash or whatever, it just gets me going.

Psychology is a big part of sport that some people do not realise. But it is a skill you have to practice.

Some guys play so straight, and that may be their thing; like, a lot of guys are good playing like that. I can't play like that. I have to flair out. I have to yell. I gotta scream. I gotta talk trash - that's how I get myself going.

I wouldn't say I've changed at all. A lot of people will keep saying I'm a different person, especially when I go across those white lines. I think it's just the hunger and desire and passion I've got for the game.

I've played in Boston and New York, and it doesn't matter if you're sick, aching - once you step on that field, you're a completely different animal.

Learning how to compete is one of the most important things that an athlete can do. You can train as well as you possibly can and go compete and completely choke.

If any player in the world tells you he doesn't care about what the opponents do, he is lying.

There are guys that you look at and you want to really bowl at them or bat against them, certain guys who really get your juices flowing.

Having your competitiveness and your desire as an athlete called into question is, for sure, frustrating.

I approach every match with that mindset, that this guy is trying to beat you, and it will change his life if he does.

I think it's normal that, the first time you meet Federer or Murray or Djokovic, you're going to get nervous. But after a while, they become normal opponents, people you see every week. That's the way you have to think. You can't think of them as legends. When you see someone on court, you have to treat every opponent the same way.

The problem with many athletes is they take themselves seriously and their sport lightly.

I hope so. God, I've practiced so much that I you don't want to be worse five years later. I feel I have a great game today. I know how hard it is to pull off those great shots, and I know how easy it is to miss, so I'm more aware of these things. But I'm so happy I'm at the age I am right now because I had such a great run and I know there's still more possible.

Is my ability what it was at, say, 25 or 30 years old? Probably not, but I like to compete. I like to go out and play the game hard.

On the field, you have to be aggressive; you're thinking how to get the better of a situation. It's not that I don't laugh on the field. In fact, I think it's very important to laugh, especially when you are angry and aggressive, to just take the tension away, make the moment go away.

Challenging someone is good. You need to do it. Sometimes they don't even realize you're doing it, like when you joke with a goalie, 'What's wrong today? You losing it?'