Milos Raonic Quotes

I actually rid myself of superstitions, but I do a quick 20-minute meditation before games.

Sticking to a routine helps you get in the zone for the match. I always put my left shinpad on before my right. When I go out onto the pitch, I take three hops on my left leg - but I don't know why I started. I must have seen Messi do it or something.

I have to pray before I play, and I gotta eat right before I go out there. For a while when I was younger, I would always eat chicken tenders and fries no matter what.

You know, I'm confident before I go out and play a match that I know, you know, I've put in the work and like I feel confident that I am going to go out there and play well.

Every athlete acquires routines as a way to help control nerves.

When I prepare for a match, it's like work, even the way I have to shower and put on my makeup.

I am very superstitious. I trod on a wet towel before winning the Junior World Championships, and now I have to do that every time.

I watch all my goals before every game on the coach.

When I get onto the pitch, I block out everything around it, and I really focus on the pitch.

I think people have a misconception of athletes when they think about what goes through their heads, you know what I'm saying?

I knew we were in for a long season when we lined up for the national anthem on opening day and one of my players said, 'Every time I hear that song I have a bad game.'

To me, pre-match preparation is extremely important because that's something which is within my control.

Tiger Woods, Larry Bird, Wayne Gretzky, a pitcher just before a game, I would imagine they all have nervous energy. But as you perform, the nervous energy dissipates and you start to relax and you start to do what you do best.

You're trying to put yourself in that moment and trying to prepare yourself, to have a 'memory before the game. I don't know if you'd call it visualising or dreaming, but I've always done it, my whole life.

There's an adage that a lot of coaches have, that I completely disagree with, is if you make the Olympic team too early you become complacent.

I do love my wine. I'd opt to drink my calories rather than eat them every time, so I cut out the breads, potatoes, pastas, cheeses and desserts in an effort to get my healthy angel and unhealthy demon to compromise.

I think when you compete every week, when you play under pressure daily, you find your rituals to be 100 percent focused on what you're doing.

When I go out on the ice, I just think about my skating. I forget it is a competition.

I don't believe you could be a 39-year-old quarterback in the NFL and eat cheeseburgers every day. I want to be able to do what I love to do for a long time.

Most of my best games were when I felt crap - I could hardly move on the morning of the World Cup semi-final in 1990 - but there's a thing called adrenaline that gets you through.

All sportsmen have superstitions, or at least they have routines. You look at Rafa Nadal and the way he organises his water bottles. Me, I always put my left pad and left shoe on first.

For me, I'm more reserved and focused once I get to the game.

The calmest part of my day is right before a match.

There will be mental worries with the long jump before Rio, but I know I can get through it. It's just getting my confidence back. I know I have a big jump in me.

People might think it's all about getting up for a game but it's often the opposite.