Hakeem Olajuwon Quotes

I know my talents well - I know my head well - so when I go onto the pitch, I know perfectly what I have to do.

When I'm playing my best, like I was at the U.S. Open, I feel on top of the match and able to do exactly what I want. There are other times when you're not in control, but that is tennis and you have momentum changes in every single match.

You can't control what the other athlete is going to do; you can't control anything except for your competition and how you execute the race or how you execute the task.

The more you play baseball, the less depends on your athletic ability. It's a mental war more than anything.

I'm not too worried about points and all that stuff. It's about making the right play.

I train and prepare for every contest the same so I can compete to the best of my abilities.

I'm just going to do what I always do: train. And when it's time to fight, I go fight.

It could be very costly if you don't have a clear mind during a tournament.

When you get to that level, it's not a matter of talent anymore - because all the players are so talented - it's about preparation, about playing smart and making good decisions. If I don't believe it, then they don't need me on the court. I've just got to believe that in my heart.

Just like any other game we're taking on we've got to prepare, prepare hard, mentally, physically. We've been practicing hard.

You rewind. You think of your preparation. You think of everything you did throughout the week, your life, the practices, the intensity. Everything flashes, and you come right back to that point. And it's like, game on.

I love to prepare if it's something that requires training. But I don't like to prepare the psychology too much.

You prepare yourself by concentrating on what you have to do out on the field.

If you're good at it, you can win.

A lot of my intensity in wrestling was due to my mental preparation before the matches. I got myself into a different world.

At big championships it's not the fastest person, it's the person who gets it right on the day.

Ninety percent of my game is mental. It's my concentration that has gotten me this far.

But if I played well and prepared myself properly, then all I had to do was control myself and put myself in a position to win.

One of the reasons I connect to the Super Bowl is that I approach my shows like an athlete.

Once you are on court, everything is different. I focus on the match.

When I am on court, I am so focused on what I am doing, that's all I think about - trying to win the next point.

We all know how to play tennis. We all know how to hit the ball. It's more just about those details - managing all those early rounds and just managing yourself to make sure you're ready for whatever is coming up next.

I can't worry about techs. I've got to play my game.

I let my racket do the talking.

I try and watch the ball closely. I've played the game for many years now, and I know my talent will take over if I just watch the ball and enjoy myself out there.