Injury Resilience Quotes

I practiced and played a certain way that kept my body limber. That's probably why I never got hurt.

The difference between pros and amateurs is that pros play hurt.

While I dealt with my share of injuries throughout my career, I was fortunate to have been healthy for the majority of our run in the 1990s. The same can be said about Michael Jordan.

I have been dealing with back problems since 1995 when I was with the Blackhawks, and I've only missed part of one season because of it. That was last season in Toronto.

I've had calf problems for many years, and it has been very difficult for me because I've played out of position, which means more sprints. Ten minutes into the game, I've not been able to feel my feet in a few games. I didn't like to go to the media and say, 'I am injured.'

I don't like to give in to injuries. I don't like to use them as excuses. Everybody has them.

I have played with a torn bicep before. I have come back from a torn Achilles before. So I guess it's just in my DNA.

I like to think of myself as somebody who heals fast and can play through pain, but I'm not going to rush it at the same time. A sprained ankle, those are things I can fight through.

Great players, they don't get hurt as much as the other players.

Some people feel stronger in their 30s. I'm 34. I've noticed I do feel stronger now than when I was 24. But I'm also more sore in the mornings. If I have a bump or a bruise from practice, it takes me a little bit more than just an ice bath to get rid of it. At the end of the week, my body's ready for a day off.

It's one thing to play through injuries, quite another to play well through injuries.

I had pain in both knees my whole career. Not many athletes play pain-free. Mine was just more than normal.

It's funny to me because everyone says I'm injury prone. That's hilarious to me because I've never blown a hammy or a shoulder or anything like that, knock on wood.

Your cruciate ligament, like many long-term injuries... when they come back they're expected to be what they were before the injury. While fit it sometimes takes a little bit longer for some than others.

I haven't had a cramp since '99. That was my only time, in Davis Cup, when I was panicky. I was young. I'm very proud of that. Never pulled out. Never had cramps. Never lost very much because of fitness, especially later on in my career where I knew I've put in the hard work. I've done that. I've been very fortunate and clever as well to understand how I need to work, when I need to work. So I'm very happy to have stayed injury free for so long. I hope I can still maintain a few good years on the tour. I really hope so.

My body had given up on me at one point. And as many injuries as I've had over the years, I truly believed that my body needed to rest and not be on the grind like it's been for the last 15 years.

Is there any proof that I'm a bust? All there is proof of is that I have bad luck with injuries.

I'm really not an injury-prone player. I just had that one injury that took, like, two years.

I've talked to Frank Gore, Willis McGahee - different guys who had similar injuries to me. Those guys have been great mentors to me and kept me motivated.

Winning is great, but being able to finish my last Olympic Games on American soil was very important. Even though I was injured, I didn't let my psyche get the best of me and cause me to doubt myself, so I was willing to pull every muscle in my body in '96 in order to get the job done and I came away with the bronze medal.

I'm not a player, I'm an alien. I wasn't actually there. I was in another galaxy with my galactic friends. My focus is on winning championships. I don't focus on anything else. Aliens only want to win championships. That's it. Injuries is not a focus. Trade talk is not a focus. Nothing is a focus. Gluten-free pasta is not a focus, which I would rather have gluten-free pasta. Hey, if I have to have regular pasta. ... It is what it is. I'm still going to try to win a championship. Nothing will distract me from my focus, my galactic mind.

Yeah, two or three weeks ago I was fairly snappy. I've never been injured before and this year it feels like I've hardly played.

Wounded Warriors tell me they're not just going to walk again, they're going to run, and they're going to run marathons!

If you have a lot of injuries for a long period, that makes it more normal to bring in new players.

You have injuries that bother you when you're not playing. When that horn blows, you don't feel it.