Maria Sharapova winning Wimbledon at 17, I don't think that's ever going to happen again. It's a different game now. I need to stay focused and work on my game, and it will come.
I know Andy Roddick's probably tired about me talking about how many times I beat him when we were kids.
I grew up in the USTA's junior circuit.
When I see these kids 6 years old with a private coach, and at 7, they have a fitness coach, I'm like, 'Aw, come on.' At 12, it's for sure they will lose all the interest in tennis because they do not interact with other kids.
Senior tennis is like the younger game in slow motion. It is much more of a backcourt game. The player who had a big game in his prime finds it harder to play that same game as a senior. But any senior who could lob well when he was young can still hit a good lob.
Young kids do not see tennis as a 'fun' sport.
We have been playing every summer on clay since I was five years old, so it is an easy surface for us in Belgium.
When a child signs up for tennis, he or she is put on a team. I put them in a circle and then I make sure they name their own team. I would have them do their skill drills as a team and their fun drills together as a team, then they have to have a match at the end of every week. They can't just have what they call a lesson today every week.
It was quite the intimidating Sunday afternoon, US Open finals day for me. Sixteen years old, the 16th seed, second major, first US Open, as an amateur, playing Chris Evert.
There is no cheap way to achieve the ability to turn pro in tennis; it unfortunately is more expensive than team sports.
When you're a kid and practice on clay, you're always, 'Oh, I wish I could win Roland Garros.'
I want young kids to play tennis because of me.
Well, immediately we announced yesterday or the day before we're building, with my foundation, a youth tennis and learning center in Austin. I'd like to be hands on with that and not see it periodically.
I didn't play juniors, really. I only played Roland Garros juniors and maybe some European tournaments.
When we introduced 10-and-under tennis - when we shortened the courts and had smaller rackets and low-compression balls for trying to introduce the sport to youth - a lot of people said we weren't going to succeed.
In tennis, a lot of parents are accused of driving their kids into tennis. I would say I'm the opposite: I drove my parents into it. They didn't take it that seriously until I was about 11 or 12 years old, when they realised I had an opportunity to go pro.
