Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz walked away with the singles titles at the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday. But their brilliant play wasn’t the lone mainstay during the two weeks in the desert. There were quotes aplenty. As we bid adieu for another year, we look back at some of the best ones.
“I enjoy playing so much in front of you. So much energy. I felt the love since the first day until today. Thanks to you, thanks to the energy you bring to me, I could show my best tennis.”
“I feel like I'm usually excited when I win tournaments. Sometimes, okay, there's maybe a little bit more of the relief than just pure happiness. But right now I just feel I've done really good work. Maybe because of that, I just know that it hasn't been easy after Australia, and I've been working hard to play well and to handle everything mentally well.”
“I think it's the best 1000 of the season. I just really enjoy being here. I like the conditions here. It bounces high, the ball goes. I've played two finals and a semi in the last three years. I really believe that I'm going to get this one day”
“Hopefully one day you’ll let me play a little bit better here,” said Medvedev as he looked at Alcaraz. “Maybe I’m not going to play you in the final but so far it doesn’t work here.”
“I feel like I'm usually excited when I win tournaments. Sometimes, okay, there's maybe a little bit more of the relief than just pure happiness. But right now I just feel I've done really good work. Maybe because of that, I just know that it hasn't been easy after Australia, and I've been working hard to play well and to handle everything mentally well.”
“I think it's the best 1000 of the season. I just really enjoy being here. I like the conditions here. It bounces high, the ball goes. I've played two finals and a semi in the last three years. I really believe that I'm going to get this one day”
“I enjoy playing so much in front of you. So much energy. I felt the love since the first day until today. Thanks to you, thanks to the energy you bring to me, I could show my best tennis.”
“Hopefully one day you’ll let me play a little bit better here,” said Medvedev as he looked at Alcaraz. “Maybe I’m not going to play you in the final but so far it doesn’t work here.”
“I don't think so. Maybe they teach that in Kazakhstan. I don't know, because (Alexander) Bublik does the same,” Swiatek said, referring to the unpredictable men’s pro from Kazakhstan. “I don’t really care.”
“Honestly, I think I’m trying to get as many 6-0 sets as possible because we have Iga, who has the bakery. I can have a mini one.”
“I haven’t gotten anything for myself. I always forget. I always say I’m going to get myself something. I still haven't gotten myself anything from the US Open. I do have gifts in my hotel room that have to be opened today.”
“I'm not unbeatable. I'm just well prepared. I worked really hard to be in this position. Obviously, it's a position that you dream of because winning a Grand Slam, that's I think everyone's dream, but in the other way, you travel here, the conditions are different and then you have to find a way somehow.”
“Look, I've been positive throughout this winning streak, positive even now, because I lost in the semis of Indian Wells, which is still a great result. Now, the next tournament is Miami. So I'm focused already for Miami. For sure it's tough that it has to end like this here, because for me this is a really special place to play in.”
“My fitness trainer taught me a term that they use in Argentina. When somebody is playing unbelievable, they say they're playing naked, and he's absolutely playing naked right now. He's playing awesome tennis.”
“He got in as a Lucky Loser to the main draw, so he really didn't have anything to lose. He played great. Deserved to win. I was more surprised with my level. My level was really, really bad. That's it. These two things come together. He's having a great day, I’m having a really bad day. Results as a negative outcome for me.”
“I'd have a lot more fans if I had a one-hander. People like the way it looks and it is pretty, for sure.”
“I just felt like I needed to take some chances. I’m 30 — not that being 30 is the end. I think I just didn’t want to look back and be like ‘Maybe I should have tried someone else, or tried something different.’”
“I'm super happy that I didn't give up on that score, and I was really pushing myself hard, even though I didn't play my best tennis and she was crushing it like crazy. I was just trying to stay in the game and keep fighting for every point. But this match definitely goes into the book of craziest matches and the best matches of my career.”
“We already know each other, I know how you play, you know how I play,” the Belgian said. “Building something together.”
Then a smiling Hsieh added: “I thought because I'm cute, that's why you asked me.”
“Not a big fan of golf but I'm watching. They show it on every channel. So I'm really into the players now. I'm watching it closely.”
