Top 50 Evonne Goolagong Cawley Quotes

My goal is to share information and to educate. But am I an activist? No, no, no. I don’t believe in pushing things on people.

Now that my daughter is 9 and my son is 5, I’m starting to enjoy tennis more. I’ve been asked to play in the over 35s, and I may do that.

I guess I had that insecurity of missing out on the normal things that everybody else does. With all the traveling I was doing I felt I was leaving something behind.

I remember I hadn’t bought anything for my Mum for Christmas and I actually won an iron, so I was excited that I could take that home for her.

Usually I have to leave parties early – just when the action is beginning.

Billie Jean King is the personality of women’s tennis.

I won Wimbledon when I was 19 and again after I had a child.

I keep saying to myself, ‘I’m in New York.’ I’ve heard so much about it. It’s big, isn’t it?

When I started I was pretty well the only Aboriginal player who was playing tournaments.

I’ve always had an obsession with rackets.

I don’t want to talk about apartheid… I’m going to South Africa to play tennis and to see the country. That’s as far as it goes.

I first started out by hitting a ball against a wall when I was four.

I started by hitting balls against walls with an apple crate board.

I love to fish. I love the peacefulness of being around the water.

Every time I hit the ball I would pretend I was on that magical court at Wimbledon. And then every time I went to sleep at night I would dream about playing at Wimbledon one day.

About three months after I had Kelly, I went and played in Canada. I felt great, I was ready to go and I was very energetic. But as soon as I started playing, I thought ‘no, too soon.’ I went back home and slept for two days.

When Kelly was born, I thought seriously about retirement. But I wanted to see if it was possible to mix being a mother with tennis and the two combined very well.

It’s wonderful being a mother playing anyway.

I hope that I am helping to create an understanding and an awareness of what happened to the Aboriginal people.

I certainly had a lot of fun during my career playing tennis, doing the thing I wanted to do and to do it well.

I went to Willoughby Girls High, I finished my high school certificate and then I did shorthand and typing the next year. Then started travelling and never used it since.

I’ll get married when I’m sick of tennis.

My greatest high was to hit a ball well, to try to do it perfectly, to try different things, whether they came off or not.

I can’t explain why I play belter when I am down. It’s the challenge I suppose.

Whenever a car would come down the road, my mum would tell us to hide ‘or else the welfare man would take you away.’

I don’t know whether I’m half, quarter or what. I just know I’m aboriginal.

A man could and would wipe me off the court. I really feel that the male is naturally superior to the female in all endeavors.

I think It would be quite fun to play Bobby Riggs.

Because I’ve had time off, I’ve learned to appreciate tennis more – to put something back into it.

I love the atmosphere of shopping in London. Sometimes I just go into a boutique, not to buy but to listen to the music.

When I went through some racism through my early days and I went back and told Mum… she said, ‘Don’t worry about that, they’re just ignorant.’

There are about 100 Aboriginal communities in Australia, and I’m trying to visit as many as possible to learn as much as I can.

Some players feel that winning is everything and that losing is a disaster. Not me. I want the spectators to take home a good memory.

Of course, I’m trying to be No. 1.

When you say sorry it creates a better working relationship.

After I was fortunate enough to achieve my dreams on the court, I have done my best to, in turn, help young people achieve theirs.

Nobody expected me to win Wimbledon. It was something to strive for.

The most exciting match I ever played was the 1974 US Open final against Billie Jean King.

People told me I made the game look easy and I didn’t always look like I was trying my best, but I always was.

I had to stay in school before I started travelling overseas.

Mum and Dad have come to Sydney to see me off on the two trips to Wimbledon. Each time I thought I mustn’t cry ‘cos that’ll start Mum off. Each time I really bawled, and then she started up.

You’re not just playing for yourself but for your country, and that’s nerve-wracking. It makes you work harder.

When I was playing on the tour, I never really thought about the Hall of Fame because you’re always thinking about your game and how you can do better.

After I make some bad shots, it makes me bear down and concentrate more.

I had a bit of a reputation as a tomboy.

I hated school.

In 1971, big tournaments were very new to me. I just thought Wimbledon was one of the other tournaments.

I know, everybody thinks that all Aussies love beer. I guess most of them do, but not me.

I can think of matches I played where I played one or two points perfectly, and that gave me a thrill.

I always just thought of myself as a tennis player.