The best quotes from the 2016 World Tour Finals, listed in chronological order from the start of the week until the end.
Novak Djokovic, after being asked about the possibility of throwing his racket and hitting someone: “You guys are unbelievable.”
Djokovic, after being told it could be serious if the ball he hit into the stands had hit someone: “It could have been, yes. It could have snowed in O2 Arena, as well, but it didn’t.”
Bruno Soares, after he and Jamie Murray were asked a question, referring to the fact that Murray had been the only one answering throughout the press conference: “Go ahead, you’re doing great.”
Jamie Murray, when asked if food was served to him at Buckingham Palace: “I just assumed it was like one piece for each person. You know, couples don’t sit next to each other. At the end of the meal, I went to my wife, I said, ‘I think I’m going to need to get some more food.’ She says, ‘Why didn’t you take what you wanted?’ The two guys she was sitting next to were like piling it in. They were a bit more experienced, I think, in these affairs.”
Gael Monfils, after losing to Milos Raonic 6-3, 6-4: “I was really happy to lose with just a break in each set.”
Raonic, on if he is annoyed that he keeps being asked about injuries: “I care that I get hurt. I don’t care if anybody asks me about it. If you guys want to ask me about injuries that I don’t have, I’m happy with that. But if I have the injuries, I’m more pissed off about that than talking about something imaginary.”
Kei Nishikori, on his following at home in Japan–especially at the Japan Open: “We get crazy.”
Marin Cilic, when asked whose shorts were worse: his this year or Stan Wawrinka’s last year: “Next question. It’s for some fashion gurus to decide.”
Soares, again after he and Jamie were asked a question, referring to the fact that Jamie had been the only one answering throughout the press conference: “You’re doing a great job.”
Soares, after Jamie said that he wrote something in Brazilian on the camera and didn’t know what it meant: “Vamos is ‘let’s go.'”
Jamie Murray on Bob and Mike Bryan: “They are the greatest team ever. I mean, there’s no kind of disputing that. f we want to be the best, we got to beat the best. I mean, they basically have been doubles for the last 10, 12 years. They’ve carried our sport. They’ve done so many great things for it, promoting doubles, getting on TV. People were able to see doubles more, see these guys. They bring so much to the court every time they step on it. They always have a great energy about them. They’re great players themselves. It’s always fun to watch them because they’re always involved in great rallies, their reflexes are amazing, (and) defense skills are so good. I think we all hope they keep playing as long as they can, as long as they’re motivated for it, because it’s a great plus for us to have them on the tour.”
Raonic, on if he could have beaten Djokovic or should have beaten Djokovic: “If I should have won it, I probably would have.”
Djokovic, after beating Raonic: “I’m not very pleased to drop my serve twice against Milos.”
Nishikori, on the crowd while he played against Murray: “I think in France (it) gets more crazy. But here, very nice crowd.”
Murray, on fist-pumping after he lost points during his match against Nishikori: “I was becoming like sarcastic with myself. I was definitely being more sarcastic towards myself than usual.”
Murray, on being an animal lover but endorsing Under Armour–which has ties to hunting: “I do love animals. Don’t want animals getting killed unnecessarily for fun. I don’t agree with that.”
Cilic, after already being eliminated from semifinal contention as a result of his loss to Wawrinka: “I don’t know the mathematical calculations to go to the semis or not.”
Djokovic, on what would be more surprising–his loss to Juan Martin Del Potro at the Olympics, or coming back to regain the No. 1 ranking: “To me, that wouldn’t be a surprise.”
Djokovic, who lost his first match at the Olympics to Del Potro: “I think certain events like Olympic Games should have this (round-robin) format.”
David Goffin, joking with British journalists when asked who he thinks has the edge for No. 1 between Murray and Djokovic: “I would say Andy, for sure.”
Goffin, after losing to Djokovic: “Yesterday I was feeling a little bit on holiday, and all of a sudden somebody tells you, ‘You have to play in front of 15,000 people against Novak.’ It’s not easy.”
Jamie Murray, on David Beckham being in attendance at his match: “Whatever.”
Raonic, when asked whose idea it was for the top eight players to do the mannequin challenge: “The fantastic staff of the ATP media had a unique idea that they never saw anywhere else and they thought, ‘we have eight players here, maybe we should start a new trend.'”
Murray, on who was better at sports between him and Jamie when they were growing up: “Jamie is a really good golfer. He was better at that. Football, probably me. Then like squash and table tennis, more of the racquet sports, was pretty close between the two of us really. Well, that’s my recollection of it. He might say something a bit different.”
Wawrinka, on why he has struggled at Masters 1000 events: “I don’t have the answer now. If I have the answer, I would have changed already and I would play better in Masters 1000.”
Wawrinka, on his slump after winning the U.S. Open: “I think tennis is tough emotionally. It’s a rollercoaster during the year for your brain.”
Wawrinka, on breaking rackets: “I don’t really think too much how I’m going to break the racket. I think the only thing I want is if I break it, I break it properly–and I let everything go out.”
Raonic, when asked if his semifinal against Murray was the best match he’s ever played: “The best match I’ve ever competed, yes.”
Raonic, on Murray becoming No. 1 but without having beaten Djokovic during the second half of the season: “Regardless or not if they play tomorrow, obviously Andy’s still the best player in the world of 2016. There’s no question about it.”
Murray, on where his semifinal against Raonic ranks among all the matches he has played: “I think for drama, I think it was pretty dramatic.”
Murray, on if he can enjoy a match like the one he had against Raonic while it’s going on: “It’s not that easy to enjoy matches whilst you’re actually playing them. I’m not also hating matches whilst I’m playing them, either. I don’t know…. I’m not disliking it when I’m out there, and I’m not really, really enjoying it. I’m just competing.”
Djokovic, on going way back with Murray and now battling him for the No. 1 ranking: “Seems like a movie story scenario. It’s a script. It’s a long story. A romance I’ll call it…. Bromance–let’s be correct.”
Henri Kontinen, on how he and John Peers decided to partner up for 2016: “I got a WhatsApp message–the application–from this guy. Thought about it for like 12 seconds, and then said yes.”
Kontinen, when Peers was asked why he picked Kontinen to be his partner: “That’s a good question.”
Peers, on why picked Kontinen to be his partner: “I needed more advice on how to style my hair because I really struggle with that.”
Djokovic, when asked about 2017: “We should all let Andy enjoy this a little bit. Don’t ask him questions about next season. He deserves to be in the moment and to really take everything in what he achieved. His team, as well, and his wife. She has to get some credit, guys. She gave birth this year. He has traveled all over the place. I know how it is with my wife, Jelena, what she had to go through as a mother back home with a little baby. So, Kim, well done. She’s maybe made even a bigger effort than Andy.”
Murray, on Djokovic: “Regardless of what some of you may think, we have a good relationship.”
Murray, when asked where the party is: “I think tomorrow with the team, we’ll definitely go out for dinner…. Then see afterwards what happens.”
whats your favorite?
Q. If you think about the biggest surprise of this year you could imagine, if you can choose between del Potro winning the Davis Cup or you coming back to No. 1 in the world just one week after Murray, which one would be the biggest?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I have not the same, I guess, perception of ‘surprise’ as you do. To me, that wouldn’t be a surprise.
http://www.asapsport…w.php?id=125636
Q. We don’t know who is going to finish No. 1. You played Andy probably as much as anyone this year. Could you reflect on his qualities, his push here the second half of the year, if he ends up No. 1.
MILOS RAONIC: He’s done a lot of great things. He’s really stepped up in these moments, have it be against Novak, which in a cynical way I’m sort of hoping for, because that gives me the third spot.
That will be the biggest test, I think. Andy has been the best player in the world definitely for the last six months. That’s the only thing that’s sort of missing from there, is that showdown with Novak. If that’s the scenario tomorrow, it couldn’t be a more ideal one, let’s say, for a person that loves tennis.
Q. Andy hasn’t had to go through Novak really. Is that sort of the thing that’s missing for you in his chase for No. 1? He’s won a lot of these tournaments, but he hasn’t played Novak.
MILOS RAONIC: Nothing’s missing in that storyline. Tennis ranking is a game of checks and balances. Who’s going to finish No. 1 is who does the best that year. Doesn’t matter whether they played or not.
Yes, you could take that away from Andy in a way. Then you could also say it’s sort of Novak’s responsibility to get to that point because Andy was there every single week.
Regardless or not if they play tomorrow, if not obviously Andy’s still the best player in the world of 2016. There’s no question about it.