Best quotes from the world of sports in 2023

Step onto the podium of inspiration with the best quotes from the dynamic world of sports in 2023.

Sportstar brings you the moments when athletes and coaches shared profound insights and motivational words that captured the spirit of competition, resilience, despair and triumph.

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“Circumstantially, this is the best time to announce my retirement. But with the amount of love I have received all over, the easy thing would be to walk away from here, but the harder thing would be to work hard for nine months and try to play another IPL. It would be a gift from me; it won’t be easy on the body.” - Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni, after winning the Indian Premier League for the fifth time, as he looks ahead to one final push in 2024.

Chennai Super Kings celebrating after winning the IPL 2023 final cricket between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. | Photo Credit: K.R Deepak / The Hindu

“Nothing more satisfying than hearing a big crowd go silent!” - Australian cricket team captain Pat Cummins ahead of the World Cup final against India. The Aussies went on to win the World Cup for a record-extending sixth time.
“The journey is still not over. I feel if I’m winning slams, why even think about, you know, ending the career that has already been going on for 20 years? So I still feel motivated; I still feel inspired to play the best tennis on these tournaments the most, you know, Grand Slams.” - Novak Djokovic after winning the French Open for the third time, setting the record for most Grand Slams won by a male player, beating Rafael Nadal’s mark of 22.
“It was written in the stars. It belongs to us. I’m tired. Calm. Satisfied. It’s so difficult to win it.” - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola after winning his first Champions League title with the team. The UCL win also made Man City only the second English side to win the treble, after Manchester United.
“It will be very hard to have another season like this!” - Red Bull F1 driver Max Verstappen after he was crowned World Champion for the third time. The Dutchman bettered his own record of most wins in a season in 2023 by winning 19 of the 22 races.

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“Becoming a Grandmaster has always been my goal. I’ve been close to making the norm several times but kept missing out.” - R. Vaishali after becoming the third Indian woman to attain the Grandmaster status.
“I was very happy that (Kishore) Jena qualified for the Olympics, and that throw warmed up and pushed me to perform, because I was really put off after my first throw controversy. When an athlete is focused and in his zone, incidents like this affect concentration a lot.” - Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra after winning the Asian Games gold medal.

Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra reacts after securing gold medal in the Men’s Javelin Throw Final event at the 19th Asian Games, in Hangzhou, China. | Photo Credit: PTI

“We believe in each other. Trophies are fine, but our relationships are going to stay for a long, long time.” - Nikola Jokic after winning the NBA title with Denver Nuggets and also the MVP award for the season.
“The game was so slow back then. I’ve watched Boris Becker, and I’m not saying they weren’t good in their time, but to say that they would be just as good now, it’s absurd. A big serve back then was like 197 to 200 KM/H. People like me, we serve 220 consistently, to corners. It’s a whole different ball game. I’m not saying they wouldn’t have found their way. But serve and volley, to do it all the time now, you need to be serving 220, because if you serve anything less than 220, bro, Djokovic eats you alive. He eats you alive. Bro Lleyton Hewitt destroyed Sampras one year at the U.S. Open. That was the first prototype of someone who could return serve. He made Sampras look like sh*t. And what would Djokovic do to someone like Sampras? It would be a cleanup. If Hewitt was doing it, Djokovic would destroy him. He would eat him alive.” - Nick Kyrgios to The Athletic while comparing tennis in different eras. The statement triggered Boris Becker, which led to a weeklong online feud on social media.

“Of course, it’s not true. I rely on my work, my knowledge and seeing what the players do on the pitch. In recent times, (some) people in India are looking to discredit my work.” - India football head coach Igor Stimac quashes allegations about hiring an astrologer for team selection following the side’s Asian Games elimination.