--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I started when I was 8 years old, which…" description: "\"I started when I was 8 years old, which is obviously nowadays pretty late, but I guess in my generation it was all right. I had plenty of other interes..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/jana-novotna-48646_late_i-started-when-i-was-8-years-old-which-i_1580103.png" --- # I started when I was 8 years old, which is obviously… ![“I started when I was 8 years old, which is obviously nowadays pretty late, but I guess in my generation it was all right. I had plenty of other interests and I didn't do only tennis.” quote by Jana Novotna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/jana-novotna-48646_late_i-started-when-i-was-8-years-old-which-i_1580103.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/jana-novotna-48646_late_i-started-when-i-was-8-years-old-which-i_1580103.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/jana-novotna-48646_late_i-started-when-i-was-8-years-old-which-i_1580103.png) > “I started when I was 8 years old, which is obviously nowadays pretty late, but I guess in my generation it was all right. I had plenty of other interests and I didn't do only tennis.” [Jana Novotna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jana-novotna/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Starting a sport later than peers can feel late, yet diverse interests can coexist with athletic development. **In simple terms:** Starting tennis at 8 felt late but was okay. Key Takeaway Embrace multiple passions while pursuing a goal. Themes late start multitasking personal growth Mood reflective optimistic Type personal narrative motivational When to use this quote - school sports - community clubs - balancing hobbies Key Concepts developmental timing skill acquisition identity formation Questions to Reflect On - How can varied interests enhance athletic performance? - What strategies help balance sport and other passions? A Different Perspective Late start may limit early competitive edge. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Didn Tennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/didn-tennis-3327011/) [Late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/late/) [My generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-generation/) [Plenty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plenty/) [Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started/) [Started Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-years-957288/) [Tennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tennis/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-old/) ## Related quotes > [I had this chronic hip thing and I thought of stopping again. 'Am I going to be able to really do this?' 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I read all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/of-course-i-ve-always-read-i-started-when-i-was-four-years-old-and/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [The pain started years ago, but I'd lived with it for so long at that point that I'd accepted it as an inevitable part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-pain-started-years-ago-but-i-d-lived-with-it-for-so-long-at-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Lot of people think I have played international cricket for 13 years, but I started at six years of age, so it is 28…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-clarke/lot-of-people-think-i-have-played-international-cricket-for-13-years/) [Michael Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-clarke/) > [I don't think I would ever have been able to be an actress had I not started at nine years old. 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That's where my career started many years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mero/i-have-been-enjoying-my-return-to-modeling-that-s-where-my-career/) [Rita Mero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mero/) > [I'm not a real movie star. I've still got the same wife I started out with twenty-eight years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/i-m-not-a-real-movie-star-i-ve-still-got-the-same-wife-i-started-out/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [Unfortunately, when the drug problem started some years ago, nobody took it seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amarinder-singh/unfortunately-when-the-drug-problem-started-some-years-ago-nobody/) [Amarinder Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amarinder-singh/) ## More by Jana Novotna > [I just wanted to play tennis. I started because I wanted to pick up another sport and then as I was slowly getting better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jana-novotna/i-just-wanted-to-play-tennis-i-started-because-i-wanted-to-pick-up/) [Jana Novotna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jana-novotna/) > [Seems like most of the kids today are into other sports other than tennis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jana-novotna/seems-like-most-of-the-kids-today-are-into-other-sports-other-than/) [Jana Novotna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jana-novotna/) > [I was maybe only 13 or 14 when I started to play junior tournaments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jana-novotna/i-was-maybe-only-13-or-14-when-i-started-to-play-junior-tournaments/) [Jana Novotna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jana-novotna/) > [If we can make some kind of adjustments, maybe in the game, to make it interesting and slow down the surfaces, then it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jana-novotna/if-we-can-make-some-kind-of-adjustments-maybe-in-the-game-to-make-it/) [Jana Novotna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jana-novotna/) > [I would like to see it go back to the wood racquets. 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