--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's not only what happens on the court…" description: "\"It's not only what happens on the court that makes us the players we are; it's also everything that happens outside the court.\" — Jo-Wilfried Tsonga" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/jo-wilfried-tsonga-5151_court_it-s-not-only-what-happens-on-the-court_1570862.jpg" --- # It's not only what happens on the court that makes us the… ![“It's not only what happens on the court that makes us the players we are; it's also everything that happens outside the court.” quote by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/jo-wilfried-tsonga-5151_court_it-s-not-only-what-happens-on-the-court_1570862.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/jo-wilfried-tsonga-5151_court_it-s-not-only-what-happens-on-the-court_1570862.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/jo-wilfried-tsonga-5151_court_it-s-not-only-what-happens-on-the-court_1570862.jpg) > “It's not only what happens on the court that makes us the players we are; it's also everything that happens outside the court.” [Jo-Wilfried Tsonga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-wilfried-tsonga/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Performance is shaped by both on‑court actions and off‑court experiences, influencing character and skill **In simple terms:** Both play and life matter for growth Key Takeaway Balance training with personal development Themes discipline growth balance Mood reflective motivational Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - team sports - personal setbacks - media scrutiny Key Concepts psychology holistic development Questions to Reflect On - How do off‑court habits affect your game? - What personal routines boost performance? A Different Perspective Neglecting off‑court factors can limit potential ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court/) [Everything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everything/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Happens Court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens-court-2895643/) [Happens Outside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens-outside-1735825/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Makes Players](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makes-players-258883/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Outside Court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outside-court-599757/) [Players Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/players-happens-658083/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) ## Related quotes > [I keep saying, and I've said it to the players, what happens in a dressing room stays in a dressing room, whether that's with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-pulis/i-keep-saying-and-i-ve-said-it-to-the-players-what-happens-in-a/) [Tony Pulis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-pulis/) > [It's important that you prepare the players for what happens at a tournament, like a World Cup, for example. You can get a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joachim-low/it-s-important-that-you-prepare-the-players-for-what-happens-at-a/) [Joachim Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joachim-low/) > [This is the game of basketball. A lot of crazy stuff happens on the court, unfortunately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zaza-pachulia/this-is-the-game-of-basketball-a-lot-of-crazy-stuff-happens-on-the/) [Zaza Pachulia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zaza-pachulia/) > [I am not the most courageous guy in the world outside of the court.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-nadal/i-am-not-the-most-courageous-guy-in-the-world-outside-of-the-court-2/) [Rafael Nadal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-nadal/) > [What I do on court is great, but what really matters is what happens off court, the people who you affect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-gauff/what-i-do-on-court-is-great-but-what-really-matters-is-what-happens/) [Coco Gauff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-gauff/) > [Everybody is smarter from outside of the court.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marat-safin/everybody-is-smarter-from-outside-of-the-court/) [Marat Safin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marat-safin/) > [I am not the most courageous guy in the world outside of the court. Being alone in the dark is something I don't like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-nadal/i-am-not-the-most-courageous-guy-in-the-world-outside-of-the-court/) [Rafael Nadal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-nadal/) > [What often happens in a court of law is that, if victims do get their day in court, they are on trial as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/what-often-happens-in-a-court-of-law-is-that-if-victims-do-get-their/) [Anthea Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-butler/) > [“I’ve since found that if you hold your plans tightly, you’ll often miss the real call when it comes. The best of life usually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-w-thompson/i-ve-since-found-that-if-you-hold-your-plans-tightly-you-ll-often/) [Roger W Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-w-thompson/) > [Be at least as interested in what goes on inside you as what happens outside. If you get the inside right, the outside will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/be-at-least-as-interested-in-what-goes-on-inside-you-as-what-happens/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Happiness does not depend on what happens outside of you, but what happens inside of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-b-lee/happiness-does-not-depend-on-what-happens-outside-of-you-but-what/) [Harold B. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-b-lee/) > [What happens outside of the campaign is outside of my control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-johnson/what-happens-outside-of-the-campaign-is-outside-of-my-control/) [Ron Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-johnson/) > [I would never say a bad word about Mr Wenger, because he is somebody that makes players better players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kolo-toure/i-would-never-say-a-bad-word-about-mr-wenger-because-he-is-somebody/) [Kolo Toure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kolo-toure/) > [If you want team play, you must stress defense. Defense makes players unselfish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-brady/if-you-want-team-play-you-must-stress-defense-defense-makes-players/) [John Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-brady/) > [Mourinho makes his players better. I have only good things to say about him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deco/mourinho-makes-his-players-better-i-have-only-good-things-to-say/) [Deco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deco/) ## More by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga > [I think Roger Rasheed is helping me to be more serious. Also, he can convey his passion for tennis. He loves the game. Also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-wilfried-tsonga/i-think-roger-rasheed-is-helping-me-to-be-more-serious-also-he-can/) [Jo-Wilfried Tsonga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-wilfried-tsonga/) > [Sometimes you cannot do anything because the guy in front of you is playing well and he's doing the right things to make you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-wilfried-tsonga/sometimes-you-cannot-do-anything-because-the-guy-in-front-of-you-is/) [Jo-Wilfried Tsonga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-wilfried-tsonga/) > [Well, I like characters, players with personality, I don't like flat people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-wilfried-tsonga/well-i-like-characters-players-with-personality-i-don-t-like-flat/) [Jo-Wilfried Tsonga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-wilfried-tsonga/) > [My parents always taught me not to be a good tennis player or the best in what I'm doing, but to be polite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-wilfried-tsonga/my-parents-always-taught-me-not-to-be-a-good-tennis-player-or-the/) [Jo-Wilfried Tsonga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-wilfried-tsonga/) > [All I want to do is to play my tennis and try to do the best possible on the court.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-wilfried-tsonga/all-i-want-to-do-is-to-play-my-tennis-and-try-to-do-the-best-possible/) [Jo-Wilfried Tsonga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-wilfried-tsonga/) > [When I need to get into details, I like French. But when I want to do something stronger, English is better. The swear words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-wilfried-tsonga/when-i-need-to-get-into-details-i-like-french-but-when-i-want-to-do/) [Jo-Wilfried Tsonga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-wilfried-tsonga/) > [When I fly, it takes me two, three days to recovery, to be good physically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-wilfried-tsonga/when-i-fly-it-takes-me-two-three-days-to-recovery-to-be-good/) [Jo-Wilfried Tsonga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-wilfried-tsonga/) > [I am black and white.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-wilfried-tsonga/i-am-black-and-white/) [Jo-Wilfried Tsonga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-wilfried-tsonga/) > [Sometimes you go through a few tournaments without having a five-setter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-wilfried-tsonga/sometimes-you-go-through-a-few-tournaments-without-having-a-five/) [Jo-Wilfried Tsonga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-wilfried-tsonga/) > [You can see Bjorn Borg, but when I watch some game of him I want just to take a nap, no?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-wilfried-tsonga/you-can-see-bjorn-borg-but-when-i-watch-some-game-of-him-i-want-just/) [Jo-Wilfried Tsonga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-wilfried-tsonga/) > [I have a lot of respect for who beats me and that's it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-wilfried-tsonga/i-have-a-lot-of-respect-for-who-beats-me-and-that-s-it/) [Jo-Wilfried Tsonga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-wilfried-tsonga/) > [Yes, there are moments when it's frustrating where you can't put the ball where you want it and you make mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-wilfried-tsonga/yes-there-are-moments-when-it-s-frustrating-where-you-can-t-put-the/) [Jo-Wilfried Tsonga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-wilfried-tsonga/) > [When you play a big server, you are under enormous pressure on your own serve because you cannot afford to be broken. That causes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-wilfried-tsonga/when-you-play-a-big-server-you-are-under-enormous-pressure-on-your/) [Jo-Wilfried Tsonga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-wilfried-tsonga/) > [I like to play against Juan Monaco.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-wilfried-tsonga/i-like-to-play-against-juan-monaco/) [Jo-Wilfried Tsonga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-wilfried-tsonga/) > [I'm very different on the court than outside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-wilfried-tsonga/i-m-very-different-on-the-court-than-outside/) [Jo-Wilfried Tsonga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-wilfried-tsonga/) [Explore all 103 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-wilfried-tsonga/) ## More Court quotes > [Long before the 2016 presidential campaign, confidential sources had alerted me to longstanding misuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court system and the erosion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/long-before-the-2016-presidential-campaign-confidential-sources-had/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [I have always worked really hard off the court. I think it's helped me play more consistently on the tour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-draper/i-have-always-worked-really-hard-off-the-court-i-think-it-s-helped-me/) [Jack Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-draper/) > [The human element should be the two players on the court, not the officials. The best officials are the ones you never notice. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-scott/the-human-element-should-be-the-two-players-on-the-court-not-the/) [Gene Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-scott/) > [They will find somebody younger, somebody funnier, somebody more engaged. As long as the court genre is viable, people are going to be looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-sheindlin/they-will-find-somebody-younger-somebody-funnier-somebody-more/) [Judy Sheindlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-sheindlin/) > [A federal court has ruled that the U.S. Postal Service must reduce its stamp prices. The change in stamp prices is expected to affect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/a-federal-court-has-ruled-that-the-u-s-postal-service-must-reduce-its/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [The dog is guided by kindly instinct to the man or woman whose heart is open to his advances. The cat often leaves the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/the-dog-is-guided-by-kindly-instinct-to-the-man-or-woman-whose-heart/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > [What I do know is I'm going to give absolute 100 percent effort any time I'm on the court.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-ariza/what-i-do-know-is-i-m-going-to-give-absolute-100-percent-effort-any/) [Trevor Ariza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-ariza/) > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [In a recent decision of the Supreme Court, not made, however, by the full court, and concurred in by only four justices, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bates-clark/in-a-recent-decision-of-the-supreme-court-not-made-however-by-the/) [John Bates Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bates-clark/) > [I try to be the clown and court jester and make people laugh. At the same time, you have people in the hospital who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-simmons/i-try-to-be-the-clown-and-court-jester-and-make-people-laugh-at-the/) [Richard Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-simmons/) > [When I went to law school, which after all was back in the dark ages, we never looked beyond our borders for precedents. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-day-o-connor/when-i-went-to-law-school-which-after-all-was-back-in-the-dark-ages/) [Sandra Day O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-day-o-connor/) > [What's going on in my life, I never bring it to the basketball court.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemba-walker/what-s-going-on-in-my-life-i-never-bring-it-to-the-basketball-court/) [Kemba Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemba-walker/) > [One or two years ago, I didn't know who I was on court and I used to swear a lot. But now I've learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-federer/one-or-two-years-ago-i-didn-t-know-who-i-was-on-court-and-i-used-to/) [Roger Federer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-federer/) > [Off the court, I tend to stick to the classics, but I like to have fun with color and accessories. I'm from Spain, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-hilfiger/off-the-court-i-tend-to-stick-to-the-classics-but-i-like-to-have-fun/) [Tommy Hilfiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-hilfiger/) > [There was a man named Robert Dear who in court said he was a warrior for the babies, whose ex-wife talked about his Christian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hayes/there-was-a-man-named-robert-dear-who-in-court-said-he-was-a-warrior/) [Chris Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hayes/) [Browse all 4,024 Court quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's not only what happens on the court that makes us the players we are; it's also everything that happens outside the court.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jo-Wilfried Tsonga" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-wilfried-tsonga/it-s-not-only-what-happens-on-the-court-that-makes-us-the-players-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Court" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-wilfried-tsonga/it-s-not-only-what-happens-on-the-court-that-makes-us-the-players-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/jo-wilfried-tsonga-5151_court_it-s-not-only-what-happens-on-the-court_1570862.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/jo-wilfried-tsonga-5151_court_it-s-not-only-what-happens-on-the-court_1570862.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/938/jo-wilfried-tsonga-5151_court_it-s-not-only-what-happens-on-the-court_1570862.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's not only what happens on the court that makes us the players we are; it's also everything that happens…” — Jo-Wilfried Tsonga", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jo-Wilfried Tsonga", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-wilfried-tsonga/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's not only what happens on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-wilfried-tsonga/it-s-not-only-what-happens-on-the-court-that-makes-us-the-players-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-wilfried-tsonga/it-s-not-only-what-happens-on-the-court-that-makes-us-the-players-we/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```