--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I'm down or maybe when it's close in…" description: "\"When I'm down or maybe when it's close in the match, I feel like I'm still in it. I don't feel like I'm letting down. Mentally, I'm still really, reall..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4db/maria-sharapova-2423_close_when-i-m-down-or-maybe-when-it-s-close-i_872775.png" --- # When I'm down or maybe when it's close in the match, I… ![“When I'm down or maybe when it's close in the match, I feel like I'm still in it. I don't feel like I'm letting down. Mentally, I'm still really, really tough.” quote by Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4db/maria-sharapova-2423_close_when-i-m-down-or-maybe-when-it-s-close-i_872775.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4db/maria-sharapova-2423_close_when-i-m-down-or-maybe-when-it-s-close-i_872775.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4db/maria-sharapova-2423_close_when-i-m-down-or-maybe-when-it-s-close-i_872775.png) > “When I'm down or maybe when it's close in the match, I feel like I'm still in it. I don't feel like I'm letting down. Mentally, I'm still really, really tough.” [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She describes mental resilience, feeling engaged and determined even when the match is tight, emphasizing inner toughness over external pressure. **In simple terms:** She stays mentally strong despite difficulty. Key Takeaway Maintain focus and inner strength during pressure moments. Themes resilience mental toughness focus competition Mood determined confident Type motivational athletic When to use this quote - tournament finals - training sessions - high‑stakes matches Key Concepts sports psychology mindset performance under pressure Questions to Reflect On - What mental techniques help you stay “in it”? - How can you translate this toughness to daily life? A Different Perspective External factors can still impact performance despite mental resolve. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Tennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tennis/) ## Related quotes > [When I stand in that ring after a match, I feel like the strongest me! It's truly the greatest feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brie-bella/when-i-stand-in-that-ring-after-a-match-i-feel-like-the-strongest-me/) [Brie Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brie-bella/) > [Anyone can enjoy a wrestling match, but it's how you feel about that person that takes it to another level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/anyone-can-enjoy-a-wrestling-match-but-it-s-how-you-feel-about-that/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [Everyone knows me by now. I love football. I am quite principled in that perspective. It is always difficult to find the perfect match,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-van-persie/everyone-knows-me-by-now-i-love-football-i-am-quite-principled-in/) [Robin Van Persie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-van-persie/) > [Every match that I have, I always feel like I'm more nervous than the last one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayley/every-match-that-i-have-i-always-feel-like-i-m-more-nervous-than-the/) [Bayley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayley/) > [I'm not looking to losses or winning. I'm looking in every match how I feel, how I hit the ball, how I move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-alcaraz/i-m-not-looking-to-losses-or-winning-i-m-looking-in-every-match-how-i/) [Carlos Alcaraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-alcaraz/) > [Probably the best caddies are the smartest ones and the ones that are switched on mentally more than some of the others maybe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-westwood/probably-the-best-caddies-are-the-smartest-ones-and-the-ones-that-are/) [Lee Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-westwood/) > [The more matches I play, the more confident I get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/the-more-matches-i-play-the-more-confident-i-get/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [I try not to hit a swing volley and run back. So my swing volley is kind of that transition to the net. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-try-not-to-hit-a-swing-volley-and-run-back-so-my-swing-volley-is/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [“Winning a tennis match is a bit like receiving religious faith. You can't get there by work alone. You need grace, and you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/winning-a-tennis-match-is-a-bit-like-receiving-religious-faith-you/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [A great tennis career is something that a 15-year-old normally doesn't have. I hope my example helps other teens believe they can accomplish things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/a-great-tennis-career-is-something-that-a-15-year-old-normally-doesn/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [If you can be mentally stimulated by the workout and find out how to get through it, it's more fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-mcconaughey/if-you-can-be-mentally-stimulated-by-the-workout-and-find-out-how-to/) [Matthew McConaughey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-mcconaughey/) > [There is nothing in this world that you will need that you can't give yourself physically, mentally,emotionally, financially etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gebru-villars/there-is-nothing-in-this-world-that-you-will-need-that-you-can-t-give/) [Gebru Villars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gebru-villars/) > [“Mentally, my brain was hopping as wildly as a sugared-up squirrel,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-white-glaser/mentally-my-brain-was-hopping-as-wildly-as-a-sugared-up-squirrel/) Donna White Glaser > [When you're struggling, especially mentally, it's only the team who can bring you out of that situation. It's not one or two players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-laudrup/when-you-re-struggling-especially-mentally-it-s-only-the-team-who-can/) [Michael Laudrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-laudrup/) > [“The fear of not living is a deep, abiding dread of watching your own potential decompose into irredeemable disappointment when “should be” gets crushed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-fear-of-not-living-is-a-deep-abiding-dread-of-watching-your-own/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) ## More by Maria Sharapova > [I love playing for my country, getting the support. Especially for the kids and everybody, showing my example of what I can achieve so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-love-playing-for-my-country-getting-the-support-especially-for-the/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [A great tennis career is something that a 15-year-old normally doesn't have. I hope my example helps other teens believe they can accomplish things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/a-great-tennis-career-is-something-that-a-15-year-old-normally-doesn/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [No matter what you study, the thing that you know best is what you grew up with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/no-matter-what-you-study-the-thing-that-you-know-best-is-what-you/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [The more matches I play, the more confident I get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/the-more-matches-i-play-the-more-confident-i-get/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [There are days when I go out on the court and I feel like I can't miss a ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/there-are-days-when-i-go-out-on-the-court-and-i-feel-like-i-can-t/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [“At the beginning, it’s all you have: a simple forehand, a simple backhand. It’s all you have at the end, too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/at-the-beginning-it-s-all-you-have-a-simple-forehand-a-simple/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [I can't say I don't like acting, but I can't imagine a career when I have to spend 70 percent of my time in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-can-t-say-i-don-t-like-acting-but-i-can-t-imagine-a-career-when-i/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [I try not to hit a swing volley and run back. So my swing volley is kind of that transition to the net. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-try-not-to-hit-a-swing-volley-and-run-back-so-my-swing-volley-is/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [I'm not the next anyone, I'm the first Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-m-not-the-next-anyone-i-m-the-first-maria-sharapova/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [As someone who spends a lot of her time on the road, you have to look stylish but comfortable as I'm always in motion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/as-someone-who-spends-a-lot-of-her-time-on-the-road-you-have-to-look/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [I think it's so cool to be tall. Even when I'm not wearing heels people tell me I'm tall and I always take it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-think-it-s-so-cool-to-be-tall-even-when-i-m-not-wearing-heels/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [Sugar free? With the name Sugarpova I don't think I will be doing anything sugar free very soon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/sugar-free-with-the-name-sugarpova-i-don-t-think-i-will-be-doing/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [I'm always that annoying person that pulls out the camera in the middle of dinner and starts taking candids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-m-always-that-annoying-person-that-pulls-out-the-camera-in-the/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [I definitely feel Russian inside, even when I'm in America I feel Russian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-definitely-feel-russian-inside-even-when-i-m-in-america-i-feel/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [I love getting consumer reports. I think it's one of my favourite things, studying what people have to say about the product and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-love-getting-consumer-reports-i-think-it-s-one-of-my-favourite/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) [Explore all 167 Maria Sharapova quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) ## More Close quotes > [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [“His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/his-dream-must-have-seemed-so-close-that-he-could-hardly-fail-to/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Everything I write is highly personal, but put in such a way that it's not dropping everything in someone's lap. Although sometimes I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-siberry/everything-i-write-is-highly-personal-but-put-in-such-a-way-that-it-s/) [Jane Siberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-siberry/) > [I'm quite close with my family, especially my twin sister, and it's always hard to leave her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-scanlen/i-m-quite-close-with-my-family-especially-my-twin-sister-and-it-s/) [Eliza Scanlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-scanlen/) > [I think cricket is there in Usain Bolt's blood. Since I got to watch from close quarters, it was amazing to see him run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh/i-think-cricket-is-there-in-usain-bolt-s-blood-since-i-got-to-watch/) [Harbhajan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh/) > [We began intercepting Japanese radio transmissions, which indicated the two forces were very close to each other. We found out later that we were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-adams/we-began-intercepting-japanese-radio-transmissions-which-indicated/) [Jack Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-adams/) > [Close contact between science and the practice of collective farms and State farms creates inexhaustible opportunities for the development of theoretical knowledge, enabling us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trofim-lysenko/close-contact-between-science-and-the-practice-of-collective-farms/) [Trofim Lysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trofim-lysenko/) > [One of the positive things about Pep is that he is so close with his staff - they support him in every situation, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernandinho/one-of-the-positive-things-about-pep-is-that-he-is-so-close-with-his/) [Fernandinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernandinho/) > [The first thing I hear when I wake up is the sea, which is so close to our house that its reflections from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-brown/the-first-thing-i-hear-when-i-wake-up-is-the-sea-which-is-so-close-to/) [Craig Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-brown/) > [I've been very close to Konnan for many years now. I thank him for much of my success in this industry. He opened the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rey-mysterio/i-ve-been-very-close-to-konnan-for-many-years-now-i-thank-him-for/) [Rey Mysterio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rey-mysterio/) > [My grandmother made sure that I went to church every Sunday. And she'd come over and pick us boys up, and we would go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/my-grandmother-made-sure-that-i-went-to-church-every-sunday-and-she-d/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [My whole family is really close. I'm lucky for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/landon-liboiron/my-whole-family-is-really-close-i-m-lucky-for-that/) [Landon Liboiron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/landon-liboiron/) > [What was unique about me being in City Hall during the Giuliani Administration, I was the only one who wasn't an attorney. I may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lhota/what-was-unique-about-me-being-in-city-hall-during-the-giuliani/) [Joe Lhota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lhota/) > [I think we were raised in a nice Texas Jewish family where education was the most important thing, and close behind that was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-loeb/i-think-we-were-raised-in-a-nice-texas-jewish-family-where-education/) [Lisa Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-loeb/) > [We went to a very small high school. It was, like, in a wooded house; it was a weird school. I hung out with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-peretti/we-went-to-a-very-small-high-school-it-was-like-in-a-wooded-house-it/) [Chelsea Peretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-peretti/) Browse all 2,016 Close quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I'm down or maybe when it's close in the match, I feel like I'm still in it. I don't feel like I'm letting down. Mentally, I'm still really, really tough.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Maria Sharapova" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/when-i-m-down-or-maybe-when-it-s-close-in-the-match-i-feel-like-i-m/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Close" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/when-i-m-down-or-maybe-when-it-s-close-in-the-match-i-feel-like-i-m/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4db/maria-sharapova-2423_close_when-i-m-down-or-maybe-when-it-s-close-i_872775.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4db/maria-sharapova-2423_close_when-i-m-down-or-maybe-when-it-s-close-i_872775.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4db/maria-sharapova-2423_close_when-i-m-down-or-maybe-when-it-s-close-i_872775.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I'm down or maybe when it's close in the match, I feel like I'm still in it. I don't feel like I'm…” — Maria Sharapova", "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": "Maria Sharapova", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I'm down or maybe when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/when-i-m-down-or-maybe-when-it-s-close-in-the-match-i-feel-like-i-m/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/when-i-m-down-or-maybe-when-it-s-close-in-the-match-i-feel-like-i-m/#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 } } ] } ```