Say what? Best quotes of RG 2023

"Is not easy to play against Novak, you know. Of course a legend of our sport. If someone says that he get into the court with no nerves playing against Novak, he lies."

Carlos Alcaraz, on encountering nerves during his semi-final with Novak Djokovic.

“I'm beyond grateful and blessed to be standing here with so many incredible achievements. But one thing is for sure: I feel that I had the power to create my own destiny. I tried to visualise every single thing in my life. Not only believe it, but really feel it with every cell in my body. And I just want to send a message out there to every young person: be in the present moment, forget about what happened in the past, future is something that is just going to happen – but if you want a better future, you create it.”

Djokovic gives a heartfelt message to the kids of the world during his post-match trophy ceremony.

"I don't look at this tournament as negative tournament. I think I did great improvement on the clay court, and it's my best result here. Right now I'm trying to stay positive no matter what happened on court. I'll come back stronger."

Aryna Sabalenka vows to keep it positive after a devastating loss to Karolina Muchova in the semi-finals.

"I don't mind. It's not the first; probably not the last. I'll just keep winning."

Djokovic, on what it was like being booed during his semi-final with Alcaraz.

"It's not really a record, because Esther (Vergeer) has 470 (wins in a row). So really, props to her for doing it this long. I'm not sure if I'm going to make 400, especially because this has already taken me two-and-a-half years. But no, it's really something very special. And also, I think it really just explains how well and how good Esther was. I'm really just trying to do my own thing, and hopefully I'll be as good as her in terms of titles one day."

Diede De Groot, who claimed her 100th consecutive match and claimed her 10th consecutive Grand Slam title in Paris, talks about the monumental legacy of Esther Vergeer.

"I understand the pressure that she has, but she's handling it very well, and she's doing a lot more in her country to inspire more and more younger girls. Also, she's doing great for women's tennis in general. Not just for Brazil, but in the world. Honestly, I wish her all the best. I think she beat me today. I'm not sure that I should say more good things about her (laughing). I honestly love Maia a lot, and probably the last two matches that she won, I cried with her."

Ons Jabeur, giving her take on the breakout success of Beatriz Haddad Maia at Roland-Garros this year.

"I don't want to talk about the bakery. Twitter can talk about it but I'm just going to be focused on tennis."

Polish juggernaut Iga Swiatek, on downplaying all chatter about her knack for winning 6-0 'bagel' sets in Paris.

"This is just the beginning. People can't write you off if you don't give them a pen. I'm turning the page and I'm writing a new chapter - this is just the beginning, here we go."

Taylor Townsend, on new beginnings, after she and Leylah Fernandez fell in the women's doubles final to Hsieh Su-Wei and Wang Xinyu.

I was really happy to get the two dreams on the one day. To be the youngest player in the No.1 in world and win a Grand Slam title; so two dreams come true today - the happiest day of the life."

Japan's Tokito Oda, who became the youngest world No.1 in tennis history when he won his maiden men's singles wheelchair title in Paris on Saturday.

"It's a spiritual type of surface. It's a great feeling when you step out on a newly made clay court that is clean. All the lines are perfect. It makes for a very pleasing visual experience. But there's also beauty on when the courts are dirty and messed up and you can see all of the footwork and effort that has been put in and you have a visual of that, of how much work has been put in in order for you to succeed in what you do."

Stefanos Tsitsipas gives his own poetic interpretation of what Roland-Garros' terre battue means to him.

"I have a lot of emotion right now. I think I am really, really happy. You know, the best moment of my life."

Tomas Martin Etcheverry, who had never won a match at a Slam prior to 2023, celebrates his trip to the quarter-finals in Paris with emotional words.

"That's the only reason why I'm good at tennis, because I'm half Czech (laughs)."

American Kayla Day, who told reporters that her mom was born and raised in Prague, which gives her Czech citizenship.

"My brain clicked."

Russia's Karen Khachanov, when asked by a reporter what clicked in his game to allow him to reach at least the quarter-finals at his last three Grand Slam appearances.

“If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.”

This iconic battle cry was uttered verbatim by both Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz in reference to their heavily anticipated semi-final at Roland-Garros.

"I know that Djokovic, he did 22 Grand Slams or 23, so I want to go until 25, if it will be possible."

16-year-old Mirra Andreeva, who made her Grand Slam debut at Roland-Garros, is setting her sights high.

"I've learned a lot of things from him. Not only about tennis. How to be on tour, how to stay consistent and win at these high-level tournaments - I've learned so many things from him. If I win this tournament I want to also do it for him. He is a legend to me and he is like a teacher for me.

"I'm sad that he's not here, the feeling is much different from last year."

Japan's Tokito Oda, on what life on tour is like after the retirement of his compatriot 50-time Grand Slam champion Shingo Kunieda.

"Who knows what can happen. I think everything has its own time. In the past, it was not easy. That's actually what makes me to appreciate this result even more now, because I know what I have been through in the past. Yeah, to be now in a Grand Slam final, it's for sure my dream. "

Karolina Muchova, who struggled for years with injuries, expresses the joy she felt after breaking through to reach her first major final in Paris.

"Nothing kept me going last year. In my mind I stopped playing tennis. Then seeing Gilles Simon playing his last matches in Paris, seeing the atmosphere, the emotions. It was the wake up call. Also, the press told me you'll never play in the Olympics in your career, it gave me the extra motivation to come back. This year I started mentally fresh, I needed that. Hopefully I can have five, six great more years to get back to where I was, or close to that."

France's Lucas Pouille, who was the lowest-ranked player to reach the second-round in Paris, on what it meant to him to return to Paris and make his way through qualifying.

"I guess I'm never going to kind of doubt my strength again."

Three-time Roland-Garros women's singles champion Iga Swiatek, after capping off a gruelling clay court season with the title in Paris.

"Age is important to mention sometimes but as a player and going through it, yes, it gets a little bit annoying. Because I feel like I'm the type of person, I don't need to be praised because of my age or anything. I prefer just to be praised because of my game, not because of things I'm doing at whatever age."

19-year-old Coco Gauff, who thinks age is just a number, and an overrated one at that, in tennis.

"It's one of the big reasons why I keep playing is to relive those emotions... I always try to make it special, try to have a connection with the people, with the fans, because as I say, it's one of the main reasons why I keep playing and I want to enjoy as much as possible. So if I can stay five more minutes on court, I will do it."

2015 Roland-Garros champion Stan Wawrinka, after earning a hard-fought first-round win over Albert Ramos-Vinolas.