26 QUOTES FROM THE 2026 CINCINNATI OPEN
By Richard Osborn
We present the 2026 Cincinnati Open in the words of those who made it all happen. A quotebook:
1 | “I lost my words.” — Sara Bejlek after stunning world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Round of 16 on P&G Center Court
2 | “What a great sport we have.” — Tracy Austin
3 | “I love watching women do amazing things.” — Serena Williams
4 | “This is the best win of my career.” — Thiago Agustin Tirante after stunning three-time Cincinnati Open champion Novak Djokovic in the second round
5 | “I certainly hope so, but it looks more likely not, unfortunately.” — Novak Djokovic on whether he’ll be back in Cincinnati in 2027
6 | “He’s the reason why I’m playing this sport and have so much belief. If it was up to my dad, he would say I can beat anyone, even if Carlos Alcaraz was on the other side. That really shows the belief he has in me, and I love him so much. To all the tennis dads out there, be good to your girls. Don’t put too much pressure on them. The most important thing my dad instilled in me was just to have fun. When I’m not having fun on the court anymore, I’ll stop.” — Coco Gauff on her father, Corey
7 | “Right now, a dangerous, confident Coco is going to be hard going into New York.” — Jessica Pegula after falling in straight sets to Coco Gauff in the final
8 | “Crazy. Emotional. Careful.” — Czech Sara Bejlek on her personality
9 | “That’s been one of my strengths as a tennis player. I have very good hand-eye coordination. I used to play baseball and softball, and I could switch hit. I’m a good golfer, I can juggle. I may not be the fastest like Coco, or the most athletic like Iga, but I’ve always thought that was my strength.” — Jessica Pegula
10 | “One, two, three, FOE!” / “Seven, eight, nine, TIEN!” — Alternating chants from the P&G Center Court crowd during the third-round match between Frances Tiafoe and Learner Tien
11 | “You kind of know that you’re going to have some ups and downs. But I think the biggest thing is knowing when to take some time and get completely away from the court and the gym, just to give yourself a little bit of a break. I think it’s really easy to just get in this cycle of doing the same thing over and over again. It can get a little monotonous, and all of a sudden you blink and it’s been two months and you haven’t had a day off. I think it’s really just being conscious and making sure that when you’re on the court you are 100 percent present.” — Madison Keys
12 | “You have to win with what you have.” — Rafael Jodar
13 | “I think a lot of players can get in the habit of Uber Eats or room service every night. It’s nice sometimes, but I don’t think it’s healthy given how much we travel. It’s nice to have a little bit of the outside world. It doesn’t feel like tennis is your whole life when you actually walk outside and realize all the moving parts of the world.” — Coco Gauff
14 | “I try to see myself the same as I was a couple of weeks ago. Nothing has changed except that I have the trophy at home.” — Wimbledon singles champion Linda Noskova
15 | “I’m a warrior.” — Flavio Cobolli, who survived four straight three-setters to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal
16 | “College is a good stepping stone before turning pro, no matter how high you’re ranked.” — Former UVA standout Brandon Nakashima, who reached the semifinals
17 | “I didn’t even think about tennis. My racquets were still in my suitcase. I didn’t even unpack them. I didn’t want to look at them. I just took some time for myself.” — Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva on her post-Wimbledon break
18 | “I like playing in big stadiums. I like the atmosphere. I was always a guy who likes the crowd.” — Brazil’s Joao Fonseca
19 | “We’ll definitely have a second half to the honeymoon without my trainer.” — Tommy Paul, who confided that his trainer accompanied him and his new bride, influencer/entrepreneur Paige Lorenze, on their honeymoon
20 | “Becoming a great player is about raising your floor. When I’m playing at my ceiling, my very best tennis, it’s going to be hard for anyone to beat me. It’s the days that you’re not feeling it as much — those 40 percent days, 70 percent days, all those days in the middle — if you’re able to raise your floor, and you’re still able to come out with wins, I think that’s the important part.” — Ben Shelton
21 | “I’ve been repeating a certain pattern for far too long, and I’ve made a clear decision with myself that I’ve had enough of it. I’m looking for something different in my life. I’m 28 years old. I’m not 21 anymore. I think now is the best time to do it. I’ve got to move on with it and live on good terms with it. I have a good relationship with my father. Unfortunately, I can’t have him as my coach. It’s a complicated relationship.” — Stefanos Tsitsipas after replacing his father, Apostolos, as his coach
22 | “I’ve learned to accept that and just know that no matter what is happening, I’m always coming back, I’m always pushing forward, I’m finding the joy of having these tough challenges. It’s sometimes not only your opponent, but also your body. It’s who I am, it’s what I do, and I’m really proud of the way that I’ve faced all these things.” — The oft-injured Matteo Berrettini on dealing with repeated setbacks
23 | “I’m going to record every single Pokémon card that a fan gives me. At the end of my career, I’m going to have a full binder with cards. It’s going to be such a good memory to one day give to my kids. There’s a true meaning behind that.” — Terence Atmane
24 | “He’s taking his job seriously: Coach, Uber driver, laundry person, all the things. He gets the balls, calls the practice desk. He’s really taking this coaching thing to the next level.” — Taylor Townsend on her father, Gary
25 | “The family did it for me all these years, for most of my career, most of my life, where everything revolves around me. It’s not really like that anymore. I need to get out of that kind of role. I’m trying to balance the roles of a professional tennis player and father, husband, son, brother, trying to be the best I can be in all these different roles. It takes time, it takes energy, so it’s a work in progress. I kind of underestimated how big the support, the sacrifice was from all of the family members around me in order for them to allow me to create space for 20 plus years to do my thing.” — Novak Djokovic
26 | “That’s awesome. Great representation, a bunch of kids looking up to us and wanting to be in our position. That’s what it’s about. Hopefully, we’re going to continue to have more and more big finals like this, have people of color in them. I’m super pumped about it. It’s always nice to be part of history.” — Frances Tiafoe on the 2026 Cincinnati Open title matchup with Arthur Fils, the first ATP Masters 1000 final to feature two Black players.
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