humor

Maria Sharapova: What she said, really meant and definitely did not say

What she said:

“Even though it was really tough, I think he kept believing that one day he would have more, even if it was one trophy, even if it was one more dollar, one victory over another, yeah.”

Maria Sharapova describes her father, Yuri, as being eternally optimistic and a great believer in the American dream.

What she really meant:

“My father had a never-say-die spirit that served him (and me) well.”

What she definitely didn’t say:

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

Rafael Nadal: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

“Seriously, the only thing is probably you play less times against leftys than righties. That’s the only advantage.”

Defending Wimbledon champion, Rafael Nadal, believes that the left-handed player does not have that big an advantage against right-handers except that there are fewer lefties on the ATP tour.

What he really meant:

“Let’s see, I’m a left-hander and it’s difficult for me to play another.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I wish I was a righty.”

Maria Sharapova: What she said, really meant and definitely did not

What she said:

“Do they need it? I think everybody needs different things in their lives.”

Maria Sharapova replying to a question as to whether every girl requires a basket ball player in their lives—an obvious reference to her boyfriend,Sasha Vujacic.

What she really meant:

“Everybody needs something—just not the same thing and certainly not at the same time.”

What she definitely didn’t:

“Sasha’s not an object.”

Nick Bollettieri: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

“I can tell you one thing, Nadal doesn’t burn the candle at two ends.”

Nick Bollettieri, celebrated tennis coach, is convinced that a big reason for Rafael Nadal’s and Roger Federer’s continued success is dedication to the craft and very little off-court activities or late-night partying.

What he really meant:

“Nadal has a schedule and sticks to it. No half-measures in practice either.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I can tell you a million and one things, but do you want to hear them all?”

Mahendra Singh Dhoni:What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

“If the correct decisions were made, the game would have finished much earlier and I would have been in the hotel by now.”

MS Dhoni rips into the umpiring during the post-match press conference after the first Test at Kingston, Jamaica.

What he really meant:

“The umpiring was abysmal.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Due to the late finish and poor umpiring, I missed scrumptious tandoori chicken at the hotel’s restaurant.”

Caroline Wozniacki: What she said, really meant and definitely did not

What she said:

"Well, I think that ball came from the other court. I saw it coming.I saw it moving into the court. Then I asked for replaying the point.”

Caroline Wozniacki recounts her reaction to a ball landing in Court 2 in her second round match against Virginie Razzano.

What she really meant:

“What? Where? How? Replay, please!”

What she definitely didn’t:

“Did I hit the ball, already?”

Maria Sharapova: What she said, really meant and definitely did not

What she said:

"I don’t have any regrets about being 24."

Maria Sharapova is enjoying her status as one of the elder stateswomen on the WTA tour.The Russian has won three majors in her eight years and is one of the favourites for this year’s Wimbledon.

What she really meant:

“I’m 24 and I’m old. So what?”

What she definitely didn’t:

“I feel like I’m a 100 years old.”

Scott Styris: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

“Seeing Southee open the batting for Essex tonight and score 74 off 34 balls is enough to drive anyone to give up the game!”

Scott Styris is jocular about his reasons for quitting the game.

What he really meant:

“If Southee can play better cricket than me, I might as well quit.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Tim Southee is so much better than Virender Sehwag.”

Ryan Harrison:What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

"I’ve been in trouble with [my temper] since I was young.When I was 5, 6 years old, every single time I got mad or threw a racket, I had to do 20 push-ups. And it wasn’t that I stopped the racket throwing or getting mad — I just did a lot of push-ups."

Ryan Harrison, the hope of American men’s tennis, admits he has a temper from an early age and was penalised for it—often.

What he really meant:

“I’ve always had a vile temper.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I love doing push-ups.”

Sanath Jayasuriya: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

"When you play as a cricketer, they all love you as a unit. When you go to a [political] party, naturally it’s divided. So I need to face that.Just before I came to politics, I thought of that, and I know it’s going to be a half-half situation – unless you’re a very big fan of mine."

Sanath Jayasuriya accepts that he will not be adored unconditionally as a politician, as he was when he was merely a cricketer. The Sri Lankan legend is a member of parliament on a  ticket from President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

What he really meant:

“Politics is divisive and so are politicians.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I do things by half.”