"I love the winning, I can take the losing, but most of all I Love to play"
About this Quote
Becker’s line is a neat piece of athlete self-mythology that also happens to be emotionally true: it reframes competition not as a scoreboard obsession but as a craving for the act itself. The first clause, “I love the winning,” nods to the obvious appetite elite sport demands. No champion gets to the top by treating victory like a nice bonus. Then he slips in a strategic humility: “I can take the losing.” Not “I don’t mind” or “I embrace” losing, but “I can take” it - the language of endurance, bruises, and recovery. It’s a reminder that losing isn’t character-building in the abstract; it’s something you survive, metabolize, and keep moving through.
The real tell is the pivot: “but most of all I love to play.” In three beats, Becker relocates identity from results to motion. That matters coming from him - a teenage Wimbledon phenom who became a global brand before “brand” was the default vocabulary. When you rise that fast, winning can become a job description, losing a public scandal. By insisting that playing outranks both, he protects a private motive from the market forces around him: media narratives, national expectations, sponsorship pressure, the constant demand to justify your place.
The subtext is self-preservation. If your deepest attachment is to playing, you’re harder to break. Wins and losses become events; the game remains a home.
The real tell is the pivot: “but most of all I love to play.” In three beats, Becker relocates identity from results to motion. That matters coming from him - a teenage Wimbledon phenom who became a global brand before “brand” was the default vocabulary. When you rise that fast, winning can become a job description, losing a public scandal. By insisting that playing outranks both, he protects a private motive from the market forces around him: media narratives, national expectations, sponsorship pressure, the constant demand to justify your place.
The subtext is self-preservation. If your deepest attachment is to playing, you’re harder to break. Wins and losses become events; the game remains a home.
Quote Details
| Topic | Sports |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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