“My greatest point is my persistence. I never give up in a match. However down I am, I fight until the last ball. My list of matches shows that I have turned a great many so-called irretrievable defeats into victories.”
“Even though the symbols of my victories are being sold, what I will always retain is the knowledge that for such a long period I was the supreme world tennis champion.”
“However, I do need to have some long-term financial security for those close to me and now believe that the time is right for the trophies and rackets to pass either to a collector or a suitable institution where they can be appreciated by a wide number of people.”
“Obviously, it is not easy to part with the trophies that symbolize all the tremendous effort, both physically and emotionally, that it took to win Wimbledon on five occasions. However, I do need to have some long-term financial security for those close to me.”
“I now realize how closely connected they are to my success as Wimbledon's winner in 1976-1980 and this revelation has caused me to reconsider my earlier intention to sell them.”
“After great consideration and reasoning, I have decided that I will never sell my Wimbledon trophies and rackets and I have withdrawn them from sale.”
