Quote of the Day: Dinara on almost quitting

At the beginning of the year it was really terrible. I could already give up and say, 'Okay, I've had enough of this. I'll go and study or something'. Really, at the beginning of this year I was so deep in the hole I didn't know how to get out of there. I was completely lost. I was not enjoying it. It wasn't that I stopped loving this game, but it was why do I have to suffer so much? I'd go on the court and nothing is going on, and it was really a disaster.

- Dinara Safina on almost quitting the sport earlier this season

I love how open and expressive Dinara, and brother Marat for that matter, can be when discussing their careers. They don't give off false bravado or offer pat, nuanced, "I just need to play my game" type answers. They give the press and fans genuine, from-the-heart, commentary on what's going on in their minds. You can truly get a sense of their personalities, good and bad.

It's a great respite in this day and age of the mega-celebrity athlete buffered by their many handlers - another reason why we're lucky Dinara stuck around.

(image via Getty)