Roman Abramovich

If I had to think where I could live if not Moscow, London would be my first choice and second would be New York.

Our strategy [at Chelsea] is to bring up our own players through the academy, which we have invested a lot in, and hope it gives results.

It was impossible to operate in the aluminium business without krysha – very real physical protection.

I never aspired to be a public figure. I have always been interested primarily in real business and the development of business strategies.

I’m realising my dream of owning a top football club. Some will doubt my motives, others will think I’m crazy.

I have no Napoleonic dream. I’m just hard-working and pragmatic.

When you are thrown onto the stage at 17 in such an enormous way, it becomes living on the edge because every step you take, every word you speak, every action you do becomes headline news. And it became, for me, life or death.

I was passionate about soccer. I still am. Odd, though – playing soccer always made me much more anxious than playing tennis. On soccer days, I’d be out of bed by 6 in the morning, all nervous. But I was always calm when it was time for a tennis match. I still don’t know why.

Tennis is beautiful when you can see tactics, when players don’t just react but are able to act and think.

Girls had never been important. I’d had a girlfriend or two and had liked them a lot but it wasn’t love, because my first love was tennis.

Outside the manager, John [Terry] and I have probably the closest relationship with Roman. We speak to him sometimes just minutes after a game to discuss how it went and at other times when he wants to gauge our views on specific subjects … Abramovich is also very like Mourinho in his thirst to discover the reasons behind a certain event or result.

My motivation and aspiration is the same, being number one or being number five. So that’s the truth. And my goal is the same – it’s to always be happy playing, it’s to enjoy the game and improve always.

It’s good sportsmanship to not pick up lost golf balls while they are still rolling.

I have lived my whole life with high intensity.

I only ever run when there’s some point to it – say, if it’s in a game of tennis.

The worst thing is to play too defensively. I need to play with more intensity and be aggressive. If I do that, I’m going to do well because my touch is good.

Please don’t call me arrogant, but I’m European champion and I think I’m a special one.

Look at my haircut. I am ready for the war.

Some people may learn something from the way I play tennis. But there are also players who are better than me in certain techniques.

As a tennis player you can win and you can lose, and you have to be ready for both. I practised self-control as a kid. But as you get older they both – winning and losing – get easier.

I am happy with being a tennis player and the choice I took when I was 12. But clearly, if I wouldnt have been a tennis player, I would have loved to be a soccer player. But again, I am happy with the choice I made.