The 10 notable quotes from athletes of 2023

Some athletes hate mics, others love them. Some are discreet, others more extroverted. As the new year approaches, The Press offers you a top 10 funny, surprising or memorable quotes from athletes, all sports combined, heard in 2023.

10 – Beat an elder

We have all “felt old” before. This was undoubtedly the case for Novak Djokovic when Carlos Alcaraz addressed him after beating him in the Wimbledon final. ” It’s incredible. You inspire me a lot. I grew up watching you play. When I was born, you had already won tournaments! », Exclaimed the 20-year-old prodigy on the microphone, triggering general hilarity.

9 – An arrow to the coach

After a 4-1 thaw against Atlanta United, CF Montreal veteran Samuel Piette did not mince his words on the decisions of his coaches. “We were completely destroyed, tactically,” he said. A sharp statement, which sends a message very clearly. The club finished the season on a streak of just one win in nine games, then the head coach, Hernán Losada, was fired.

8 – New rivals

Cole Caufield’s brother, Brock, signed a one-year, one-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs last summer. Asked about this during a press scrum, the Habs star player showed a big smile. “I was happy for him as a brother. Obviously, he could have picked any other team. That’s all I’m going to say! “, he said with a laugh, in reference to the rivalry between the Canadian and the Maple Leafs.

7 – “Clowns”

Max Verstappen is here to win; the fla-fla and the spectacle that surrounds each Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend are not at all his cup of tea, even if he has no choice in playing the game. During the Grand Prix of Las Vegas, the opening ceremony in the form of a show featuring numerous artists through impressive light shows ended with an official presentation of the drivers of each team. They took out large boxes lined up in the line of pits and greeted the crowd. Verstappen didn’t like it at all. “It’s 99% spectacle, 1% sport,” he said frankly. In my opinion, this type of thing can be avoided. We stand there like clowns. »

6 – Victory speech

The speech by William Karlsson of the Vegas Golden Knights during the Stanley Cup parade will go down in the archives. In an apparently advanced state of intoxication, the Swede took the microphone to pay tribute to his teammate Jonathan Marchessault. “This guy, this damn [fucking] guy, he’s been here since day 1. And you’ve been here since day 1! You are so amazing. We played Arizona in the first game. We demolished them [beat the shit out of them]. I didn’t get any points, but that’s okay, because in the first year I was great [pretty fucking great]. But you were even more awesome! » When members of the organization tried to pass the microphone to Marchessault, Karlsson began again: “No, no, no, listen to me! We waited six long years for this guy to be MVP. Jonathan Marchessault! “, he concluded as the microphone was taken from his hands.

5 – The hypothetical newborn

While still with the Los Angeles Dodgers in May, pitcher Noah Syndergaard was having a rough time. Let’s just say he didn’t offer exactly what is expected of a player who signed a new one-year, $13 million deal. In May, after a 10-6 loss to the Washington Nationals, the man nicknamed “Thor” hinted at his despair over his own performance: “I would give my hypothetical newborn to be the old me,” he blurted.

4 – The coronation of victory

Olivier Aubin-Mercier, always entertaining, has the gift of spoiling fans when it comes to quotes. Last year, when he won his first Professional Fighters League (PFL) lightweight championship, and therefore his first million, the Quebecer released a simple “Quebec is back, tabarnak!” » into the microphone. This year, he repeated his feat by defending his title. When interviewed in the octagon after his victory, he did not disappoint: “back to back, tabarnak!” “, he exclaimed.

3 – For the mayor

In the days leading up to the American Conference Finals between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval posted a video that quickly went viral. In the said video, Pureval attacked the Chiefs, renaming the Chiefs’ home “Burrowhead Stadium” in reference to Joe Burrow, quarterback of the Bengals. “Considering that Joseph Lee Burrow, who is 3-0 against [le quart-arrière des Chiefs Patrick] Mahomes, was asked by authorities to take a paternity test for [confirmer] whether or not he is her father,” he added.

When the Chiefs won the game two days later, Travis Kelce got his revenge. In an interview with NFL on CBS, he spoke to Aftab Pureval. “I have wise words for the mayor of Cincinnati: know your role and shut the fuck up, idiot [jabroni] “, launched the star tight back, imitating the inimitable wrestler The Rock.

2 – Snoop Dogg’s living room

After his first round duel at the United States Open, German tennis player Alexander Zverev did not hesitate to describe the smell of marijuana that floated on the court. “Court 17 smells like Snoop Dogg’s living room,” he said at a press conference. Oh, my God, it’s everywhere. The entire court smells of cannabis. » Zverev is not the first to mention the smell; it must be said that the land, open to the sky, is located next to a large park.

1 – In French, please

We had no choice but to give first place to Montreal Alouettes defensive back Marc-Antoine Dequoy, who delivered quite a post-game speech on RDS after winning the Gray Cup. “They never believed in us,” he cried. You look everywhere, it’s written in English. In the TSN remote guide, it said Toronto vs. Winnipeg […]. They never believed in us. Well, you know what, man? Keep your English! Because we’re going to take this cup, and we’re going to bring it back to Montreal. We’re going to bring her back to Quebec. We’re going to take her home, because we’re the f***ing champions! »