Realising that I wasn't a fairy changeling child and that David Bowie wasn't the fairy king.

The power of the press.

Meeting Rod Stewart.

I was brought up Catholic, to believe that marriage is for life. And we failed.

But these days, if I have to choose between building my tennis résumé and building my family, I choose the latter.

I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don't think it's fair. If I were a guy, I wouldn't be writing this because I'd be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family.

I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn't feel like a modern word to me. I've been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I'm up to is evolution. I'm here to tell you that I'm evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.

I love to entertain. I'm not sure every player sees it that way, but I love the performance aspect of it—to be able to entertain people week after week. Some of the happiest times in my life were spent waiting in that hallway in Melbourne, and walking out into Rod Laver Arena with my earphones in and trying to stay focused and drown out the noise but still feeling the energy of the crowd.

I cry a lot, so the last time was no big moment.

I don’t think about my greatest fear.