All Quotes

"I will be working with many UN Women champions and advocates back home to help bring about change in mindsets, behaviour and hopefully, in the everyday lives of women & girls thru projects we will be involved in."

"This is the first step of the journey. The final meet is this October at the UN HQ in New York. And siyempre, PROUDLY FILIPINA po tayo. (And of course, I am PROUDLY FILIPINA.)"

"I would never say I’m a porn star. I would never call myself … I can say porn actress, yes, but porn star? I’m not a star, yet. If I become famous, sure I’m gonna call myself—yeah, I’m a porn star. But I don’t know for now. For now, I am just another girl who is sharing her life—sometimes nude, sometimes porn."

"In KL, I wear the hijab for the first time throughout the whole day because I wanted to visit the mosques and meet with Muslim people."

"I never denied what I did in the past. I admit that my background is (the) adult industry and which I cannot change. I never said I can change what I did. Right now, what I’m doing is I am living in peace, and I (am) studying every day and living in a peaceful space that I wanted. And that doesn’t affect any of your life."

"Bismillah, I am having soto banjar. I put so much sambal, because I love spicy food. So good."

"I would say that anything is possible and to dream big."

"Growth doesn’t always come easy. Good news is there’s always next week to try again and come back stronger."

"I’m so blessed to be the first to do this. I take so much pride in representing my country. It makes what I do bigger than myself."

"To be Filipino is something I take so much pride in. I don’t have a home tournament, so to be able to have this community here at the US Open, I’m so grateful that they made me feel like I’m home."

"I think ‘yung talagang pinakanakaiyak sa akin is when they played Lupang Hinirang. Matagal ko nang pinapangarap ‘yon—na ako ‘yung makakadala ng ganong pride sa Pilipinas—so I’m so thankful. I’m so humbled to be able to represent the country."

"I’m so over the moon. To be able to bring this sort of pride to my country is something I’ve only dreamt about."

"It was just so surreal. Just the experience of being with this team, I think we had such a good dynamic, that they really made the experience special."

"It’s a very different field, because this is something so unique to Southeast Asia, and it means something that a lot of people from Europe or America might not get."

"This has been something that people from my region look up to and dream about since they’re young."

"I would love to think that I make a difference. You know, that’s the only thing I can do to give back to my country is to help inspire, to inspire change and positive change, to inspire people to pick up a racquet, to watch more tennis, watch more women’s tennis."

"I think that tennis in the Philippines has so much potential, because even though it’s not as widespread as other sports, I feel that we have a lot of hidden talent, and if we can have the support to back it up and the exposure to back it up, then I think that Philippine tennis can be a big thing."

"My dreams have stayed the same, stayed constant. I have always been a big dreamer. Like I said previously, to win Grand Slams has always been one of the end goals. To become No 1 has always been one of the end goals"

"I think that this result came at the right time. I try – you know, being a successful junior doesn’t mean that you’re going to be a successful professional, so I made it a point to work hard every day and to trust that my time would come, and hopefully this is the time."

"It feels amazing because I know this is a historical achievement which I dedicate to my country. It's also a huge personal achievement, and for that, I'd love to give myself and my team a pat on the back. It's not the end goal. Keep working,"

"Growing up, it was tough. You didn’t have anyone from where you’re from to pave the way. Of course, you had many people to look up to around the world, but I hope this takes Filipino tennis to the next step."

"There’s no pressure for me because I’m still young and it’s still a new experience for me. I just have to enjoy it. I have to take advantage of that."

"My fitness has really improved — I’m lasting longer on court, and I can maintain a high level,” she said. “My movement is better, my forehand has improved… a lot of small adjustments have clicked this year."

"I was talking to one of my coaches about how crazy things changed before and after Miami. Suddenly, more doors opened, more attention. But everything I’m doing is still the same — our routines, the people around me."

"I realised… when you’re doing bad, it’s not as bad as you think. And when you’re doing good, it’s also not as good as you think. It’s never too bad or too good — it just depends."

"There’s still so much for me to achieve. Of course, I want my first Grand Slam main draw win. But right now, I just want to enjoy playing on this stage."

"Do I feel like I am close to being a top ten player at this moment? I would say no."

"So many things changed and my perspective has changed since Miami, but my day-to-day life is the same. I have the same work ethic and the same attention to detail."

"What happened in Miami was definitely a big surprise for me. It’s difficult because I try not to look at it as a big picture thing, as that tournament progressed."

"I didn’t even look at the draw. I just went match by match because you don’t know how far you are going to get and every round there was another big obstacle."

"For sure, it gave me a lot of confidence to know that my level is there to play against the top players, but I know there is a lot more for me to do before i can be there consistently."

"I am lucky that my family played such a big role in my career and they have been so important for me so far. They built the structure for me. They built the path I walked on. That was the start I needed to start my career."

"For me, family is such a crucial part of who I am and from where I come from, we are so family-oriented."

"Being the first is a big deal because it gives other people courage to do the same and follow the same path. I think that’s also what sets me apart from so many of these players — I come from Manila, because no one has done it before and no one has been here. That’s so close to my heart."

"After Miami things kind of came to life. I proved to myself it’s possible."

"My parents and I always joke about how far we’ve come, especially when we play in these big tournaments and the facilities are amazing. Before we would joke about all these places back home — and now we’re in Paris... it’s definitely a different level."

"Where I started... the courts were cracked, nets were broken, fences were not completed — and here everything is so detailed, everything is so modern. Those are the things that you think about, little things people might not appreciate as much if they grew up here."

"Being the only Filipino on this stage, I’m representing our country and our people. There are so many high-tension moments in tennis, but I do my very best to really keep my emotions in check and just carry myself well. Even though I’m doing it for myself — it’s a personal journey — a lot of people watching will see me as a reflection of our people."

"It's so special. To be Filipino is something I take so much pride in."

"I'm always in the mood for creating more history - this match is one for the books for me."

"I want to congratulate Maya for a great match and a great tournament. Yeah, I think, we did really well and I think, you know, if I was to lose to anyone, I think it would definitely be you. So congratulations."

"It was so, so difficult. [Clara is] a huge player, she’s a great player."

"It’s so special. They make me more and more special."

"It's a very special win for me."

"I think so many factors made the match so special. I've been on the losing side of these tight tiebreaks before, so to be on the winning side, it's very memorable."

"The key for my upcoming match is just to come in with the same mentality, same fight. Right now I'm just focused on recovering."

"I'm so happy to see the progress of tennis in Southeast Asia in general."

"The only thing I expected is she's gonna play a great match and she has some great results before. I expected a tough match and it was a tough one so I'm happy to be through."

"I definitely think that each match is a different story"

"A lot of external factors have changed (since Miami). More eyes on me. I guess there’s more exposure. But in the day-to-day and how I feel internally, nothing has changed much because the work ethic always been there. My team has been so down to earth, keeping me grounded and reminding me what’s important to focus on right now."