Whether they won or lost, players told the media exactly how they felt on a variety of on and off court questions during the tenth day of the Australian Open. Here’s a quick sampling of their best, candid, and most eyebrow raising comments.

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Q. You said on court you were surprised to be in the final. This being your seventh, are you that surprised? Did you think this was going to possibly be a rough stretch of the year for you?

“For sure I thought it was going to be a really rough part. I mean, I never thought I was going to go out and lose in the first round, but at the same time I never thought before, I'm going to make it to the final, or anything. I was just playing literally a point at a time. So now, you know, I'm just still trying to do that.”

- Serena Williams, on reaching her seventh AO Final

Q. How much of a gap do you think there is between her level and everybody else right now?

“If she's playing her best tennis like she was playing today in the first set, it's big difference actually. I don't think anyone can really play on that level. She really showing her great tennis on all the Grand Slams. She really showing she want to win it. She's doing everything right. She goes on court and she just want to kill it. Going like full power for everything. So I don't think anyone can really play on that kind of level at all.”

- Agnieszka Radwanska, after losing to Serena Williams

Q. Is there a sense of lost opportunity or you've accepted that you missed for a chance for a Grand Slam final and you've moved on pretty quickly?

“I don't think I missed an opportunity. I played against a better player today who earned her right into a Grand Slam final. That's how I view it. She played a really, really good match. That's why she is the winner and I'm not today. I think that's all you need to accept about that. But I'm really taking a lot of positive things from it. I'm really hungry to keep improving and keep enjoying what I'm doing. So that's where I'm at.”

- Johanna Konta, after losing in the AO semis

Q. You mentioned 2011 before you broke through. At that point did you imagine you'd have the career you've had since?

“You know, when I reached the semis in New York, 2011, everybody was telling, Okay, that was one tournament from her. Let's see how far she will get in the next few years. I think I show everybody that I'm a top player. I'm four years in the top 10. I can play good tennis. I was playing also before good tennis, but I never take my chances. Since then I was taking my chances. I am playing good. I think, yeah, right now I don't have the pressure anymore because I show everybody, I show myself, that I can play. I'm one of the best players in the world. I think I can be proud about this.”

- Angelique Kerber, after reaching the AO final

Q. You have more than 20 wins with Federer, Nadal, Murray, and Wawrinka. Do you think your future, the next two, three years, can be even more dominant since there are not competitors of that same level, at least from what we can see now?

“Well, it's hard to say what future brings. Obviously tennis is different from what it was when I was coming up 10 years ago. It's more difficult, as we were saying before, for young players to make a breakthrough and actually challenge the best players in the world. It's more physical nowadays and more demanding from each and every aspect. Point system is such that it doesn't serve the young players to make a breakthrough.

It's a difficult sport, obviously. It's an individual sport. You know, there are cases and players like Boris Becker and Chang, 16-, 17-, 18-year-old Grand Slam winners. It's hard to really say if we're going to have that or not in the future. It just really depends. The future is not in our hands.

But to sustain that level and throughout the year to be actually consistent requires a lot more than just a good game. I'm going to try to stay here as long as possible. That's from my perspective what I can influence, what I can do.”

- Novak Djokovic, after reaching the AO final

Q. You mentioned the standing ovation you got when you hit that point. You also had a standing ovation in the beginning of the third set. How much did the crowd help you turn things around?

“Definitely parts as well, you know. I talk about it every time, especially at the end of a tournament, how thankful I am for the crowd. It is an incredible run. It's a big part of why I'm still playing today. I spent a lot of hours on the practice courts, you know, for exactly moments like these where you feel like you're appreciated, you're being pushed forward, they want to see you win, and all that.

I wish I could have one more chance to play another match here this week, but I don't. So of course I'm disappointed maybe for parts of my fans and also for myself. Definitely walk away from a place like this and say, I want to come back next year. I want to relive it again. No problem to hit the practice courts. Can't wait for the next tournament. You know, everything's easier when you have a crowd like that. I felt that again tonight.”

- Roger Federer, after losing in the AO semifinal