Sebastian Korda, son of Grand Slam champion Petr, is the last American man standing at French Open and faces idol Rafael Nadal in the fourth round… and the 20-year-old even named his cat after the Spaniard!
- Sebastian Korda faces great Spaniard Rafael Nadal in French Open fourth round
- Korda beat Pedro Martinez in straight sets in previous round at Roland Garros
- Ahead of Korda’s meeting with Nadal, he labelled the Spaniard his ‘biggest idol’
Sebastian Korda’s father was a Grand Slam champion but his hero was Rafael Nadal, who was idolised so much he named his cat after him.
Now Korda, the last remaining American man at the French Open, faces the great Spaniard in the fourth round after his sixth win in barely a week.
The 20 year-old from Florida came through the qualifying event, and on Friday brushed aside Pedro Martinez in straight sets to fix a meeting with the twelve-times champion.
Sebastian Korda will meet ‘idol’ Rafael Nadal in the fourth round of the French Open
The 20-year-old American idolised the Spaniard so much that he named his cat after him
‘He’s my biggest idol,’ said the world number 213. ‘He’s one of the reasons I play tennis. Just watching him play, unbelievable competitor. Whenever I’m on court, I try to be like him. Growing up, I named my cat Rafa after him. That says a lot about how much I love the guy.’
Korda, who is 6′ 5′, is from a rare sporting dynasty and looks very much like his father Petr, who won the 1998 Australian Open.
The sporting genes run deeper from his Czech parents. Mother Regina Rajchrtova was a top 30 women’s player while sister Nelly is the world number two golfer and his other sister Jessica is ranked 22.
They have a remarkable family hat-trick in Petr having won the Australian Open, Sebastian the junior event at Melbourne Park, and Nelly the Australian Open golf title.
Nelly Korda, 22, is second in the golf world rankings – the sporting genes run deep in the family
