Earlier than Adelaide Worldwide 1 A number of pictures of a younger man Sebastian Korda With Novak Djokovic went viral. Earlier than the match, former world primary Djokovic paid tribute to the 22-year-old American.
“[He is] One of many guys with sort of the cleanest model you possibly can see on tour. I imply, he is so proficient. Every little thing appears flawless. “Simply easy, flawless,” mentioned Djokovic. “The way in which he performs, the way in which he strikes round on the courtroom, simply good trying tennis. I am going to attempt to make it ugly tomorrow.”
Djokovic added that it isn’t a query of if, however when Korda will crack the highest 10 of the Pepperstone ATP rankings. The world quantity 31 took discover of the type Serbian phrases.
“I noticed he wished to make my recreation ugly,” Korda informed ATPTour.com, laughing. “It is humorous, it is nice to listen to such nice phrases from him and I’ve had so many nice phrases from and from Nadal. It is actually inspiring to maintain transferring ahead understanding I am doing the best issues and persevering with to consider in myself and [knowing that] I am heading in the right direction. “
Korda got here near defeating Djokovic within the championship match. Flordian held onto a championship level within the second set, however the 92-time Tour-level roster cruised to a victory 6-7(8), 7-6(3), 6-4 after three hours and 9 minutes. This wasn’t the primary shut name from Korda, who pressed on Rafael Nadal to a remaining set tiebreaker final yr BNP Paribas is open.
“Clearly I had alternatives towards Nadal after which Djokovic, however I am nonetheless younger and these moments will solely assist me transfer ahead so long as I be taught from them,” Korda mentioned. “I feel typically there are nonetheless a whole lot of positives to remove from the match. It was very shut, however nonetheless very far.”
One of many lacking individuals from Adelaide was Korda’s new coach, Radek Stepanek. The Czech star, who’s on the earth’s high 10 in singles and doubles, has frolicked in Florida over the offseason and can meet Korda in Melbourne in Australian Open.
“He is positively completely different. My dad coached him for 13 years and now Radek coaches me. It in all probability finally ends up being that I coach his daughters in the event that they play tennis and so forth and so forth,” Korda mentioned. “However he is actually cool. I feel we’re doing properly. He’s the primary coach in my group and me too Martin StepanekSo many nice new additions to my group. I feel every little thing has been very optimistic to date.”
The pictures of Djokovic and Korda that went viral got here from a time when Korda was following Stepanek on tour throughout Peter KordaEducated by Sippy’s father. Stepanek has all the time been just like the Kordas.
“He was my older brother rising up. I solely had two sisters, and I by no means had a brother, however he was that man to me. We’d go on household holidays collectively to the mountains to go snowboarding, and he would take me to tournaments. He would take me underneath his wing, And he takes me into the locker rooms, he eats for the gamers and he will get a really feel for the tennis participant life-style.” “I feel a whole lot of the success at the moment is because of these moments. I’m so grateful to be surrounded by him and likewise my dad for all these years rising up.”
Stepanek did not pack Korda’s highly effective punch, however he made up for it together with his frequent journeys to the online and courtroom really feel. What would he add to the American recreation?
“I simply suppose to see the sport another way. He needed to be actually good on the sphere the way in which he performs,” Korda mentioned. “He got here to the online and was aggressive, and that is sort of what we’re attempting to do with my recreation. I feel we have carried out a whole lot of nice work to date. It has been actually present.”
This was notably the case towards Djokovic. The Serb is taken into account the most effective defenders within the historical past of the game, however Korda usually discovered methods to interrupt by way of his partitions and dominate factors.
“I feel that is the way you wish to have that feeling on the courtroom, that you simply’re in management. I feel a whole lot of the video games I play with the model of play that I’ve, I’ll dictate a lot of the video games. So a whole lot of the video games will probably be on my racquet, it sort of is dependent upon it [on] what ought to I do with it. “I feel it is a actually massive factor for me,” Korda mentioned. “You positively wish to be within the place of dictating the sport and that is how my recreation is constructed and the way it is going to be constructed any more.”
Korda is glad together with his massive week in Adelaide, however is targeted on persevering with to enhance. He sees his efficiency within the Australian ATP 250 as an indication that he’s heading in the right direction, and he intends to proceed.
“Completely in the future at a time,” Korda mentioned. “However clearly I wish to end the yr Prime 20, Prime 15, that is our eyes and I feel we’ll put in a extremely massive push and hopefully we’ll get it carried out.”