He’s been slowly rising up the rankings in the men’s game ever since he entered the pro tour and is now through to the fourth round of the Australian Open after a stunning straight-sets victory over Medvedev. But Korda’s success on the court can be traced all the way back to both his mother and father.
Petr Korda, originally from Czechoslovakia, won the Australian Open title back in 1998 while Sebastian’s mother, Regina Rajchrtova, was a tennis star in her own rights and represented her country at the Olympic Games in 1988. They passed that sporting gene down to their two daughters first, both of whom went on to win Australian Open titles in golf.
And now Korda is looking to become the latest member of the great sporting family after his impressive win over Medvedev. Although, the 22-year-old poked fun at himself on his on-court interview as he joked that he has a long way to go to match the success of his siblings and parents.
When looking back on his junior’s title at the Australian Open in 2018, he said: “I love playing in Australia. My family loves playing in Australia. We’ve had a lot of awesome moments here and it’s super awesome.”
It was pointed out that two years before the American was born, his father won the Australian Open men’s title. He added: “Even better though, my sister has won the Australian Open in women’s golf – both of them.
“One of them in Royal Melbourne and the other in Royal Adelaide [ed The Grange].
“I don’t know what I’m gonna be ranked, but my mum’s career high was 24 [in tennis], my dad was two.
“Nelly, my sister, was No 1 [in golf] and my older sister Jess was No 6 [in golf], so I’m definitely the worst athlete in the family so far.”
