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With an aggressive style designed for grass courts, Korda passed Briton Dan Evans 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to become the youngest American to reach the All England Club round of 16 since Andy. Roddick reached the semi-finals in 2003.
London: When Sebastian Korda struck his last competitive shot at the age of 20 – an over-the-head winner who concluded a third round victory over the No.22 seed at Wimbledon on Friday – the American has raised both arms, then doubled up and put his hands on his knees.
In a center court box, the body language of his father, 1998 Australian Open champion Petr, was surprisingly similar. Arms in the air, then leaned forward, reaching the railing in front of his seat.
Young Korda’s family lines are serving him pretty well at the moment. He is the son of two former professional tennis players – he credits his mother, Regina Rajchrtova, with learning to calm down on the court – and the brother of two current stars of women’s golf – one of whom, Nelly, is ranked. No.1 and just won his first major – and it looks like he could very well be the men’s tennis star his country has been waiting for some time.
With an aggressive style designed for grass courts, Korda passed Briton Dan Evans 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to become the youngest American to reach the All England Club round of 16 since Andy. Roddick reached the semi-finals in 2003.
“I felt incredibly comfortable,” Korda said. “And, yes, it was perfect today.”
His father’s opinion? Basically: not so fast.
“It’s not over,” Dad said. “Let’s not celebrate until it’s done.”
Wearing a black baseball cap and occasionally draping a white towel over his shoulders on the hottest day of the tournament so far, as the temperature rose in the mid-70s Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius), Petr was in a state of perpetual motion Friday. Any parent whose kids play sports at any level could really get it, as he squirmed in his place in the stands.
“It was nerve-racking. I’m telling you, honestly, it’s easier to be on the golf course, because I can still walk,” he said, referring to watching his two girls compete.
“But with Sebi, I had to sit still, you know? It’s not easy.”
A small measure of how quickly his son is developing: he is only the eighth man since 2001 to reach the fourth round at both the All England Club and Roland Garros before turning 21.
What the Korda family is doing is amazing https://t.co/sv0q05ccAp
-Andy Murray (@andy_murray) June 27, 2021
Of the other seven, four were ranked No.1 and won multiple Grand Slam titles: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Lleyton Hewitt. Another won a major tournament (Marin Cilic) and the other two were Slam finalists (Stefanos Tsitsipas, himself still 22, and Tomas Berdych).
Roddick’s 2003 US Open triumph remains the most recent Grand Slam singles title for an American, the longest drought in history for a nation that produced Bill Tilden, Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors , Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.
Agassi, the eight-time major champion, happens to be a kind of mentor to Korda; they spent two weeks working together in Las Vegas at the end of last year and speak frequently on the phone.
“The most important thing he told me yesterday was just to enjoy it,” Korda said. “This is your first time on center court at Wimbledon, enjoy it, kiss it, have a lot of fun.”
Check. Check. And check.
On Monday, Korda’s 21st birthday, he will face No.25 seed Karen Khachanov, a Russian who knocked out American Frances Tiafoe in straight sets.
“I played a bit tight. I knew it was a good opportunity,” said Tiafoe, who beat Tsitsipas, the No. 3 seed in the first round but has now lost twice to Khachanov at Wimbledon since. 2018. “I just wanted to win too much.”
A start to remember …
In his first appearance at Wimbledon, @SebiKorda eliminates Dan Evans 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the fourth round #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/cJ9zwmIXkI
– Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2021
Korda is making his Wimbledon debut and competing in a Grand Slam tournament for only the third time. He caused a sensation at Roland Garros last year by reaching the fourth round before losing to his idol, Nadal (Korda’s cat is named after the 20-time major champion).
He had never been to center court until Friday, as a player, fan or otherwise, and resisted the temptation to pull out his cell phone to shoot a video.
“They always show how the players go through all the rooms and then come down the stairs,” he said. “I was like, ‘This is crazy. What is going to happen is going to be something that I will remember for the rest of my life.'”
Korda has shown useful serve that varies well, strong groundstrokes from both sides and a willingness – well, the desire – to go to the net, where he has won the point on 30 of 43 trips.
“All credit to him. He played strong tennis,” said Evans, Britain’s top player at the moment, who was backed by a partisan crowd but found himself muttering to his coach and swearing enough to deserve a official warning. “He’s obviously going to be a very good player.”
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