"My heart rate was at 160" – When Nelly Korda got more 'stressed' watching her brother than competing in Major finale
Nelly Korda hails from a family with a strong background in sports. Her father, Petr Korda, is a former tennis star, while both her siblings, Jessica and Sebastian Korda, also play sports and have been successful in their fields.
Nelly Korda won her first Major title at the Women's PGA Championship in 2021, and with that, she became the World No. 1. Meanwhile, around the same time, her brother Sebastian Korda was playing at the Wimbledon Championships.
Following her first Major win, Nelly Korda appeared on BBC World News, where she opened up about watching her brother play and called it more stressful than playing in the finale of the Women's PGA Championship.
Speaking of her brother, Nelly said (at 1:30):
"Honestly, it's crazy. It's surreal. Like, I got back home, and the first thing I did was watch my brother play, and I think I was more stressed out watching my brother than playing on Sunday. I think my heart rate was at, like, 160.
"But I wouldn't be here without them. We constantly push each other to strive for more and to achieve more, and I think, you know, my parents have set good building blocks for us. We're continuously just trying to push each other to make each other better as people and athletes," she added.
Sebastian Korda fared well at the Wimbledon Championships in 2021. However, he missed the chance to qualify for the quarterfinals after being defeated by Karen Khachanov in the fourth round. Novak Djokovic won the tennis Major back in 2021 by defeating Matteo Berrettini.
When Nelly Korda reflected on winning her first Major
Korda started playing golf at the professional level in 2016, and she quickly won her maiden Major in 2021 at the Women's PGA Championship. In the press conference of the 2021 Women's PGA Championship, she candidly opened up about her game and expressed her thoughts on winning her first Major so early in her career and also becoming No. 1 in the world.
She said (via ASAP Sports):
"It's been amazing, honestly. The past few days, the battle with Lizette, it's been a lot of fun. It's been stressful. I think it's had everything. But I just can't believe it. I'm still in shock."
She also talked about her sibling in the conference, saying:
"For our family just to back each other through every situation -- Seb is top 50 in the world. Man, a year ago he was outside 200 in a sense. He's playing at Wimbledon this year. It's so surreal. And Jess has won this year."
Notably, so far, Nelly Korda has won a total of two Major Championships. She clinched the second Major last year at the Chevron Championship. Meanwhile, she has enjoyed a pretty successful journey on the LPGA Tour, and last season alone, she won a total of seven titles, including a phenomenal streak of five back-to-back titles. She was awarded the LPGA Tour Player of the Year in 2024 for her impressive season.