"He's probably one of the greatest fighters of all time" - Sebastian Korda on Rafael Nadal's comeback at Indian Wells

Sebastian Korda [inset] lavished Rafael Nadal with rich praise after losing to the Spaniard

Sebastian Korda hailed Rafael Nadal's fighting spirit after losing to the Mallorcan in heartbreaking fashion in the second round of the Indian Wells Masters on Saturday.

Korda led 2-6, 6-1, 5-2 but twice failed to serve out the match as Nadal pulled off a miraculous 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(3) to improve to 16-0 for the season.

When asked by the media to elaborate on the tension while serving at 5-2 up, Korda admitted that nerves got the better of him. He also pointed out how the 21-time Major champion's tactical adjustments threw him off course.

"Yeah, at 5-2, started to play a little different," Sebastian Korda said. "Maybe nerves got a little bit to me. Yeah, I think he changed the way he was playing a little bit. He stopped missing a little bit more. Came closer to the line. And I made some easy mistakes, and he took advantage of that."

"He's an incredible fighter," he added. "Probably one of the greatest fighters of all time. And just used it and just kept going."

Tough one to say the least but it’s ok. Back to work and keep on going❤️

Thanks to everyone for the support. Means the world to me❤️❤️❤️ twitter.com/TennisTV/statu…

Despite ending up on the losing side, Korda asserted that the defeat would not leave a bad taste in his mouth, given how he ran an in-form Rafael Nadal to the brink.

"I mean, I don't think there's any negatives," Korda said. "He's the best player in the world right now, one of the best. He's definitely got the best record. Hasn't lost a match this year. Three tournaments, three titles. Not very many negatives when you're that close against someone like him. 21 Grand Slams. Arguably one of the greatest of all time."

"He's super hot, hasn't lost a match this year - to kind of push him to the edge was awesome" - Sebastian Korda on Rafael Nadal

Big backhands at big moments 🥶

@RafaelNadal coming up clutch in the closing stages vs Korda!

#IndianWells https://t.co/LSxMdBGyll

Sebastian Korda trained with Rafael Nadal ahead of their second-round clash at Indian Wells. When asked if their joint session proved to be helpful, the youngster sheepishly acknowledged that the Spaniard hands him a beatdown every time they train together. But Korda claimed he was making progress.

"Every single time we practice, he kind of destroys me a little bit (smiling)," Korda said. "This time was a close set. Every single time I practice with him or play with him, I feel I'm getting better and better. Yeah, it's progress."

Korda cited Nadal's superlative form in 2022 to afford himself some self-praise for pushing the Mallorcan to the brink.

"He's one of the greatest players of all time right now. He's super hot. Hasn't lost a match this year," Korda said. "To kind of push him to the edge was awesome. Shows a lot of my game, how dangerous it can be against tough opponents. Yeah, just overall happy."