"I wanted it so bad" - Sebastian Korda 'emotional' after joining father Petr with Citi Open title as first 1st father-son duo to win same event
Sebastian Korda shared his thoughts on becoming part of the first father-son duo to win the same event in ATP Tour history. Korda recently defeated tenth-seeded Flavio Cobolli to win the Citi Open, matching his father Petr Korda's achievement after 32 years.
The 24-year-old didn't have an ideal start to the final of the Washington event, losing the first set to the Italian, 4-6. Despite this, he made a strong comeback, winning the next two sets 6-2, 6-0, and clinching his maiden ATP 500 title.
Following his triumph over Flavio Cobolli, Sebastian Korda discussed the significance of winning the ATP 500 event after his father. Sebastian's father, Petr Korda is a former Australian Open champion, who also won the same tournament in 1992 (then called the Sovran Bank Classic).
"Yeah, I wanted it so bad. Ever since I have been coming to this tournament as a little kid, I would see my dad on the stadium. It is something that I dreamed of coming here and hopefully one day winning it and handling the opportunity. I am so emotional, I am so happy. I couldn't think of a better place to win my first 500," Korda said during his on-court interview.
After creating history by being part of the first father-son duo to win the same ATP Tour event, Sebastian Korda credited his parents' invaluable contributions, calling it a "dream come true" to achieve this feat.
"Yeah no words really. Both my parents have dedicated so much of their time to me and my sisters. They gave us whatever we need and we are super grateful for them. Just have the opportunity to really play professional tennis and to hopefully be like my dad. It's a dream come true," he added.
Watch the interview shared by Tennis TV on X below:
Notably, Korda is the first American player to win the Washington event since Andy Roddick in 2007.
"We have a lot of history with this tournament": Sebastian Korda after winning the Citi Open
During the presentation ceremony after the final, Sebastian Korda revealed that he has been coming to the Washington event since he was a teenager. He added that his current coach, Radek Stepanek, who won the tournament in 2011, used to get trained by his father Petr.
“I’ve been coming to this tournament since I was a teenager. My dad used to coach Radek Stepanek, who also won here in 2011,” Korda said. (via The Independent).
The 24-year-old further reflected on his family's history with the tournament, noting that winning it was one of his "biggest goals".
“We have a lot of history with this tournament. One of my biggest goals was one day coming here and hopefully winning the tournament and putting my name up there on the stadium. This is probably the most special moment of my career so far,” he added.
Sebastian Korda is set to face Canada's Vasek Pospisil in his next match at the National Bank Open on Tuesday, August 6.