Sebastian Korda: "My ultimate goal in tennis is to win two Grand Slams, one more than my dad"
Sebastian Korda's "ultimate goal" in tennis is to win two Grand Slam titles for one simple reason -- so that he can brag about having won more Major than his father Petr.
Petr Korda won the Australian Open in 1998, beating former World No. 1 Marcelo Rios in the final. It was his first and only Slam title before eventually retiring in 2005.
His son Sebastian, meanwhile, reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open earlier this year, his best run at a Grand Slam so far.
Currently in action at the Shanghai Masters, Korda booked his spot in the semifinals of the Masters 1000 event on Thursday, coming from behind to beat compatriot Ben Shelton in three sets.
The American touched on how it feels to come from a family with so much sporting history such as his. Korda's mother, Regina, is also a former tennis pro, while his sisters Jessica and Nelly are professional golfers on the LPGA Tour with impressive resumes of their own.
Sebastian Korda does not think it creates any kind of pressure for him, as he's still doing something he's passionate about. Nevertheless, he proclaimed, in a half-serious, half-jovial tone, that he wants to end his career with one Major title than his father.
"I don't think it creates any pressure. In the end, we're all doing kind of what we love to do. Tennis is something that I just love doing. It doesn't matter if it's playing, watching, I watch tennis all day long, basically. I just really enjoy being here, really enjoy playing tennis," Sebastian Korda said.
"Same thing with my sisters. They love doing what they're doing. I don't think there's any pressure with it. Obviously, I would love to be better than my dad. My ultimate goal in tennis is to win two Grand Slams, one more than my dad. That's just, you know, little things like that, but I don't think there's any pressure. I just really love playing tennis, and just really having a lot of fun right now," he added.
Sebastian Korda: "One of the biggest things both my parents really taught me is to always believe in yourself, no matter the situation"
Sebastian Korda also spoke about how having a father who has played tennis as a professional has helped him understand certain moments better, knowing when to stay calm and when not to panic.
The American emphasized that a quality embedded in him by both parents is his self-belief, as they taught him to believe in himself and enjoy the moment regardless of the situation.
"That's probably one of the biggest things of having a father who played tennis was to kind of understand certain moments. I think in those certain moments you got to stay really calm. You can have such a big lead like that, and you could just completely panic or get super down on yourself and just get lost," Sebastian Korda said.
"I think that's one of the biggest things both my parents really taught me is to, you know, one, is to always believe in yourself, no matter the situation, to just really go after it. Whatever happens, happens, you just got to believe in yourself, go after it, and just enjoy the moment. It's still a super nervous moment, for sure, but in those moments, you really do enjoy them, you just want to be on the victory side of things," he added.
Up next, Korda takes on Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters.