WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 17, 2021

Sebastian Korda

Press Conference

S. KORDA/L. Djere

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Congratulations on your first career win in Cincinnati today.

SEBASTIAN KORDA: Thank you.

Q. I heard a rumor that you actually have the prettiest golf swing in your family, and I was curious if there is any truth to that?

SEBASTIAN KORDA: I don't know about prettiest, but I do have a pretty good golf swing, yeah (smiling). I have been playing golf basically my whole life, because I would just be around my sisters. I have never taken a lesson, but I have a pretty good golf swing, yeah.

Q. How much do you get to play these days?

SEBASTIAN KORDA: Whenever we are home. We live a minute from the golf course and we have a golf cart. Usually after I'm done with everything, like around 5:00 or 6:00, I will go play nine holes or something. I play probably two, three times a week, I'd say, whenever I'm home.

Q. Do you have like an active handicap?

SEBASTIAN KORDA: Between a 2 to 3. I can play some good golf. I know there is a couple of guys on tour, I know that Casper Ruud, he's around a 2, and I think Jack Sock said he's around a 2, as well. We'd have a pretty good match if we played.

Q. We have been watching your improvement and we are really amazed by the level of tennis that you have shown recently. That includes all of Wimbledon. I was wondering, I don't know what other people does in comparison, but if I remember really well, your father, Petr Korda, didn't have the style that you are having now. Where does your style come from? How did you come up with that style?

SEBASTIAN KORDA: I don't know. This is just kind of the way I was taught to play tennis. I mean, there is a lot of similarities between me and my dad. He had really good timing on his strokes. He'd hit the ball pretty flat and try and stay as close to the baseline as possible and try and dictate.

But, yeah, I think my dad and my mom, they both taught me to be aggressive, come to the net, and just kind of play tennis a little different way than everybody else is playing, kind of throw in some slices, dropshots, go to the net, serve and volley.

I think variety is a really big part of my game, and I'm improving it every day.

Q. You are going for the points like really fast. Sometimes do you think that it is too fast? Are you thinking about that part of your game?

SEBASTIAN KORDA: Yeah, I mean, there is always things that I can improve kind of setting up the point in a different way, but I think that just kind of comes with age and realizing how to hurt opponents more, what to do in certain situations.

Sometimes you want to go for it a little quicker. Sometimes you want to play it out a little bit more. I'm starting to slowly learn those things day by day.

Yeah, I'm still pretty young. Hopefully I can keep learning and doing the right things.

Q. Cincinnati is a pretty important tournament, right before the US Open. It's like this big tournament with a small-town feel with the fans and the way it's set up. How do you feel playing there? What do you like about the tournament?

SEBASTIAN KORDA: Yeah, it's awesome. I played quallies here in 2019, and even for that it was basically packed and you could feel the energy here. Getting the chance to finally play a main draw here and kind of earning my own way in without getting a wildcard is cool.

Yeah, I mean, it was pretty much packed today during the first round, and the fans are into it and behind me. It's cool to finally get that kind of support, because before the pandemic hit, I was playing challengers and a little bit of futures, so I never really got to experience having a lot of people in the crowd.

Now that I finally get to get it after a couple of months and play on the ATP Tour, it's an awesome feeling. Yeah, it's just amazing to get this kind of support here.

Q. I was wondering what it was like to watch your sister win a gold medal.

SEBASTIAN KORDA: It was crazy (smiling). I was in Washington, D.C., at the time with my girlfriend, and right before the rain delay hit, I was, like, Oh, no. It was already midnight, 1:00 in the morning. I was playing doubles the next day. But I went to bed for like 30 minutes and woke up just in time to finally watch them restart.

Yeah, just a lot of nerves, but, I mean, I always knew she would have it in her, and I know how tough she is in certain situations. I know how she always prevails whenever she has a challenge like that in front of her.

Q. What about the first time that you got to talk to her after you did that? What was that conversation like?

SEBASTIAN KORDA: I just texted her, because I went straight to bed. I called her the next day, and she was really pumped up.

She got on a flight pretty early to go to Europe to go prepare for the British Open that starts this week. They have a busy schedule like us, and, yeah, hopefully I'll see her after Cincinnati. I'm pretty sure we'll both be home. It will be cool to kind of celebrate a little bit with her.

Q. I know you talk a lot about your dad, but you remind me a lot of your mom. Can you talk about her influence in your career? I'm sure you have talked about it in the past, but can you just tell us...

SEBASTIAN KORDA: Yeah, my mom is probably the person who has shaped all of my strokes and everything, because when I switched over from hockey to tennis when I was 10 or 11 years old, my dad was traveling with my oldest sister on the LPGA Tour when she just turned professional. She was 17.

So, I mean, basically I was spending all the time on court with my mom. She basically taught me how to play tennis in a way, because, yeah, she molded my game to what it is today, and I'm really thankful for that.

I feel like I have a different game compared to everybody else. Yeah, she was probably one of the biggest if not "the" biggest influences in my game.

Q. How is your back? I saw you had problems even back in the Sinner game. Then you pulled out of Toronto.

SEBASTIAN KORDA: Yeah, my back is really good right now. It's holding up. I injured myself a little bit in Cincinnati [sic], and it got a little bit worse, but I still decided to finish the doubles and was hoping to be ready for Toronto, but I just wasn't 100%.

I was super close, but I knew I would have problems if I did play the match. Kind of went back to the States, recovered a little bit, worked on my back, and, yeah, it's good so far, no pain, and I'm really happy about it.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you. I think you said you hurt your back in Washington, D.C., right, not Cincinnati?

SEBASTIAN KORDA: Yeah, sorry, D.C.

THE MODERATOR: No problem. Just to be clear.