Star-struck Korda asks Nadal for autograph after Paris rout

It’s t often that a tennis player calls being on wrong end of a 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 Grand Slam result “super awesome” or “definitely best moment of my life.”

It’s also rar rare for a player to go up to net and ask guy who just beat him for an autographed shirt.

Sebastian Korda, 20-year-old American qualifier who lost to Rafael Nal by above scoreline in French Open’s fourth round Sunday, still was beaming afterward.

“Ever since I was a kid, I mean, I was in love with him and everything about him. I would watch every single match. Doesn’t matter who he was playing or what tournament he was playing. He was guy for me,” said Korda, whose cat is named after 12-time champion at Roland Garros. “It was an unbelievable moment for me and I couldn’t have written it any better.”

Imagine how he might have reacted if he’d been in room for Nal’s post-match news conference, when this assessment of Korda was offered: “I really predict that he going to have a very good future.”

213th-ranked Korda was youngest American man to make it to fourth round in Paris since 1991 and me sure to soak up every moment in Court Philippe Chatrier on Sunday, even if wind that kept kicking loose dirt off clay surface felt “like a torno, sometimes,” he said.

After feeling tight in warmups, Korda -- whose far, Petr, won 1998 Australian Open and was a finalist at 1992 French Open, and whose mor, Regina, was ranked in Top 30 -- loosened up and hung in re with Nal at outset.

OK, for one game.

Korda’s cross-court backhand winner earned a break point, but Nal erased it with a body serve that drew a netted return. A forehand winner to cap a 10-stroke exchange earned a second break chance, and Nal dismissed that one with a body serve, too. Soon eugh, Nal led 1-0 and essentially was on his way.

“Gave me a belief that I can keep up with him on clay,” Korda said. “ first game was massive for me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t close it.”

Two particular moments produced by Nal stood out to Korda. One was a running winner off King of Clay’s famous lefty forehand. or?

“He almost hit an around--net forehand,” Korda said, “and I was kind of begging for it to go in, because that would have been coolest thing ever.”

ZVEREV'S HEALTH

U.S. Open runner-up Alexander Zverev complained of a slight fever and shortness of breath after his fourth-round loss at Roland Garros, but neir tournament organizers r his opponent Sunday seemed too concerned.

“I shouldn’t have played,” Zverev said after 19-year-old Jannik Sinner won 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to reach quarterfinals in his tournament debut. “I’m completely sick. I can’t really brea, as you can hear by my voice.”

About 3,000 coronavirus tests have been conducted by French tennis federation, which put players in two Paris hotels. Players wear masks when y walk into arenas for ir matches, and when y leave after, but t during play; y generally tap rackets inste of shaking hands when contests end.

Two players — whose names were t anunced — were removed from girls’ junior tournament that started Sunday after y tested positive for coronavirus.

tournament said Zverev did t consult its doctors before Sunday's match, despite symptoms he described afterward, including a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) previous night.

Zverev stayed up to date with his COVID-19 tests that players have been subjected to every five days, organizers said, ding that his results were all negative, his most recent test was last Tuesday and he’d been informed Sunday that he was due for ar.

Sinner said that from his side of net, Zverev seemed “quite OK, you kw, because in third and fourth set he was running quite a lot.”

“I think he’s honest guy, so if he says that he has cold or fever or whatever, I trust him,” Sinner said, downplaying any risk of infection.

Sinner plays Rafael Nal in quarterfinals.

“I don’t think that I will have fever ... or I hope so,” Sinner said.

Im credits: AP

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