Sebastian Korda has announced that he is joining his idol Rafael Nadal in the Nike family. Korda, 22, took to Instagram, where he made the announcement and also reflected on his season. Korda, ranked at No 34 in the world, didn’t win any titles this year but last month he ended runner-up in Gijon and Antwerp.
Now that Korda is a part of the Nike family, he is determined to make big things. “Incredibly excited and grateful to officially join the @nike family! Can’t wait to make some great memories representing this incredible brand.
My 2022 season is over. A long year with a lot of lessons learned. Thanks to everyone for the support throughout the year, can’t wait to get started up again. Let’s make it a special one. I’m ready,” Korda wrote on Instagram.
Korda nearly became the first player to beat Nadal in 2022
In March, Korda met Nadal in the Indian Wells Masters second round.
Nadal, who was unbeaten on the year at the time, escaped with a 6-2 1-6 7-6 (3) win. After easily winning the second set, Korda was up by two breaks in the third set and had a 5-2 lead. Then, Korda suffered a stunning collapse as Nadal won via a third-set tie-break.
After the match, Nadal was straight honest and admitted he didn’t know how he escaped with a victory. “I do not know how I won the match. I was very lucky, as I probably played one of my worst matches of the year.
Sebastian played well, he was very aggressive, and it was not easy to control his balls. I did not serve well, and he pressured me on the return. My forehand created no damage, but I still managed to win. I feel sorry for Sebastian, as he probably deserved the victory more than me.
I’m pleased to go through, and I will try to raise my level in the next one. Sebastian started making mistakes while serving for the match, and I also passed him twice. I can not say much, I’m super happy to go through, but I have to play better,” Nadal said after escaping a loss to Korda.
