Jessica, Nelly and Sebastian have picked up the witness from their parents

During the 1990s, a tall Czech tennis player made a name for himself on the circuit. His figure was unmistakable. Also, he was left-handed. So to identify Petr Korda (Czechoslovakia, 1968) it didn’t take much. His greatest achievement was winning the Australian Open in 1998. At that time he had already been married for several years to Regina Rajchrtova (Czechoslovakia, 1968), less known than her husband but also an elite tennis player, who came to represent her country in the Seoul Games’88.

The Korda saga began to grow in 1993 with the birth of Jessica, already in Bradenton (Florida), where the family had settled. Then came Nelly (1998) and Sebastian (2000). With those genes, his path in life was sung. All three chose sport as a way of life. Although only the young Sebastian opted for the racket, like his parents. The two older sisters opted for golf and they are not doing badly at all.

A tall czech

Petr Korda, winner of the Australian Open in 1998, had an unmistakable figure

Jessica won the Tournament of Champions a week ago, her sixth LPGA Tour title, and rose to 17th in the world rankings. Her sister Nelly has reached even higher and is currently the fourth best golfer in the world. “My father always said that golf was a retirement sport but we changed his mind,” Jessica joked recently. The picture of the two Korda sisters together is impressive. Jessica is 1.80 and Nelly is 1.78. They both look like their father. Tall and athletic. And they do not intend to change. “I have no intention of gaining 20 kilos of muscle, I’m not Bryson DeChambeau,” Nelly hesitates.

But it is also that the two look quite similar swing. So even though they take 5 years, distinguishing them is quite a challenge. In the last Solheim Cup (the women’s Ryder Cup) played in 2019 at Gleneagles, it was more than evident. For the first time, both were part of the North American team and wearing the same uniform they looked like twins. By the way, their rapport as sisters was beyond doubt. The United States ended up losing to Europe but the pair formed by the Korda sisters won all their matches at the 14th hole at the most. Transferred to the beautiful game, it would be like always winning 4-0. It was quite an exhibition.

Sebastian, the little brother, has also inherited his father’s physique. “He is the most athletic of all,” say his sisters. And, although for the moment it has not reached the level of success of Jessica and Nelly, it is taking steps little by little on the right path. Last month he managed to reach his first ATP final at the Delray Beach tournament, just a few hours’ drive from home. So no one from the family was missing from the stands. The Polish Hurkacz defeated him but that achievement allowed him to climb to position 103 in the ranking. Getting into the top hundred is still your first big goal.

But the most special moment of his career came last October at Roland Garros. The young Korda reached the fourth round in Paris, his best qualification in a Grand Slam, and met his “youth idol”: Rafa Nadal. You just have to reveal that your cat is called Rafa to confirm that it was not a sentence for the gallery. His sisters had a tournament on the other side of the Atlantic and could not attend live but they sacrificed a few hours of sleep to be able to follow the game through their tablets. “I was so nervous that I had to have a chamomile to relax before going out to the field,” Jessica confessed then.

The sisters, unbeatable couple at Solheim

Jessica and Nelly are in the elite of golf; Sebastian keeps trying to gain a foothold in the world of tennis

The three Korda brothers have a very special relationship. When they were young they spent every summer in the Czech Republic, always playing sports. Sebastian tried ice hockey and Jessica tried gymnastics and figure skating. Nelly quickly followed in her sister’s footsteps and went straight to golf. ‘The Trio’ is the name of the WhatsApp group they have, much more active when they lose than when they win. The messages of encouragement that are sent after the defeats are kilometers long. “My father always remarks that we have to give time to everything that happens, enjoy the victories and learn from the defeats, that professional athletes do not usually do it because there is no time, there is always a trip or a tournament,” says Nelly .

What is clear is that all of them have earned the nickname that the press in the United States has hung them: “The most athletic family in America.”