You wouldn’t wish to face the Kordas on a household sports activities day.
With tennis and golf main titles adorning the mantlepiece, the Individuals are one of many largest sporting dynasties on this planet proper now – with all 5 relations boasting a wealthy CV.
Dad Petr is former Australian Open tennis champion; mum Regina cracked the highest 30 in the identical sport and son Sebastian is likely one of the rising names from the US scene and on the fringes of the highest 20.
Oldest daughter Jessica has 9 high 10 main golf finishes and is likely one of the finest gamers round. After which, there’s Nelly – the very best participant on this planet.
In terms of some gentle household competitors, the stakes are extremely excessive.
“We at all times make enjoyable of the boys as a result of we are saying that the women within the Korda household are the one ones which can be the Olympians and the boys aren’t,” Korda mentioned.
“So, now we have that above them within the household.”
Korda is in Paris for the defence of her Olympic title, and if the ladies’s occasion may even generate half as a lot drama as the lads did final week, then we’re in for one thing particular at Le Golf Nationwide.
Seventeen of the world’s high 19 gamers are right here this week, together with greater than a dozen main winners, however all eyes will likely be firmly fastened on Korda.
The 26-year-old nearly transcends her sport and this season, she has gone to spectacular heights.
Korda received a scarcely plausible six tournaments from simply eight begins, together with her second main at April’s Chevron Championship.
However on the third gap of her first spherical of the ninth occasion on the US Open, she unravelled spectacularly – and has been unable to knit her sport again collectively since.
Korda went into the water thrice on the twelfth gap, after beginning on the tenth, shot a 10-over-par 80 after which missed the reduce.
She adopted that up with a 76 on the Meijer LPGA Traditional for Merely Give, and missed the reduce once more, after which an 81 on the KPMG PGA Championship for a 3rd straight early exit.
From barely having the ability to miss, to barely having the ability to putt, Korda shortly introduced a break forward of the Olympics and arrives in Paris after 4 weeks’ relaxation.
“The sport of golf of is a humorous sport,” Korda mentioned.
“Generally you are feeling on high of the world and in a matter of a pair seconds, you simply really feel such as you’re on the underside of the ocean.
“So, it positively makes you admire the great golf that you simply play, however yeah, I imply, it’s a must to have a mixture of all the things in there and all the things can’t at all times go properly.”
It’s fortunate, subsequently, that she has the help of a household who know a factor or two about coping with the highs and lows of elite degree sport.
“My mother and father have at all times mentioned it’s essential to place your head down, grind, go to the gymnasium – however it’s additionally essential to recharge your battery,” she added.
“As a result of generally with all of the obligations you possibly have off the golf course, and all of the feelings you are feeling on the golf course, all of the adrenaline, it tears at you just a little bit.
“It’s good to form of step away and recharge your batteries and are available again just a little bit brisker.”
Korda tees off at 9.55am, within the group simply after Charley Hull, the world quantity eight who’s spearheading Crew GB’s cost alongside Georgia Corridor.
After lacking out in Tokyo, Hull – who completed seventh in Rio – is happy to be again in purple, white, and blue, apart from one minor snag.
“I do smoke on the course,” she mentioned on Tuesday. “It’s a behavior however I received’t do that week. Sure, it’s simply one thing I do.”
Smoking is banned from all Olympic venues and athletes aren’t any exception, which is an issue for Hull – who went viral earlier this 12 months when photographs of her puffing away on the course went viral.
Will it have an effect on her? “I believe it is going to,” she mentioned. “As a result of it relaxes me just a little bit. However it’s what it’s.
“Having the ability to play within the Olympics is a dream.
“I’m excited for that and likewise assembly new athletes that I’ll not have had the possibility to fulfill.”
Watch each second of Olympic Video games Paris 2024 stay solely on discovery+, the streaming residence of the Olympics
