Sebastian Korda and Denis Shapovalov spoke to Action Network in Stockholm, where they revealed their goals for next season, just as Korda pointed out a very special person who he receives some tips and tricks from.
Sebastian Korda and Denis Shapovalov have been through a lot of the same stuff in their careers, when it comes to injuries, but both of them are finally injury-free.
Korda has a career-high ranking of world no. 15, while Shapovalov's best ranking is world no. 10.
The Canadian reveals he is chasing his goal of returning to the top ten, but for Korda it is first of all about staying healthy.
Image: Alamy
I get some tips and tricks from my sister
“My goal is just to stay healthy, really. I have a lot to do just to have a full year on tour. I have had a lot of issues and missed a lot of time because I had to focus on getting my health together,” says Korda and continues:
“I just want to play some really good tennis and climb up the ranks.”
On the journey of climbing up the ranks, the American spoke about his sister Nelly Korda, who is one of the best golfers in the world, and the little brother hopes he can learn some things from his sister.
“Nelly is one of the best golfers in the world, so it is definitely great to have a sister like her who knows how to perform really well and hopefully she can teach me a few things.”
“For sure golf and tennis are different sports, but both are individual sports, so a lot of the stuff that she goes through, I go through as well. I am always leaning on her to get any kind of tips and tricks that she has.”
Image: Alamy
The ultimate goal is top 10
The former world no. 10 thrives in Stockholm. He is married to Mirjam Bjorklund, a Swedish tennis player, and he even won his first title on the ATP Tour back in 2019 in Stockholm.
“This tournament means everything to me. Obviously, I am married to a Swedish woman and Sweden is definitely like my second home. I definitely love this country and getting my first title here as well was very special, so I have a lot of great feelings whenever I am here. It doesn’t feel like a tournament week for me, it feels like a week at home.”
The Canadian is very happy with his season so far, but he is pushing for more as he is aiming to get back into the top ten, which he calls his ultimate goal.
“It has definitely been a good season for me. I want to keep pushing up the ranking, but of course it takes time to come back from an injury. I think I have halved my ranking from last year, so hopefully I can keep going next season.”
“My ultimate goal is definitely to get back into the top 10, and I feel like I at least have one more push in my career. I am still young and have a lot of time.”
Both Korda and Shapovalov are through to the quarterfinals in Stockholm, and they are scheduled to play Friday. They can play each other in the semifinal if both of them win their quarterfinal match.
