Sebastian Korda remembers Nick Bollettieri after coming across inspirational quote by legendary coach

Sebastian Korda expressed his respect and admiration for the late Nick Bollettieri after being reminded of some inspiring words from the legendary coach back in the day. Korda, a star graduate of the IMG Academy founded by Bollettieri, came across a quote from the Hall of Fame coach and thus remembered him.

Korda has been absent from the tour since January, owing to a wrist injury that he first suffered at the Australian Open during his stellar start to the season. The American youngster reached the Adelaide 1 final before making his maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at the 2023 Australian Open.

The quote from Bollettieri would have probably given him a lot of motivation during this tough time that has also forced him to miss Indian Wells and Miami.

"Believe in yourself and never, never doubt your ability to do it," read a quote from Bollettieri, which Korda spotted on a giant IMG Academy screen.

The 22-year-old shared the same along with a heart emoji for Bollettieri as a sign of remembrance.

Sebastian Korda reacts to reading a quote from Nick Bollettieri (via Instagram).

Bollettieri passed away at the age of 91 in December last year after a long battle with health concerns. The former American coach, who pioneered the concept of a tennis boarding school through the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy which later became the IMG Academy, coached as many as 10 future World No. 1's across the men's and women's tours.

The Williams sisters, Maria Sharapova, Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, and Boris Becker are just some of the big names that Bollettieri coached. Sebastian Korda also trained extensively at the IMG Academy during his teenage years, albeit he was not coached by Bollettieri himself.

---

Patrick McEnroe believes Sebastian Korda will be a 'legit threat' at Wimbledon

Sebastian Korda last competed at the 2023 Australian Open.

Sebastian Korda will now target the claycourt season for his comeback to the tour post injury. However, given his gamestyle, he will be a threat on the fast grass-courts at Wimbledon, according to Patrick McEnroe. The former player believes Korda's game, which is anyway suited to such surfaces, could be even better if he becomes stronger and adds more 'pop' to his lethal serve.

"I mean, to me, Korda is a guy like 'wow'," McEnroe said on an episode of the Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe podcast.

"If he could put it together, we'll see how the wrist is, haven't heard any updates on the wrist injury that he suffered against Khachanov. But, if he can add a little more meat to the bones, get a little more pop on the serve, I know we have talked about that. I mean, he looks to me like a guy that's a legit threat at Wimbledon," McEnroe opined.

Despite his layoff, Korda is still sitting at a career-high No. 26 in the ATP rankings, which he first achieved after his Australian Open run. Korda has very few points to defend throughout the claycourt season and is not defending any points at Wimbledon, which he missed last season.