Sebastian Korda compares his style of play with his father's, says his parents taught him to play in a "different way than everybody else"

American Sebastian Korda continued his strong run of form with a straight-sets win over Laslo Djere in the first round of the 2021 Western & Southern Open on Tuesday.

Speaking to the media after the match, the fast-rising American touched upon a range of topics, including his golf skills, his sister Nelly Korda's gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and his parents' influence on his tennis.

The 21-year-old, who is the son of former Australian Open champion Petr Korda, said he shares "a lot of similarities" with his father in terms of playing style.

"I mean, there is a lot of similarities between me and my dad," Korda said. "He had really good timing on his strokes. He'd hit the ball pretty flat and try and stay as close to the baseline as possible and try and dictate."

Sebastian Korda revealed that both his parents taught him to play aggressive, versatile tennis that's different from the rest of the tour.

"I think my dad and my mom, they both taught me to be aggressive, come to the net, and just kind of play tennis a little different way than everybody else is playing, kind of throw in some slices, dropshots, go to the net, serve and volley. I think variety is a really big part of my game, and I'm improving it every day," he added.

Petr Korda and wife Regina Rajchrtova with their elder daughter Jessica in 1998.

Sebastian Korda did, however, credit his mother Regina Rajchrtova, a former top 30 player herself, as "the biggest influence" on his tennis. The 21-year-old explained that since his father spent a lot of time traveling with his elder sister Jessica on the LPGA Tour, he learned the basics of tennis from his mother.

"Yeah, my mom is probably the person who has shaped all of my strokes and everything," Sebastian Korda said. "My dad was traveling with my oldest sister on the LPGA Tour. So, I mean, basically I was spending all the time on court with my mom. She basically taught me how to play tennis in a way [...] molded my game to what it is today."

"I feel like I have a different game compared to everybody else. Yeah, she was probably one of the biggest if not "the" biggest influences in my game," he added.

"I always knew she had it in her, and I know how tough she is" - Sebastian Korda on his sister Nelly winning the gold medal at the 2021 Olympics

Nelly Korda at the 2021 Olympics.

The 21-year-old also discussed his sister Nelly Korda's gold medal-winning performance at the women's golf event at the 2021 Olympics.

Sebastian Korda said he stayed up late to watch the final round in Tokyo. He also pointed out that he wasn't surprised with the result as he knew Nelly had the ability to deliver on the big stage.

"It was already midnight, 1:00 in the morning. I was playing doubles the next day. But I went to bed for like 30 minutes and woke up just in time to finally watch them restart," Sebastian Korda said.

"I mean, I always knew she would have it in her, and I know how tough she is in certain situations. I know how she always prevails whenever she has a challenge like that in front of her," he added.

Growing up with two professional golfers, Sebastian Korda has become quite adept at the sport himself. When asked if he had the "prettiest" swing in the family, Sebastian Korda responded by saying he had a "pretty good" swing despite not having had any professional training.

"I don't know about prettiest, but I do have a pretty good golf swing, yeah," he said. I have been playing golf basically my whole life, because I would just be around my sisters. I have never taken a lesson, but I have a pretty good golf swing, yeah."