Tennis

Meet the Kordas, the world’s most talented sporting family

Published

5 months ago

July 15, 2024

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Meet the Kordas, the world’s most talented sporting family

Just like the Bryants and the Williams sisters, this Czech-American family are all professional athletes.

Petr Korda was a top tennis professional back in the 1980s and 1990s. He married another tennis pro, Regina Rajchrtová, and they have three children. The couple repped their native country Czechoslovakia before the Eastern Bloc dissolved and played at top-level tournaments around the world, including Grand Slams and Olympics. After the couple retired from tennis, they became US citizens and settled in Bradenton, Florida, according to their profile on the LPGA website.

Petr and Regina Korda were both tennis stars in the 80s and 90s – now their offspring are smashing it too. Photo: Getty Images

Petr took up golf upon his retirement – a sport that his daughters took a shine to – and now their younger daughter Nelly is a top-ranked women’s professional golfer globally and their older daughter Jessica ranked No. 18 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf in 2023. Their son, Sebastian, is ranked 21st in tennis’ ATP at the time of writing. Talk about an athletic family!

The ultra-talented Korda siblings. Photo: @nellykorda/Instagram

So let’s find out more about each of them and the relationship they have with each other:

1. Jessica Korda, 31

Jessica Korda racked up six golfing titles before having her baby earlier this year. Photo: AP Photo

Jessica is an LPGA golfer. After welcoming her son in early 2024, and with a wrist injury, the 31-year-old hasn’t competed this season, but according to the LPGA, she’s won six titles and 44 other top-10 results over her 13-year professional career.

Jessica Korda and her family. The golf star gave birth in February. Photo: @thejessicakorda/Instagram

Despite having to compete against her sister Nelly (more on her in a moment), Jessica told People magazine that she and Nelly have each other’s backs: “Everyone always tries to pit us against each other and we always disappoint everyone when we say that we are each other’s biggest supporters.”

2. Nelly Korda, 25

Nelly Korda tees off from the second hole during the Women’s British Open golf championship in Scotland, in 2021. Photo: AP Photo

In 2024, Nelly made history by becoming the third woman in LPGA Tour history to claim five consecutive victories. Despite having a busy schedule, the reigning Olympic gold medallist reportedly shares a close relationship with her parents and siblings. On May 28, ahead of the 2024 US Women’s Open, she told reporters that she loves “to get away and spend time” with her family.

The 25-year-old shares a tight bond with her father, who was her caddie when she was coming up, according to People. The father-daughter duo teamed up for the PNC Championship golf tournament for the first time in December 2021. “After all these years of him watching and supporting us kids from the sidelines in both golf and tennis, it is going to be so much fun to be in a team competing together,” Korda said in a 2021 press release.

Nelly Korda and her dad Petr often team up on the golf course. Photo: @nellykorda/Instagram

The duo continue to compete together, and recently tied for 13th place at the 2023 edition of the PNC Championship.

3. Sebastian Korda, 23

Sebastian Korda returns a shot to Aslan Karatsev of Russia during the Miami Open, in 2021. Photo: AFP

Sebastian followed in his parents’ footsteps. Unlike his sisters, he chose tennis over golf. In January of 2018, he won the Australian Open Junior title and became the top-ranked junior tennis player in the world. The 23-year-old is currently ranked No. 21, according to the ATP.

In April the rising star told the Mutua Madrid Open: “What my sister (Nelly) is doing is incredible, she’s such an inspiration to me to try and be better every day. Hopefully I can get a bit closer to her level. She’s all we talk about in the family chat group.”

4. Petr Korda, 56

Petr Korda supports his daughters in golf. Photo: Getty Images

Born in Prague, Petr was a left-handed tennis star who made it to the finals of the 1992 French Open at Roland Garros and won the 1998 Australian Open, reaching a career-high ranking of No. 2 in the world. The patriarch of the family retired in 2005.

5. Regina Kordová, 56

Nelly Korda celebrates wins with her mum Regina Kordová. Photo: Getty Images

Born in the town of Havlickuv Brod, Regina was a star tennis player herself. The 56-year-old mum-of-three competed at the major grand slam tournaments in the 1980s and represented Czechoslovakia at the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988. Before her retirement, she reached a career-high ranking of No. 26 in the world.