French Open 2020 – Sebastian Korda asks for Rafael Nadal’s autograph

ByEurosport

Updated 04/10/2020 at 16:34 GMT

Sebastian Korda stopped Rafael Nadal to get a memento after their French Open fourth round match. Nadal easily beat the American and was happy to sign his shirt at Roland Garros.

A rare positive from playing tennis amid the Covid-19 pandemic is that you don’t have to deal with a swarm of autograph hunters.

But Rafael Nadal still found himself pursued by an unlikely fan in the form of opponent Sebastian Korda after their French Open fourth round match.

The American stopped the Spaniard to ask him to sign his shirt after the 6-1 6-1 6-2 defeat, with the 20-year-old idolising Nadal as a kid and even naming his cat after the Spaniard.

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Nadal was happy to oblige, writing: “To my friend Sebastian, all the very best in your tennis career”.

Korda did not seem too upset by the defeat as he quickly posted the meeting on Instagram and called it “the happiest moment of my life”.

Nadal will face another youngster in the quarter-finals with Italian teenager Jannik Sinner lying in wait in the quarter-finals. Sinner staged a huge upset to take out Alexander Zverev to reach the last eight.

Highlights: Nadal drops just four games in Korda demolition job

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