French Open News: Rafael Nadal Gives Opponent The ‘Best Moment’ Of His Life

Rafael Nadal has served as one of tennis’ biggest icons even for his opponents. The “King of Clay” handed a three-set win and an experience of a lifetime to Sebastian Korda in the fourth round of the French Open.

Despite losing in a quick 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 match, Korda shared that his match with the 12-time Roland Garros champion was a moment he will cherish forever.

"It was definitely the best moment of my life," Korda said, Reuters reported. "It was super awesome."

"After the match, I asked him for a signed shirt when we were tapping rackets. I don't know if anyone's ever asked him for an autograph after a match, but that was definitely the coolest moment of my life and one I'll never forget for sure,” he added.

The total earnings of Korda have amounted to an estimated $200,000 for making it to the fourth round of the French Open. But he shared that meeting Nadal is what he will remember for a lifetime.

"Rafa was unbelievable. He said no problem. So I have one in my bag right now. So I'm super stoked," Korda added.

Nadal is one of the "Big Three" players of tennis along with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. With Federer holding the record for the most Grand Slam championships in the men’s division with 20, Nadal is only one major away from tying the historic feat.

Korda is a big fan of Nadal and he mentioned that the encounter they had on the court has helped him learn more as an athlete.

"The score wasn't the closest, but every game was pretty close. So I took a lot of confidence in that and knowing that I have a big enough ball that I can hurt some of these guys," Korda shared.

Nadal stated after facing Korda that the 20-year-old has the potential to succeed in the future but also has a lot to improve on the court.

"He just needs to adjust a little bit the mistakes sometimes with the forehand. But he's able to take the ball early, he takes the right position on court. From inside the court, he's able to dominate the point,” Nadal said, Yahoo Sports reported.

"He's quite tall so he can keep improving a little bit the serve, that I'm sure he will," he pointed out.

The quest for the 13th French Open title continues for Nadal as he’s set to face Italian Jannik Sinner on Tuesday at the quarterfinals of the Roland Garros.