Rafa the cat? Well, not exactly, but yes!
Sebastian Korda told reporters how he is a massive fan of the King of Clay today after he reached the round of 16 in Paris with a straight set wins over Pedro Martinez.
“I mean, he's my biggest idol,” the 20-year-old American said. “He's one of the reasons I play tennis. Just watching him play, unbelievable competitor. Just from him I have the never-give-up mentality. Whenever I'm on court, I try to be like him. Growing up, I named my cat Rafa after him. That says a lot about how much I love the guy.”
To prove it, Korda posted a picture of the cat on his Instagram.
Nadal was asked if he found it funny that a fellow player would name a cat after him. Here was the Spaniard’s reply.
“That means that I have been on the TV for such a long time, that's the main thing,” he said. “The same like when I was a kid, I was watching Sampras, Agassi, Carlos Moya, et cetera, et cetera, no? Another negative thing that mean is that I am 34. That's another point that is not beautiful. But, yeah, happy to hear that. I know he's playing great. He's a very young kid with a lot of power. I think he has an amazing future - hopefully not yet.”