US may have their ‘very own Roger Federer’ in Sebastian Korda

Rick Macci, the former coach of 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams, has claimed that American tennis prodigy Sebastian Korda can become one of the world’s best. The 22-year-old, currently ranked No 26 in the world, was also compared to 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer – and Macci was quick to explain why.

Macci told Tennis-Infinity.com: “I could see [Korda] winning multiple Slams. He kind of plays a little bit like Federer with a two-handed backhand.

“His serve’s only going to get better, his mind will get even stronger. He can win Wimbledon, he can do damage. He might be the most talented of all the Americans.”

The 68-year-old also delved into the rise of American tennis, with the likes of Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul all excelling in their games at the moment.

However, despite Paul being ranked higher than Korda, Macci believes the latter is miles above in terms of talent and should be seen as a huge threat to his counterparts.

He added: “So I’m going on the record, like I did with [Carlos] Alcaraz. I know Frances, nothing against Fritz, I know [Rielly] Opelka, all these guys it’s great for American tennis.

“But if there’s one guy, in my opinion, who stands out, it’s Korda. But the other guys can definitely be in the top 15, top 20 all the time now.”

Korda has been plagued with injuries for the last few months and has been forced to sit on the sidelines. The 22-year-old stunned the world as he knocked out top seed Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open in January, before being forced to retire in the quarter-finals against Karen Khachanov.

The Florida native later withdrew from Indian Wells, as well as the Miami Open. And with clay season now in full swing, Korda has also skipped the Monte Carlo Masters in the hope he’ll be fully fit for the French Open next month.

And because Korda didn’t have a chance to add to his points total, he has subsequently missed out on overtaking his fellow American compatriots on the ATP Tour.

His talent, though, is something that Macci – a seven-time USPTA national coach of the year – will see him through to one day become the face of American tennis.

He concluded: “If there is one guy who I think can be better than all the Americans, it’s Korda. I think Korda is the best of all of them. Now he’s kind of been in the rear-view mirror because he’s been once again hurt.”

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