Nelly Korda grew up around tennis long before she found golf, and it was the lessons from that world — resilience, patience, being your true best self — that the world No.1 leaned on as she prepared for the Amundi Evian Championship.

Tennis was the family sport before golf took over. Both of Korda’s parents played professionally and her brother competes on tour, and she was raised watching the game — two of her childhood idols were tennis players. She said that upbringing shaped her more as a person than as an athlete. She rarely watches the sport now unless her brother is on court, but pointed to it as central to her character. “Tennis definitely influenced me a lot,” Korda said, framing it as formative rather than technical.

What a Nadal documentary taught her

Asked about a recent documentary on Rafael Nadal, Korda was clear about what stayed with her. “His resilience, his fight, his love for the sport,” she said, describing how visible his commitment was through the highs and lows of a career, and what she made of the humility behind it.

The lesson she took was less about method than mindset: play with passion and try to be your true best self. She extended the point beyond sport, suggesting the same holds in any line of work — that passion is what allows anyone to inspire others.

Patience the priority at Evian

For all the outside noise, Korda’s read on the week itself was simple. Evian rewards patience more than most courses, she said — a place where good shots finish in poor spots and the scoreboard rarely runs to plan. “It’s all about patience this week,” she said, adding that she learns something new about it every year despite a record here (two top-10s in eight appearances) that trails her results elsewhere.

The schedule has been its own test, with three majors inside six weeks and travel between Minnesota and France in the space of days. Korda said the priority has been rest over grinding; at this stage of the season, she said, backing off can do more than another gym session.

Handling the noise

Korda’s ranking and her wider record mean the questions rarely stop, including the Grand Slam talk that has followed her through the summer — she is proud the achievement is even discussed, and treats the pressure of it as something to welcome rather than resist.

She was equally quick to downplay what being world No.1 actually buys in golf’s weekly reset. “Everyone starts at zero every single week,” she said — no better draw, no bye, just the golf in front of them.

The Amundi Evian Championship runs 9–12 July at Evian Resort Golf Club, where Grace Kim of Australia defends the title she won in a playoff last year. UK coverage is live on Sky Sports Golf. Coverage begins Thursday from 6-11 a.m. ET on Golf Channel and continues from 11 a.m. ET until 12 p.m. ET on Golf Channel mobile for US readers.

For Round 1 Tee-Times – https://amundi.evianchampionship.com/tee-time

Round 1 Leaderboard – https://amundi.evianchampionship.com/leaderboard

Continue Reading – Korda One Win From Hall of Fame as Fourth Major of 2026 Arrives at Evian