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Sport

Korda tees off without tennis ace dad as caddie

January 17, 2012
Korda tees off without tennis ace dad as caddie

More than a decade after Petr Korda dominated Melbourne Park to be crowned the Australian Open champion, the memory of his triumph will be reignited - but not on the tennis court.

Far away from the scene of Korda's 1998 Open victory over Marcelo Rios, his daughter Jessica will try to carve a piece of her own history when the Royal Canberra Ladies Classic begins on Friday.

Instead of tennis racquets and Rod Laver Arena, Jessica will be on the Royal Canberra fairways and usually her Grand Slam-winning dad is her No1 supporter and caddie.

Korda tees off without tennis ace dad as caddie

But for the first time in her short career, Jessica is alone.

Dad won't be in Canberra helping Jessica calm her nerves on the first tee or assisting with club and shot selection.

Petr is back in Florida looking after his two youngest children and will miss the perfect chance to return to Australia while the tournament he won is heating up in Melbourne.

''It is weird not having him here, he is my caddie at most tournaments and has been for me since I was 12,'' Jessica said.

''He stayed home with my brother and sister this time and it was time to let me go ... this is the first time I'm out there by myself without him.

''He's really good with advice, he can tell when I get nervous and he calms me down. He knows what I do when I'm under pressure, but it's just time to spread the wings and fly.''

Jessica's love of golf meant she decided not to follow her father's footsteps on the tennis court.

She ''dabbled'' in tennis when she was younger, but rarely plays any more. But she still remembers - albeit vaguely - being courtside when she was four years old to watch her dad's biggest career victory at Melbourne Park

Now 19, Jessica says her dad has turned into a competitive golfer who plays off scratch and ''will do anything he can to try and win''.

Their relationship on the golf course has helped Jessica develop from a talented junior into a budding professional. And if anyone knows how tough life can be in the professional spotlight, it's Petr.

After winning the Australian Open, Petr tested positive to nandrolone, a banned steroid, following a quarter-final match at Wimbledon in 1998.

Almost a year later he was banned for 12 months and announced his retirement.

It's rarely spoken about in the Korda house, but Jessica said her dad's experience helped her build a ''wall'' to help her transition to professional sport.

''It's not really spoken about, there's not much to talk about,'' Jessica said.

''Whatever happened in the past has happened and speaking about it isn't going to help anyone.

''You just have a wall built up around you and you don't let people through very often. It's like most sports and it just comes naturally, you can't control it.''

Jessica will spend four weeks in Australia playing in tournaments around the country, including the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne from February 9-12.

If the start to her career is anything to go by, Jessica will be a contender at Royal Canberra.

When she was 15 years old, Jessica surprised the world to finish in a tie for 19th at the United States Women's Open.

She made her LPGA Tour debut last year, but readily admits she is still finding her feet on the circuit.

Her biggest test on her Australian tour will be how she handles the pressure without dad by her side.

But the talented golfer is confident she can handle everything that is thrown her way.

''I haven't played a tournament since November so it's just about getting the rust off and having some fun,'' Jessica said.

''Definitely you come out to win each week and we'll just see what happens.

''[At the US Open] I had no expectations, I was so nervous and shaking that I almost didn't even step up on the first tee.

''It's about getting more comfortable and hopefully coming to Canberra helps me get acclimatised for the Australian Open [at Royal Melbourne from February 9].''