Sebastian Korda feels "as if I'm one of the favorites at Wimbledon"

Sebastian Korda, the 32nd-ranked player in the world who has played in Wimbledon's main draw just once, believes he's one of the favorites at the sport's legendary tournament.

Asked about his grass-court proficiency following a —who on Sunday won a title on turf in Stuttgart—the 22-year-old explained what makes him as capable a player as any at The Championships, which begin July 3.

"I'm very confident in myself on a grass court," said Korda, "I move really well, I definitely have a game that not very many people have. I'm an aggressive player, like to come to the net, I have good hands.

"I definitely feel as if I'm one of the favorites at Wimbledon."

On Thursday, Korda looked the part of a Wimbledon contender, toppling Tiafoe in 1:20 after striking 15 aces and winning 90 percent of his first-serve points. He even wore green against the purple signage/backdrop at the Cinch Championships. Held at historic Queen's Club, the tournament has often served as a forecast for future success down the road at SW19.

The win was a breakthrough for Korda in some ways, having now gone beyond the second round of a tournament for the first time since he reached the Australian Open quarterfinals in January. A big-match player at a young age, Korda's lone competition at the All England Club, two years ago, saw him reach the fourth round before falling to Karen Khachanov in a 10-8 fifth set.

A lot of self-belief, you know, knowing that I can close out these big matches against these big players, and really feeling that I'm one of the top players when it comes to Grand Slam levels. Sebastian Korda, asked about what he learned from his quarterfinal run at the Australian Open.

But Korda's nascent career hasn't been without bumps in the road, most recently a wrist injury that he suffered at the Australian Open and forced him to the sidelines for three months.

"I think it was obviously a tough period for me, but, you know, a blessing in disguise," Korda told reporters at Roland Garros after a first-round win over Mackenzie McDonald. "I had a lot of months, three, four months to really build the body and set a base that will basically be with me for the rest of my career.

"I think that was one of the things I needed most was to kind of get the body right. The tennis I always had. It was just kind of getting the body right and getting ready for these long best-of-five matches to make deep runs."

On Friday, Korda will face Britian's Cam Norrie, a lefty who likewise boasts a huge serve and a love for grass-court tennis. Beat Norrie, who reached the Wimbledon semifinals last year, and the buzz around Korda will continue to build.