Nelly Korda is honest about the high amount of emotional pressure that comes with being an elite athlete as she heads into the upcoming Chevron Championship in Texas.

During a press conference ahead of the championship, Korda opened up about "lashing out" sometimes.

"I think it's okay to lash out sometimes and not act the proper way. Then you find out, okay, I don't want to act like that. I should be proud of myself," Korda said.

The 27-year-old shared what athletes go through when dealing with the pressures of the moment and how things may not turn out in their favor in front of everyone.

"The thing that's different about athletes versus someone that's not is like sometimes we're under a microscope so you see everything. Coco Gauff, she was slamming her tennis racquet. She thought was in private, and you have video cameras there," she explained.

"At the end of the day I think sometimes we're under a microscope where you see all our actions, our emotions," she added.

The topic of dealing with the right attitude came up during a press conference where Korda was questioned about how she and other athletes react when finishing second, something she has experienced throughout her career.

Korda admitted she has not been able to maintain her cool throughout and pointed out that raw emotion is often an essential element in maturing into a top athlete.

The Pressure of Constant Contention

Korda begins her year's opening major in a unique kind of pressure because of her second-place finishes in previous tournaments before this week's competition at Memorial Park.

While she has made it to the final every Sunday this year, it is the sting of narrowly missing the winning mark that challenges the serene attitude she generally tries to carry.

"I've gone through it a couple times where I stormed off the golf course finishing second, and then there is times where I'm like, okay, I'm proud of myself," she confessed.

According to the American ace, such moments of frustration are part and parcel of growing as a player, and it allows her to reflect on herself as a competitor and how she wants to portray herself.

Nevertheless, even with all of this going on around her, she does not let outside pressures distract her from her goals.

"My expectation is to hit the first shot on Thursday and see how it goes," she concluded.

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Written by

Abhishek Sharma

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore