Sebastian Korda
- Age: 25
- Rank: No. 40
- Career record on clay, 28-24; 1-0 in finals
- Career record on grass, 16-9; 0-1 in finals
Korda’s low ranking can be directly attributed to his serial battle with injury. He has retired multiple times, including on the grass circuit, due to a hurt back, hip or shin. Those setbacks have quelled the hopes of the US tennis community, but they haven’t eliminated them. Korda is setting out to regain the form that paid off five years ago, when he won on red clay in Parma, Italy—the first American to triumph on European clay in over a decade.
Bursting on the scene in 2020, Korda was still a teenager when he qualified for Roland Garros and made it all the way to the fourth round. Like Paul, Korda plays a classic brand of tennis distinguished by fluid strokes, deft touch, all-court comfort and, in his case, a big serve. He’s 6’5” and served up to 137 MPH. His recent win in Delray Beach, while on hard courts, jump-started a career many thought stalled.
A perfectionist, Korda is working on eliminating “mental gaps” that crop up when he’s unable to play his preferred brand of clean tennis. Accomplishing that would certainly help him navigate the plot twists that happen in long clay-court battles. The task ought to be easier on grass, where the points are shorter and aggressive serving is rewarded. Korda has been a finalist at s’ Hertogenbosch and a two-time semifinalist at the premier warm-up for Wimbledon, Queen’s Club. If his health holds up, he could prosper.
