Everything Adds Up
Inside Korda’s ‘long walk back’: No driving, no crutches and lots of hard work
The former World No. 15 finding success following an injury struggle
March 07, 2026
ATP Tour
Sebastian Korda rose to No. 15 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
Written by Andrew Eichenholz
When Sebastian Korda won the Delray Beach Open last month it was a memorable event. With a big smile on his face, the American took his young nephew, the son of professional golfer Jessica Korda, down the stands and sunk in the moment.
Last August, Korda fell to No. 86 in the PIF ATP Rankings, his lowest mark since April 2022. Mainly, the decline was due to the fact that the American suffered a right shin strain that kept him out of action for three months. From the down time of spending his days in the boot to seeking his third ATP Tour title, it’s been a fascinating journey.
“It was cool. I had a long journey back to winning the title. Especially with my whole family there, it was something I’ve never seen before,” Korda told ATPTour.com. “It was emotional, it was cool. It was a lot of hard work behind the scenes, but I’m really happy about it.”
It was the second time that Korda’s nephew went to the tennis tournament even though his uncle Sebi and grandfather Petr Korda have history in this game. Jessica lives near Delray Beach, so Sebastian spent a little time at their house. All was right in the world.
Less than a year ago, Korda was in pain and unable to do things that many take for granted.
“It was hard. I couldn’t drive. I couldn’t do things. I was on crutches for a few weeks,” Korda said. “It wasn’t a good time. I’ve never seen how hard crutches are. It wasn’t a good time…
“Last year was very dark, and whenever I was injured, I just cut myself short. I definitely had some very difficult times, but a lot of people on the team really helped me to succeed.”
Sebastian Korda celebrates his Delray Beach victory with fiancee Ivana Nedved.” style=”width:100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2026/02/22/23/18/korda-delray-beach-2026-g”>s
Korda and fiancee Ivana Nedved in Delray Beach. Photo: Getty Images
Korda returned last August in Winston-Salem, where he reached the semifinals. In his last tournament of the year in Athens, the American team again reached the semi-finals and came out from under Top-10 Lorenzo Musetti in three sets. His tennis didn’t just disappear.
But there have been tough times: opening round losses at the US Open and the Australian Open, for example.
“The hardest part was coming back. The different places, you kind of take yourself out of the stress of playing a match and the nerves and then get back into that and get comfortable again,” Korda said. “Being in those situations was the hardest part.”
It wasn’t about forehands, backhands or even serves. It was about the mental side of the game.
“You look at those times, the uncertainty, you don’t know how you’re going to do it, maybe [how you will] be stressed,” Korda said. “The mind is definitely stronger than the body.
“I felt like I was playing good tennis, but I couldn’t translate it into the match situation.
After losing three matches in a row in January, Korda played an ATP Challenger Tour event in San Diego, where he reached the final. Since then, the 25-year-old has advanced to the quarter-finals of the ATP 500 in Dallas, lifted the trophy in Delray Beach and now competes in the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the season in Indian Wells, where he will challenge sixth seed Alex de Minaur in the second round.
Coach Ryan Harrison, who recently joined Korda, was pleased with what he saw.
“He reacts well to every situation that comes his way,” Harrison said. “Sometimes you’re going to be in a game, and you’re going to be unlucky – guys are going to play well, and then sometimes you don’t feel good at first.”
But mentally, Korda is locked in and moving between games, building more confidence each time he steps on the field.
“Every time he played, he found a way to get better and better every single game,” Harrison said. “[He has been] it’s very tight there, even when there are those moments in the game where things can be very difficult to stay in. He was very strong mentally.
It has not been an easy year for Korda. But the World No. The previous 15 is moving in the right direction.
“I’m grateful for this experience,” Korda said. “And I learned from them and tried to be better than them.”
