Sebastian Korda Withdraws From 2025 Mexican Open In Acapulco
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Next week's 2025 Mexican Open has received its first withdrawal. Former world No. 15 Sebastian Korda removed himself from the entry list.
Korda returned to the ATP Tour at the start of this year after a layoff due to injury. He sustained a more severe elbow issue than initially realized during his second-round match at the 2024 US Open against Tomas Machac.
The American required surgery for the injury. Although it was successful, Korda did not return to the court for the rest of 2024 despite initially hoping to be back before the season ended.
Taking extra time to rest might have helped him start the 2025 season strongly. The 24-year-old reached the final of his opening tournament of the season at the 2025 Adelaide International, finishing as the runner-up to Felix Auger-Aliassime.
That was followed by a second-round defeat at the 2025 Australian Open. He might have been hopeful of pushing on after playing a few tournaments, including that impressive run in Adelaide.
However, Korda withdrew from the Rotterdam Open earlier this month. Although he did not reveal the reason for that move, a recurrence of or setback related to his elbow injury seems the most likely cause.
Korda played in Marseille last week, but Otto Virtanen defeated him in the opening round. It was a lengthy three-set battle, and last year's Citi Open champion lost after not being at his best throughout the match.
His withdrawal from next week's tournament in Acapulco was also made without an official announcement. Once again, it is impossible to know for sure why Korda Pulled out, but that elbow injury is the most plausible explanation at the moment.
The repeated withdrawals and setbacks are undoubtedly a source of frustration for Korda. He is immensely talented, but even the best players cannot reach their full potential if they are consistently injured.
Although Korda's absence is a shame, many top players are on the Mexican Open entry list to compensate. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev is set to be the top seed in Acapulco, although adjusting to the conditions might be challenging.
Zverev is currently competing on clay at the 2025 Rio Open. Switching immediately to the hardcourts of Mexico is not easy for any player. The German must be confident he can manage the surface change and not become burnt out by playing without a week's rest.
Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul are two other players on the entry list. Zverev, Fritz, and Paul caused some confusion when their participation at an exhibition event in Las Vegas on March 1st and March 2nd was announced.
The Mexican Open final is scheduled for March 1st, which made some wonder whether those three men would skip it to play at the exhibition. Fritz subsequently clarified that they would only appear at the exhibition on March 2nd.
Still, playing in Acapulco, the exhibition in Las Vegas, and then the Indian Wells Open a couple of days later is a packed schedule. That is especially true for Zverev since he is playing in Rio and competed last week at the 2025 Argentina Open in Buenos Aires.
