Sebastian Korda was born in Bradenton, Florida, United States, on July 5, 2020. His parents are Petr Korda and Regina Rajchrtova - both former professional tennis players. In addition, Korda’s sisters, Jessica and Nelly, are professional golfers and compete on the LPGA tour.
Despite his parents’ elite tennis backgrounds, Korda initially wanted to play ice hockey professionally and played the sport from age three. However, after visiting the US Open, Korda changed his focus and committed to a tennis career at nine years old. The American player’s idols are Rafael Nadal and his father, who won the 1998 Australian Open and reached the Roland Garros final.
Korda impressed during his junior career and peaked in 2018 when he won the Boys' Australian Open, 20 years after his father won the men's title. Later in the 2018 season, Korda made his ATP debut in New York before losing in straight sets against Frances Tiafoe.
2019 was a year of development for Korda in professional tennis. He generally competed in ITF-level events and reached three finals during the 2019 season. Korda also got his first taste of Grand Slam tennis as a qualifier at the Australian Open and US Open but was eliminated in the first qualifying round at each competition.
In 2020, Korda burst onto the professional tennis scene following some strong performances at the Grand Slams. The American made his major debut at the Roland Garros and reached the fourth round before losing to Nadal. After the defeat, Korda asked his Spanish idol for a signed shirt to commemorate the event.
Greater consistency followed in 2021 as Korda reached his first ATP final at the Delray Beach Open but lost to Hubert Hurkacz. Just five months later, Korda won his first ATP title, defeating Marco Cecchinato in the final of the Parma Open.
It was also a strong season for runs in the biggest tournaments. Korda reached round four at Wimbledon and the third round at the Miami Open, Monte-Carlo Masters, and Cincinnati Open. Korda established himself as a consistent ATP-level player in 2021, and confidence continued to flow in 2022.
In January, he won his first Australian Open match, defeating Cameron Norrie in round one, and made it to the third round. Korda also reached two more ATP finals at Antwerp and Gijon. Another impressive start came early in 2023 as Korda progressed to the Adelaide International 1 final, eventually losing to Novak Djokovic.
Then, Korda completed one of his best Grand Slam runs by reaching the quarter-finals of the Australian Open but had to retire in this match due to a wrist injury. The injury ruled Korda out for the first few months of 2023 and affected his mid-season performances.
He could not progress past round two at the Roland Garros and Wimbledon. However, the American player recovered to reach a sixth ATP career final at the Astana Open, only to lose against Adrian Mannarino. Korda then made it to the Shanghai Masters semi-final in October but eventually lost to compatriot Ben Shelton.
