Reigning Delray Beach Open champion Sebastian Korda joined the hosts of the “Big T” podcast on Tennis Channel to discuss his return and expectations from the Masters 1000 event at Indian Wells. During the conversation, Korda was also asked why he decided to play the challenger event in San Diego after his first-round exit at the Australian Open.
The World No. 37 mentioned his shin injury from last year, due to which he missed the entire grass-court season, and how he experienced anxiety while returning.
“Yeah, I mean, I would say since coming back on tour after my leg injury, it was definitely, I think, the darkest time in my tennis career. I was just getting a lot of anxiety when I was coming back in court. So disconnected from playing matches and feeling those nerves when you’re playing and kind of getting discouraged by it,” Korda said.
“And I just felt like it was the right time to throw myself in the fire, just to get back into playing competitive tennis, whether I would have lost the first round or won the whole tournament. It was just being in that environment,” he added.
“And my coach decided that it was the right thing to do, go and play. I’m grateful that I went through that. And I just started to find my form. And hopefully, I can keep playing good tennis,” Korda concluded.
Sebastian Korda Reflects on His New Coaching Relationship Ahead of Indian Wells
During the same discussion, Coco Gauff’s former coach, Brad Gilbert, asked Korda how he felt physically since dealing with the shin injury and how his relationship with new coach Ryan Harrison was shaping up ahead of the Indian Wells Open.
“Yeah, I mean, right now, I’m honestly feeling the best physically that I’ve felt in the last couple of years. Hopefully, it stays that way. But yeah, just excited to play tennis. And obviously, with Ryan, he played at IMG for most of his professional career. And he was around there. And I was looking for another coach through the weeks that my other coach, Martin, couldn’t do,” Korda said.
“I thought Ryan was a great fit for me; he lives close by in Bradenton. We did the whole training block together, pre-season, and yeah, just really fired up to have him in my corner. He’s a big help for me when I’m playing matches, and so far we’ve had some great weeks together for sure,” he added.
Korda is through to the round of 64 at Indian Wells after beating Francisco Comesana 7-5, 6-0 in the opening round on Thursday night. The American will face sixth-seeded Alex de Minaur next.
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