Sebastian Korda embraces home court advantage, familiar conditions in Citi Open return

WATCH: Making his second Citi Open appearance, Korda snapped a three-match losing streak that began on grass, when he was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon.

WASHINGTON—There’s the general home court advantage every American feels at a U.S. tournament and then there’s Sebastian Korda’s home-away-from-home feel at the Citi Open, where he scored his maiden win of the 2022 summer hard-court swing over Ilya Ivashka.

“When my dad coached Radek Stepanek—he won here in 2011—I came here three times when I was a kid, when I was 13-15,” Korda recalled after the 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory. “Nothing’s really changed! I recognize all the same people. It’s really cool to come back and see everyone. I really feel at home here.”

Beyond pure nostalgia, the win had even greater significance for the son of 1998 Australian Open champion Petr Korda: it marked his first victory since just before Wimbledon, from which he was forced to withdraw due to a nagging foot injury.

“It definitely wasn’t easy,” he said of the decision. “Wimbledon is probably, hopefully going to be one of my better Grand Slams because my game suits really well to grass. So, that decision was super difficult, but then again, I had a few weeks to do a little training bloc and get ready for the U.S. summer, so I’m very happy with the way everything went.”

In between injury rehab, Korda took advantage of the gap in his schedule to work in a training bloc at his base in Bradenton, Florida, where the conditions were somehow more brutal than even what Washington, D.C. can offer.

Last year I had a great run at Wimbledon and rushed right onto the hard courts and didn’t play well. This year, I could go slowly but surely into things and I think the Open is going to be really good for me. Sebastian Korda

“This is kind of easy,” he said of the near-90-degree heat. “When I was Bradenton doing my little bloc, it was like 90 degrees, 90 humidity, so it wasn’t easy. This feels easy by comparison, so definitely all the suffering I went through for a couple weeks was worth it.”

The biggest reward will come at the US Open, where Korda is set to make his third main-draw appearance and ideally enjoy a first win.

“It’s definitely a home court advantage, and a little bit of pressure as well,” he said of playing stateside. “These are the weeks that you dream of, being an American here in the U.S. Playing these big tournaments is really special and nothing I take for granted. I love coming here and I love playing; hopefully I can do really well the next couple of weeks.”

Ever philosophical, the 22-year-old hopes the grass-court set back may have the unintended benefit of making him fresh for a deep run in Flushing Meadows.

“Last year I had a great run at Wimbledon and rushed right onto the hard courts and didn’t play well. This year, I could go slowly but surely into things and I think the Open is going to be really good for me.”

In the meantime, Korda continues his Citi Open campaign against another Sebastian, Argentina's Sebastian Baez who is seeded No. 12 in D.C. after winning his first ATP title earlier this season.