'Tough to hold the racquet': Devastating injury ruins USA rising star's chances as he retires mid-match
Sebastian Korda has revealed that the wrist injury which ended his Australian Open campaign is one he'd carried all summer.
The 22-year-old's promising tournament was brought to an end when he retired hurt during the third set of his quarter final clash against Russia's Karen Khachanov.
Following the match, Korda revealed that he'd been dealing with the wrist issue since the Adelaide International, where he was beaten in the final by Novak Djokovic.
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"I knew what it was right away," he said.
Korda cut a frustrated figure as the wrist injury robbed him of his ability to attack Khachanov Mark Kolbe via Getty Images
"I kind of felt that spot that I was feeling before. Some forehands, I couldn't even hold the racket. Volleying was almost impossible for me. So it was a little tough."
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Korda had received treatment on the wrist issue when it first surfaced in Adelaide, and the young gun said he'd not been troubled by it through the first four rounds before it resurfaced in the quarters.
Khachanov will face either No.3 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece or unseeded Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic for a berth in the men's final.
Korda, who was seeded 29th, upset 2021 US Open champion and two-time Australian Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev in the third round, then made it past No.10 Hubert Hurkacz in five sets in the fourth round.
The younger Korda was one of three 20-something American men to get to the quarter finals this time, the most for the country at the Australian Open since 2000. The other two, Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul, meet for a berth in the semi finals later this week.
None of the three ever had been to the final eight at a major tournament.
"There is a lot of positives. I mean, way more positives than even negatives. Today was tough, but hopefully it's nothing serious and I can take care of it so I don't have it in the future," Korda said, referring to his wrist.
"I'm going to go forward with my head high and keep working."
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