It has been well over four months since Sebastian Korda last played on the Tour. His last competitive appearance had come at the Miami Open, where he had suffered a 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 defeat to Martin Landaluce in the Round of 16. A back injury ruled him out of the tour, and now he has finally given an update on his condition ahead of the US Open.

“It’s been 4 months off-court managing pain in my back with a lot of pressure on my sciatica,” he wrote in a post on X. “After different treatments we decided to have a swift surgery that has finally relieved the pain. What a relief. Massive thank you to Dr. Qureshi and his team. Now it is time to recover, heal and get back to work. Thanks everyone for the support. See ya’ll soon!”

Even though Korda decided to undergo back surgery in his bid to ease the pain, the timing of the back injury couldn’t have been worse for him. It came at a time when he had the momentum on his side and had just defeated Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in Miami. Though he failed to make a run to the later stages in the competition, he still put the whole Tour on notice with the victory over the Spaniard.

While clay certainly isn’t Korda’s preferred surface, the confidence that he gained in Miami could have helped him in the season. But instead, he was ruled out of the entire clay swing and then also pulled out of the grass-court season. Korda didn’t feature at either the French Open or Wimbledon and is now unlikely to participate in the US Open as well.

While the pain in his back may have gotten much better due to the surgery, Korda would still need time to heal fully. It is expected that he will either make his return in the final few events of the year or return early in 2027. Being out of action for so long has seriously affected Korda’s ranking.

He was ranked No. 36 while competing at the Miami Open. But he has now dropped down to No. 59 and will lose more places by not participating in the hard-court season.

Korda’s luck with injuries has been quite poor, especially considering the last two seasons. Physical setbacks severely affected his participation in several tournaments last year.

Sebastian Korda’s 2025 season was also marred by injuries

The first major injury that Korda suffered last season came after the French Open. He developed a right shin stress fracture during the clay swing, and it led to him missing out on the entire grass-court season, including the Wimbledon Championships.

Korda had to remain on crutches for weeks and was out of action for almost three months. The second injury that he sustained derailed his campaign at the US Open. The American came up against Cameron Norrie in the opening round at Flushing Meadows.

Korda started suffering from back and hip spasms while trailing the match 7-5, 6-4. He was forced to retire from the match because of his deteriorating physical condition. The injury played a key role in Korda’s first-round exit at the Grand Slam, and it would also keep him out of action for some time.

He wasn’t able to play for almost a month following his elimination from the US Open. Korda made his eventual return at the Hangzhou Open and managed to remain injury-free for the remainder of the season.

The 2026 season has arguably been worse for Korda when it comes to injuries. He is likely to miss his third consecutive Grand Slam because of it, and it can only be speculated when he will finally make his long-awaited return to the court.