"Gained 7 kilos of muscle" - Sebastian Korda opens up about injury recovery post-Australian Open crisis

Sebastian Korda recently shared insights into his journey of recovering from the wrist injury he suffered at the 2023 Australian Open.

Korda defeated Mackenzie McDonald in the first round of the 2023 French Open, taking the match in straight sets 6-4, 7-5, and 6-4. It was Korda's third match since the Australian Open.

During a post-match interview with the Tennis Channel, Prakash Amritraj asked Sebastian Korda about how he managed to move forward despite the forced hiatus from the game, and how he developed both physically and mentally.

Korda stated that he has gained seven kilograms of muscle with the assistance of his new tennis conditioner, Jez Green, who recently joined the American's team. Korda also said that he is working on becoming more comfortable and confident in his enhanced body while playing.

"I thought what you [referring to Prakash Amritraj] would do. I put my head down and I got in the gym. I gained 7 kilos of muscle. A good addition to my team with Jez Green. Three months of hard work and kind of just getting used to a new body basically on the court and you know just trying to get comfortable here," Sebastian Korda said.

Sebastian Korda reveals he went 2-3 months without touching a racquet after Australian Open injury

Sebastian Korda stated that he refrained from picking up a tennis racquet for several months following the Australian Open due to an injury.

After his first-round victory at the French Open, Korda opened up about his forced hiatus from the sport.

"I'd say I went two, three months without touching a racquet, basically. Yeah, I even still had a little bit of pain kind of in Madrid, and then Rome was the first tournament where I kind of had nothing, which was a really big positive for me."

"Now I have zero pain in my wrist. Just kind of learning how to play again a little bit (smiling)," Korda admitted.

During the press conference, Korda was also asked about the most challenging aspect of returning to the game after a lengthy layoff. He responded by explaining that he struggled to relax his injured wrist, which eventually became a mental obstacle.

"At the beginning it was kind of couldn't relax my wrist, you know, it was just kind of mental pain at some point. Then it was just kind of getting the reps in, was the most important, kind of getting my eyes adjusted again to the speed of the ball, getting my reactions right."

Sebastian Korda will next face Austria's Sebastian Ofner in the second round of the 2023 French Open on Wednesday, May 31.