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Sebastian Korda recently shared a glimpse into his yearly tradition of partaking in a practice session with Stan Wawrinka ahead of the French Open.
After retiring mid-match in his quarterfinal match against Karen Khachanov at the Australian Open, Korda had to take a three-month-long layoff from the tour due to a wrist injury. The American returned to the court at the Madrid Open, losing his tournament opener to Hugo Grenier in straight sets.
Korda suffered a disappointing early exit at the recently concluded Italian Open as well. Following a bye in the first round, the 22-year-old was defeated by Roman Safiullin in straight sets. The American has since turned his focus toward the upcoming French Open, where he is the 24th seed.
On May 25, Sebastian Korda took to social media to share a picture of this year's edition of his practice session with Wawrinka ahead of the clay-court Major.
"Have to get my yearly @rolandgarros @stanwawrinka85 practice pic," he posted on his Instagram story.
He added:
"Booked us a court for 2024."
How Sebastian Korda and Stan Wawrinka fared at French Open 2022
In his third appearance at the French Open in 2022, Sebastian Korda began his campaign with a 6-1, 7-5, 7-6(6) win over John Millman. He then put on a commanding performance against Richard Gasquet, defeating the home favorite in straight sets to advance to the third round in Paris.
The 22-year-old was up against Carlos Alcaraz next but was unable to withstand the Spaniard's clay-court prowess, losing 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. His third-round exit fell just short of matching his best result at the French Open, which came in 2020 after he was ousted from the tournament in the fourth round by eventual champion Rafael Nadal.
Meanwhile, Stan Wawrinka suffered a disappointing first-round exit at last year's French Open at the hands of Corentin Moutet. After winning the first set 6-2, the Swiss was unable to maintain his momentum as he lost the next three sets in quick succession, with the scoreline reading 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-3.
Wawrinka's best result at the French Open came in 2015 when he defeated Novak Djokovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the final to secure his second Grand Slam title. During his title defense in 2016, the former World No. 3 was defeated by Andy Murray in the semifinal.
The three-time Grand Slam champion reached the French Open final in 2017 as well, falling to Nadal as the Spaniard notched up his 10th title at the clay-court Major.
