Sebastian
Korda's walkover against
Andrey Rublev at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis
Championships left fans discontented, prompting reactions on social media. The
American withdrew due to injury when the score was 4-6, 3-4, and Rublev's
victory seemed inevitable.
World No.
33 showcased an impressive level in the early rounds. He started with a victory
against Russian Pavel Kotov, dominating 6-0, 6-2. In the round of 16, he swept
aside Botic Van de Zandschulp 6-1, 6-0.
However,
the 23-year-old has struggled to gain consistent momentum in his career and has
faced significant injuries over the past two years. Korda has yet to confirm
the severity of his injury, and it remains uncertain whether his participation
in Indian Wells next week is at risk.
Korda's
retirement disappointed fans, leading them to express their criticism on social
media, questioning the American's physical issues despite his talent.
"Korda's
got a body of glass like Delpo or Nishikori without the same talent
level," a fan posted on Reddit.
Here you
can find some opinions of the fans on X (former Twitter):
"Nothing
against Korda & Lehecka, but this was unfair & disrespectful. I
understand ur health is more important, but they were completely healthy when
they were winning yesterday. When were they injured?! They could stay for 2
more games to give their opponents credit for the win"
"I guess it's
trendy these days. You don't finish a match that you're losing bc u don't want
to accept that your opponent is better than you. We've seen a lot"