"You’ve got to figure out who you are, You’ve got to figure out why you play tennis, why you love tennis": Sebastian Korda harnesses John McEnroe's advice in Miami

Monday, 23 March 2026 at 17:57

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Sebastian Korda produced a real breakthrough taking down Carlos Alcaraz in three sets in a real superb win to reach the fourth round of the Miami Open and he pointed to a chat with John McEnroe at an exhibition in Dallas.

Korda in Miami said that McEnroe saw Korda's main issue as being finding that identity on court that he hasn't done just yet and that he was grateful to him that he took time out to speak to him and it has all worked out. A player with immense potential, he has spent the last few years injured on and off so will hope to finally fix that run together now.

“In Dallas I was actually super fortunate. John McEnroe was playing an exhibition there,” Korda explained to ATP. “He took a couple minutes out of his day just to talk to me. That's one of the things we really talked about: finding my identity on the court. [We] just talked about how I am as a human being, things that I'm going with.

“He was great. Especially [with] a player like him, you just see how he sees my game, what he thinks I can use to try and play better tennis. One of the things he said was, ‘You’ve got to go soul searching. You’ve got to figure out who you are. You’ve got to figure out why you play tennis, why you love tennis.' I think that's been a massive key for me. Grateful that he took the time out of his day to do that.”

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He also remarked about playing in San Diego at a lower level as being a huge catalyst and not utilising his past exploits as a reason to rest on his laurels. He said that he got a real boost of confidence from doing so and he doesn't know if he would've come back with such vigour had he not played there.

“I needed certain things. That's the reason why I went to go play in San Diego, just to try to put myself in those stressful situations,” Korda said when asked about his decision to compete in San Diego. “I'd been injured for so long, missed so many months, and got down a really dark hole. Those were important weeks for me to just figure myself out.

Sebastian Korda beat Alcaraz in Miami.

“Obviously I wasn't playing the tennis I'm playing today. Especially mentally, I didn't feel great. It gave me a little bit of a boost of confidence to throw myself back in those stressful situations, put myself in a match, live in those nasty moments during a match, just those stressful environments. It definitely helped me. If I didn't play San Diego, I don't think I'd be sitting here right now.”

He also remarked about the crowd that he prefers playing in real hostility and that he hopes to continue to defy those who otherwise cheer against him.

“I love playing in a hostile environment,” Korda said when asked about the crowd. “Luckily I've played some of my best tennis when the crowd's against you. But they were great on both sides. They weren't doing anything towards me. It's a lot of fun, especially when the crowd gets going.

“It doesn’t matter whether it's for me or against me, I really enjoy playing in those environments. Hopefully I can keep climbing in the rankings. Hopefully people can come support me and I [will] just try to enjoy the moment a little bit more.”

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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