Match Reaction
Korda credits McEnroe’s ‘soul searching’ advice after Alcaraz upset
25-year-old American reflects on meeting with McEnroe earlier this season
March 23, 2026
Rich Storry / Sam Hodde / Getty Images
Sebastian Korda credits John McEnroe’s advice after defeating World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in Miami.
By Jerome Coombe
Sebastian Korda’s breakthrough victory over a World No. 1 at the Miami Open presented by Itau on Sunday may have had its roots in a recent conversation with another former No. 1: John McEnroe.
The 25-year-old American produced the biggest win of his career to defeat Carlos Alcaraz in three sets and reach the fourth round in Miami. In the aftermath, Korda pointed to a key meeting earlier this season with ATP No. 1 Club member and seven-time major champion McEnroe as a turning point in his resurgence.
“In Dallas I was actually super fortunate. John McEnroe was playing an exhibition there,” Korda explained, referring to meeting McEnroe at the ATP 500 in Dallas in February. “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.”
Korda’s path back to this level has been far from straightforward. The former World No. 15 was sidelined for more two-and-a-half months in 2025 with a right shin stress fracture, after which he slipped to No. 86 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Although he returned toward the end of the season, it is only now, during the North American swing in early 2026, that he is beginning to rediscover his rhythm.
After a first-round exit to Michael Zheng at the Australian Open, Korda opted to compete at the ATP Challenger event in San Diego, where he reached the final. Shortly after came his meeting with McEnroe in Dallas — a moment he now views as pivotal — before he carried that momentum into Delray Beach, where he lifted his third ATP Tour title.
Now in Miami, he stands one win away from matching his best result at the Masters 1000 event, having previously advanced to the quarter-finals in South Florida in 2021 and 2025.
“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.
“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.”
That renewed clarity was evident in his dramatic clash with Alcaraz, which was his first meeting with a World No. 1. Korda appeared on course for a straight-sets win before failing to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set, allowing the Spaniard to surge back and force a decider.
With much of the crowd sensing an Alcaraz comeback, Korda was tasked with steadying himself once more. Yet the 25-year-old rose to the occasion, regaining control in the third set to close out a statement victory, handing the top seed his second defeat in three matches.
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“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.”
Korda’s progress has also coincided with a recent addition to his team, with former Top 40 player Ryan Harrison joining his coaching setup last month. The partnership, Korda explained, has brought a sense of balance that is beginning to show in his performances.
“It’s a lot of fun. We work really hard. I think one of the best things about Ryan is we do the work, we talk it over, we discuss, then we try to be normal,” said Korda. “We don’t try to overdo it with the tennis or try to have too many emotions.
“I think that’s really been helping me, even after tough matches, talk it out, move on, learn from our mistakes, ultimately have fun again.”
Next up for Korda in Miami is a maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with 20-year-old Spanish qualifier Martin Landaluce, who is competing in the fourth round of an Masters 1000 event for the first time in his fledgling career.