"2 years ago, Sebastian Korda assured he could challenge Novak Djokovic for Wimbledon" - Fans react as American loses to World No. 98 in Marseille

Sebastian Korda suffered a setback in his 2025 season on Monday (February 10) as he crashed out in the first round of the Open 13 Provence to the unheralded Otto Virtanen. Following his loss, a large section of the tennis community on social media dunked on the World No. 23 over his comments from two years ago, where had proclaimed himself to be among the favorites to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon.

Korda has been knocking on the door to the highest echelon of the ATP tour over the last few years. The American's best season arguably came in 2023, which saw him reach his maiden major quarterfinals at the Australian Open. He also expressed his aspirations for silverware at the Grand Slam tournaments ahead of Wimbledon that year, calling himself one of the favorites for the title.

"I’m very confident in myself on the grass court. I move really well and definitely have a game that not very many people have," Sebastian Korda told the media following his first-round victory at Queen's Club in June 2023. "I’m an aggressive player, I like to come to the net, I have good hands, and I definitely feel as if I’m one of the favorites at Wimbledon."

While Sebastian Korda reached the semifinals of the Queen's Club after making the above comments, he suffered a surprise defeat in his first-round match at SW19 a few weeks later, losing 6-7(7), 6-4, 2-6, 3-6 to then-World No. 528 Jiri Vesely. Two years later, the 24-year-old has been unable to walk the talk due to struggles with consistency and injuries.

Having received a first-round bye at the 2025 Open 13 Provence, he blew a set lead against World No. 98 Orto Virtanen before going out 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 6-4 to the Finn in the second round of the ATP 250 tournament. The tennis community on X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit subsequently criticized Sebastian Korda for failing to reach his surprise exit in Marseille.

One fan even alluded to the American's comments from Wimbledon 2023 to illustrate how badly he has failed to deliver on his promise.

"Korda is being Korda. Two years ago he assured fans that he could be a Wimbledon favorite and challenge Novak for the title," they wrote on X.

Another fan on Reddit, meanwhile, claimed that the World No. 23 was an inferior athlete to his elder sister and women's golf World No. 1, Nelly Korda.

"Just a guy living in his sisters shadow at this point," they wrote on Reddit.

Comment byu/TAA_verymuch from discussion intennis

Here are a few more reactions from social media:

"Korda should've go back to US competitions to give him confidence," one fan suggested.

"Korda is a big flop. Stylish but loses a lot," another claimed.

"Korda having a rough year," one fan wrote.

"What was up with Korda's cold handshake? What a sore loser," another fan wrote.

"I think Korda is one of those players that have a very beautiful game but it's not mentally there yet," one fan wrote.

"Nothing Major is ALWAYS hyping him too. I do not understand," another complained.

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Sebastian Korda reached his ninth ATP final in Adelaide earlier in 2025

Sebastian Korda hits a forehand (Source: Getty)

Sebastian Korda had been out of action from September 2024 to January 2025 due to an elbow injury that required surgery. The American made plenty of amends for his absence from the ATP Tour with a run to the final of the 2025 Adelaide International, where he fell 3-6, 6-3, 1-6 to third-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Korda's defeat in the title match of the 250-level event marked his seventh career loss in an ATP final. The 24-year-old has won two pro titles in singles: the 2021 Emilia-Romagna Open and the 2024 Mubadala Citi DC Open. The latter triumph allowed him to reach a career-high ranking of 15 in the world.