Korda turned professional in
1987. He won his first career doubles title in
1988, and his first top-level singles title in
1991. Korda was involved in four
Grand Slam finals during his career — two in singles and two in doubles.
In
1990, Korda and
Goran Ivanišević finished runners-up in the men's doubles at the French Open. In
1992, he rose to the men's singles final at the French Open, where he was defeated in straight sets by defending champion
Jim Courier 7-5, 6-2, 6-1. In
1996, he teamed-up with
Stefan Edberg to win the men's doubles title at the
Australian Open.
The crowning moment of Korda's career came in
1998, when he faced
Marcelo Ríos in the men's singles final at the Australian Open. Korda dominated the match from start to finish by winning in straight sets 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 and claimed his first (and only) Grand Slam singles title. The win propelled him to his career-high singles ranking of
World No. 2. (His career-high doubles ranking was World No. 10.)
Other highlights of Korda's career included winning the
Grand Slam Cup in
1993, being part of the Czech Republic's team which won the
Hopman Cup in
1994, and upsetting defending champion
Pete Sampras in five sets in the fourth round of the
1997 U.S. Open, en route to reaching the quarterfinals.
A few months after his Australian Open victory in 1998, Korda became the first high-profile tennis player discovered ingesting a banned substance. Following a match at
Wimbledon, Korda tested positive for
nandrolone. Subsequently, he was banned from the sport for one year. Korda did not return to the professional tour; the ban effectively marked the end of his career.
Korda married a former professional tennis player from Czechoslovakia,
Regina Rajchrtova. They have a daughter named Jessica Regina, born on
February 27, 1993.
Korda was also known for the "Scissors Kick" which he would do at midcourt after winning matches.
rss feed