Sebastian Korda has undergone surgery on his right elbow after pulling out of three tournaments in quick succession.
The world No. 19 has not played a match since suffering an early exit at the US Open.
Korda has not given a timeframe for his recovery, but it’s unlikely he’ll recover before the end of the season.
The American confirmed the news in an Instagram post on Friday, writing: “Hi everyone, I wanted to update you all—I’ve been dealing with some elbow issues and my team and I decided surgery was the best option.
“Everything went great, and I can’t wait to be back on court soon. Thanks for all your support.”
Korda had only just cracked the top 20 after lifting his second career title at the Washington Open at the beginning of August. He followed it up with a run to the Canadian Open semi-final.
But the 24-year-old lost his opening match in Cincinnati and suffered a straight-set defeat to Tomas Machac in round two of the US Open before the injury issues set in.
Korda then pulled out of the ATP 250 in Hangzhou and this week’s Masters 1000 event in Shanghai. He also withdrew from the upcoming tournament in Almaty.
The world No. 19 has not given a time frame for his recovery. He is still on the entry list for the Paris Masters and the Metz ATP 250 but he will likely be forced to skip both as he recovers from elbow surgery.
It’s not the first time an injury has sidelined Korda. The two-time title winner had a strong start to 2023 – beating Andy Murray and Jannik Sinner en route to the Adelaide final where he lost to Novak Djokovic after having a championship point.
He then stormed into the second week of the Australian Open, upsetting Daniil Medvedev, but was forced to retire with a wrist injury and did not play for the next three months.
Korda’s rivals have shown an outpouring of support since he announced his decision to have surgery. Felix Auger-Aliassime commented: “Get well soon Sebi!”
Hubert Hurkacz and Alex Michelsen also wished him well. His sisters – LPGA golf pros Nelly and Jessica Korda – both commented, with Jessica writing: “Comeback is always stronger than the setback.”