Petr Korda
A fluid left-handed stylist who reached tennis's pinnacle by winning the Australian Open, but saw his career forever marked by a doping scandal.
Born 1968 (age 58)·Czech tennis player·Birthday: January 23·Generation X
Biography
Petr Korda's tennis was a thing of beauty—a graceful, left-handed game built on swift movement and a potent serve. The Czech player soared in the early 1990s, reaching the French Open final in 1992 and climbing to a career-high world No. 2 ranking. His moment of triumph came in 1998 when he captured the Australian Open title, famously celebrating with a jubilant scissor-kick on the court. However, his career unraveled later that same year when he tested positive for the banned substance nandrolone at Wimbledon. A subsequent 12-month ban prompted his retirement. Korda's legacy is thus a complex tapestry of sublime skill, a major championship, and enduring controversy. He has since found a different kind of sporting fame as the father of champion golfers Jessica and Nelly Korda and professional tennis player Sebastian Korda.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Petr was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Petr Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Petr's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the 1998 Australian Open men's singles title, defeating Marcelo Ríos in the final.
- Achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 2 in February 1998.
- Was the men's singles runner-up at the 1992 French Open, losing to Jim Courier.
- Won ten ATP Tour singles titles throughout his career.
Did You Know?
His famous scissor-kick celebration after winning the 1998 Australian Open is one of the most iconic images in the sport.
He is the father of LPGA stars Jessica Korda and Nelly Korda, and ATP player Sebastian Korda.
Korda tested positive for the banned substance nandrolone in 1998 and was suspended for 12 months.
He won the boys' singles title at Wimbledon in 1985 as a junior.
“I am a lefty, and my serve is my signature.”
