At the end of the fifth set and more than three-and-a-half hours of play on Thursday, Jack Sock waited for what felt like an eternity as a lob from 31st seed Alexander Bublik floated through the air above Court 5 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. It was Sock’s second match point, and he was an overhead away from advancing to the third round of the US Open.
“I couldn’t see the ball when it went up, it was crazy. Maybe he hadn’t hit a lob under the lights yet, because he hit it pretty high. As soon as it went up, I felt like I lost it for a second and then it was just windy,” Sock told ATPTour.com. “I didn’t necessarily want to take a risk with a full swing, so I went with a little pickleball hack to try to finish it.”
Finish it Sock did, before falling to the court in celebration. The former World No. 8 advanced to the third round of a major in singles for the first time since the 2017 Australian Open.
“[That was] just happiness [after] a lot of sacrifice. It’s been a journey back, nobody can deny it, nor will I let anyone take a moment like this for granted or away from me,” Sock said. “You can do that maybe when you’re a little bit younger, you’re ranked higher, you’re making the third round at Slams consistently. You’re playing the quarters and semis at other Tour events and it just kind of seems like it’s normal.
“To have not felt that for this long and to now feel that again, especially in a long match like that, a physical one, especially when people have doubted me physically over the years, it just felt good not only for myself, but to stick it to a few people as well, not going to lie.”
Photo Credit: Elsa/Getty Images
Sock was once the next big American star. A four-time ATP Tour singles titlist, the Nebraska-native won the 2017 Rolex Paris Masters to book his spot in singles at that year’s Nitto ATP Finals.
But in 2018, he went 9-22 in tour-level matches and did not earn consecutive wins until his final tournament of the season in Paris. Then in February 2019, the American underwent surgery to repair two ligaments in his thumb.
In November 2019, Sock dropped from the FedEx ATP Rankings. At the end of that season, he had discussions with those close to him about whether he would pursue the long journey back towards the top of the sport.
“Everyone knows that road back is basically starting over. I didn’t even have a number next to my name for a ranking. There was definitely a real conversation whether we were going to do this or not,” Sock said. “I’m happy with what I’ve done in my career. I would say I’ve had a very successful career to this point, but we did feel there was still some, if not a lot left in the tank and a lot of good tennis still ahead of me. Maybe some of my best tennis is still ahead of me, so I’m just trying to prove that one week at a time, one match at a time.
“I was lost definitely there for a little bit, but very, very fortunate and blessed to have found my coach Bogie [Alex Bogomolov], my wife, I’m based in Charlotte now. I feel like we’ve got a good thing going.”
Sock made the final of an ATP Challenger Tour event in Indian Wells last March, but his momentum was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. He only played three tournaments in the rest of 2021 after tennis resumed in August.
Earlier this year, Sock dropped down to qualifying at a Challenger in Biella to rebuild his game, FedEx ATP Ranking and confidence.
“Playing qualies of some Challengers, it’s different and in all honesty at the beginning I wasn’t dealing with it that well,” Sock admitted. “It definitely was an adjustment period being able to keep your eyes forward, your nose down and just keep going.”
Sock “fidgeted” with his game and equipment, which was not immediately paying dividends, so he “went back to old faithful” and lifted a Challenger trophy in Little Rock in June. The 28-year-old has been steadily building ever since. The mental part of his comeback has been tougher than his physical recovery.
Photo Credit: Little Rock Open
“It is mentally wrapping your mind around, ‘Hey, I used to be Top 10, I used to be seeded at Slams, I used to get byes at Tour events,’” Sock said. “Now it’s, ‘Play Challengers and work your way back up.’ You literally have zero points, so the mental grind is definitely tougher than the physical.”
That “grind” has paid off this American summer. Sock showed his vintage form in pushing Rafael Nadal to a final-set tie-break at the Citi Open in Washington. In New York, the home favourite is into the third round for the first time since 2016.
World No. 184 Sock can match his best performance at a major by beating Tokyo Olympics gold medallist and Cincinnati champion Alexander Zverev on Saturday. “I wouldn’t enter the tournament if I didn’t think I could beat anybody in the draw or give myself a chance to, at least,” he said.
No matter what happens, Sock is enjoying the moment, and appreciating what he has accomplished thus far.
“It feels great. Not only for me personally and for my wife, my family and my coach, all the people around me. We love it. It’s a very happy moment for us,” Sock said. “But even more, I like to silence the haters a little bit. I got a lot of doubt and a lot of hate the past couple years, which is part of sports, but it definitely feels good to shut them up a little bit.”
“I couldn’t see the ball when it went up, it was crazy. Maybe he hadn’t hit a lob under the lights yet, because he hit it pretty high. As soon as it went up, I felt like I lost it for a second and then it was just windy,” Sock told ATPTour.com. “I didn’t necessarily want to take a risk with a full swing, so I went with a little pickleball hack to try to finish it.”
Finish it Sock did, before falling to the court in celebration. The former World No. 8 advanced to the third round of a major in singles for the first time since the 2017 Australian Open.
“[That was] just happiness [after] a lot of sacrifice. It’s been a journey back, nobody can deny it, nor will I let anyone take a moment like this for granted or away from me,” Sock said. “You can do that maybe when you’re a little bit younger, you’re ranked higher, you’re making the third round at Slams consistently. You’re playing the quarters and semis at other Tour events and it just kind of seems like it’s normal.
“To have not felt that for this long and to now feel that again, especially in a long match like that, a physical one, especially when people have doubted me physically over the years, it just felt good not only for myself, but to stick it to a few people as well, not going to lie.”
Photo Credit: Elsa/Getty Images
Sock was once the next big American star. A four-time ATP Tour singles titlist, the Nebraska-native won the 2017 Rolex Paris Masters to book his spot in singles at that year’s Nitto ATP Finals.
But in 2018, he went 9-22 in tour-level matches and did not earn consecutive wins until his final tournament of the season in Paris. Then in February 2019, the American underwent surgery to repair two ligaments in his thumb.
In November 2019, Sock dropped from the FedEx ATP Rankings. At the end of that season, he had discussions with those close to him about whether he would pursue the long journey back towards the top of the sport.
“Everyone knows that road back is basically starting over. I didn’t even have a number next to my name for a ranking. There was definitely a real conversation whether we were going to do this or not,” Sock said. “I’m happy with what I’ve done in my career. I would say I’ve had a very successful career to this point, but we did feel there was still some, if not a lot left in the tank and a lot of good tennis still ahead of me. Maybe some of my best tennis is still ahead of me, so I’m just trying to prove that one week at a time, one match at a time.
“I was lost definitely there for a little bit, but very, very fortunate and blessed to have found my coach Bogie [Alex Bogomolov], my wife, I’m based in Charlotte now. I feel like we’ve got a good thing going.”
Sock made the final of an ATP Challenger Tour event in Indian Wells last March, but his momentum was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. He only played three tournaments in the rest of 2021 after tennis resumed in August.
Earlier this year, Sock dropped down to qualifying at a Challenger in Biella to rebuild his game, FedEx ATP Ranking and confidence.
“Playing qualies of some Challengers, it’s different and in all honesty at the beginning I wasn’t dealing with it that well,” Sock admitted. “It definitely was an adjustment period being able to keep your eyes forward, your nose down and just keep going.”
Sock “fidgeted” with his game and equipment, which was not immediately paying dividends, so he “went back to old faithful” and lifted a Challenger trophy in Little Rock in June. The 28-year-old has been steadily building ever since. The mental part of his comeback has been tougher than his physical recovery.
Photo Credit: Little Rock Open
“It is mentally wrapping your mind around, ‘Hey, I used to be Top 10, I used to be seeded at Slams, I used to get byes at Tour events,’” Sock said. “Now it’s, ‘Play Challengers and work your way back up.’ You literally have zero points, so the mental grind is definitely tougher than the physical.”
That “grind” has paid off this American summer. Sock showed his vintage form in pushing Rafael Nadal to a final-set tie-break at the Citi Open in Washington. In New York, the home favourite is into the third round for the first time since 2016.
World No. 184 Sock can match his best performance at a major by beating Tokyo Olympics gold medallist and Cincinnati champion Alexander Zverev on Saturday. “I wouldn’t enter the tournament if I didn’t think I could beat anybody in the draw or give myself a chance to, at least,” he said.
No matter what happens, Sock is enjoying the moment, and appreciating what he has accomplished thus far.
“It feels great. Not only for me personally and for my wife, my family and my coach, all the people around me. We love it. It’s a very happy moment for us,” Sock said. “But even more, I like to silence the haters a little bit. I got a lot of doubt and a lot of hate the past couple years, which is part of sports, but it definitely feels good to shut them up a little bit.”