Jack Sock

Jack Sock

Jack Sock playing at Roland Garros 2013
Country (sports)	United States
Residence	Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.[1][2]
Born	September 24, 1992 Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Turned pro	2011
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach(es)	Troy Hahn
Prize money	$ 3,359,022
Official website	atpworldtour.com
Singles
Career record	88–68 (Grand Slam, ATP Tour level, and Davis Cup)
Career titles	1
Highest ranking	No. 22 (January 18, 2016)
Current ranking	No. 26 (April 18, 2016)[3]
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	2R (2014, 2016)
French Open	4R (2015)
Wimbledon	2R (2014)
US Open	3R (2012, 2013)
Doubles
Career record	73–41
Career titles	6
Highest ranking	No. 6 (May 11, 2015)
Current ranking	No. 19 (April 11, 2016)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	QF (2016)
French Open	QF (2015)
Wimbledon	W (2014)
US Open	3R (2014)
Mixed doubles
Career titles	1
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
US Open	W (2011)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	QF (2016)
Hopman Cup	RR (2016)
Last updated on: April 11, 2016.

Jack Sock (born September 24, 1992) is an American professional tennis player currently on the ATP Tour. His singles success includes an ATP title and the boys' junior US Open title in 2010. He also regularly plays doubles, winning the 2014 Wimbledon title with Vasek Pospisil and the 2011 US Open mixed doubles title with Melanie Oudin.

Personal

Sock graduated from Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, Kansas. He was 80–0 in his KSHSAA 6A high school tennis career, winning four consecutive state championships.^[1]

Junior career

As a junior, Sock reached as high as No. 22 in the world combined rankings in October 2010. He played his first ITF junior tournament in October 2008, aged 16, at the Pan American Championships.^[4] In the 2009 US Open, his third junior tournament, he reached the semifinals of the junior doubles with Matthew Kandath, and the third round of the junior singles.

Sock played relatively infrequently on the junior circuit, however, entering just two further tournaments: the Dunlop Orange Bowl in 2009 and the junior singles at the 2010 U.S. Open.^[5] At this tournament, he received a wildcard entry, but proceeded to the final. There, he defeated fellow American Denis Kudla in three sets, to become the first American winner of the junior championships since Andy Roddick in 2000.^[6] He won the Boy's Junior National Tennis Championship in 2010 ^[6] and 2011, earning a wildcard in both years for the main draw of the US Open.

Professional career

Early career

Sock began playing in Futures tournaments in 2009, winning his first senior tournament on that circuit in November 2009.^[7] He entered his first qualifying draw for an ATP tournament at the 2010 Miami Masters.^[8] His first main-draw match as a professional came at the 2010 US Open, where he lost to Marco Chiudinelli.^[6] Sock finished the 2010 season ranked 878th in the world.^[9]

In 2011, he reached the final of the USA F3 tournament.^[10] He also began to play in a few tournaments at Challenger level, with his biggest success being a quarterfinal at the Dallas Challenger. He also competed in the main draw of the 2011 Miami Masters. As 2010 US Junior champion, he received a wildcard into the 2011 US Open, winning his first ATP match against Marc Gicquel in four sets. He advanced to play his idol Andy Roddick, a fellow Nebraskan in the second round, however he lost in straight sets.^[11] Sock's real breakthrough came in the mixed doubles, however, where he advanced to the final alongside Melanie Oudin, defeating the defending champions Bob Bryan and Liezel Huber in the second round.^[12] In the final, Sock and Oudin defeated Gisela Dulko and Eduardo Schwank in three sets to win their first Grand Slam title, both individually and together.

After winning his first Grand Slam title, Sock returned to competing on the Challenger Tour.^[13] His most successful tournament was the Sacramento Challenger, in which he reached in the quarterfinals of the singles tournament and, partnering Nicholas Monroe, the final of the doubles tournament.^[14] Sock finished 2011 ranked no. 381 in the singles, and no. 370 in the doubles.

In 2012, Sock won the Futures tournament at Plantation, as well as losing in the doubles final.^[15] Stepping back up to the Challenger level, he competed at the Honolulu Challenger, making the quarterfinals of the singles tournament and, alongside Nick Monroe, once again made the final of the doubles tournament.^[16]

Sock played in the 2012 Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, and lost in the second round to Izak van der Merwe. Sock's next tournament was the 2012 BB&T Atlanta Open. He upset the number 7 seed of the tournament, Alex Bogomolov, Jr.. He made it to the quarterfinals where he lost to John Isner. At the US Open, Sock defeated the number 22 seed, Florian Mayer, in the first round when Mayer retired. He then went on to defeat world number 85 Flavio Cipolla of Italy in straight sets, setting up his first ever Grand Slam third round match against 11th seed Nicolás Almagro,^[17] however he was defeated in 4 sets. In the final two months of the 2012 season Sock reached his first two Challenger Tour finals, winning at Tiburon in October and finishing as runner-up in the November Champaign-Urbana Challenger. These finals helped him rise to the top 150 for the first time.^[18]

2013: Top 100

Sock had a slow start to 2013, losing in the qualifying of the Brisbane International and the 2013 Australian Open.^[19] However, he received a wildcard entry into the U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships, in which he gained his first wins of the season in reaching the quarter-final, the second of his career.^[20] In the doubles competition at the same tournament Sock teamed up with James Blake, also a wildcard entry, reaching the final where the pair lost to the Bryan Brothers.^[21] Sock made it through three rounds of qualifying without dropping a set to get into the main draw of the 2013 French Open. In the first round he defeated the accomplished player Guillermo García-López in only 1 hour and 59 minutes. He then lost to the 35-year-old veteran Tommy Haas in straight sets.^[22] He tried to qualify for Wimbledon for the first time, but although seeded second, lost to Mischa Zverev. He returned to the US to win his 2nd career Challenger level title in Winnetka, IL on July 6, allowing him to break into the top 100 for the first time in his career. At the US Open, he defeated Philipp Petzschner in the first round, going 5 games to 2 up in the third set before Petzschner retired. Sock then went on to beat Maximo Gonzalez, however lost to 18th seed Janko Tipsarević in the third round. Following the US Open, his career ranking rose to 86.

2014: Grand Slam Doubles title

Sock began his 2014 campaign in Auckland, opening his campaign against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. His aggressive playing style was too much for his opponent, winning in straight sets to set up a match with German second seed Tommy Haas. In a considerable upset, Sock defeated the world number 12 in straight sets to advance to the quarterfinals. There he faced Spaniard Roberto Bautista-Agut, however lost in straight sets. He then gained his first direct entry into the Australian Open main draw, after having failed to qualify the previous year. He started strongly, defeating German Tobias Kamke in four sets in his opening match before losing to former world number 7 Gaël Monfils in the second round.

At the 2014 Wimbledon Championships, Sock at the last moment teamed up with Canadian Vasek Pospisil, where they eventually went on to win the men's doubles title in a five-set final against the top seeds, Bob and Mike Bryan.

Sock beat Bernard Tomic and world no. 6 Kei Nishikori to reach third round of the 2014 Shanghai Rolex Masters.

In December, he underwent hip surgery, sidelining him for the start of the 2015 season.^[23]

2015: First ATP singles title, Top 25

After missing the first two months of 2015 ATP season, Sock made his return at 2015 BNP Paribas Open. He won his first three matches, including victories over seeded players Gilles Muller and Roberto Bautista Agut. He lost in the fourth round to second seed Roger Federer in straight sets. In doubles, he resumed his partnership with Pospisil to win their first Masters level tournament.

His second tournament was the 2015 Miami Open, in which he won his first two matches, including beating 21st seed Fabio Fognini, before losing to Dominic Thiem in the third round. He made the doubles final, again partnering with Pospisil, but lost in a third-set tiebreaker to the Bryan brothers.

Sock continued his successful start to the year by winning his first ATP tournament, the 2015 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships. En route to the title, he knocked off second seed, Roberto Bautista Agut, fifth seed, Santiago Giraldo, third seed Kevin Anderson, and defeated eighth seed Sam Querrey in the final. He then competed in the 2015 Mutua Madrid Open in Spain, advancing to the second round by beating wildcard Pablo Andujar in straight sets, before losing to 12th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.^[24]

At the French Open, Sock upset 10th seeded Grigor Dimitrov in the first round in straight sets. He continued his run by beating Pablo Carreño Busta in four sets and teenager Borna Ćorić in straight sets. At age 22, He became the youngest American to reach the round of 16 at the French Open since Pete Sampras in 1993. In the fourth round, he lost in four sets to defending champion Rafael Nadal.

On November 2, Sock reached the top 25 for the first time in his career.

2016

Sock began his season at the 2016 Hopman Cup, representing the USA alongside Serena Williams, who was ultimately replaced by Victoria Duval due to injury. In the round robin stage of the tournament, Sock's only singles win was over Jiří Veselý. Sock and Duval recorded wins in the mixed doubles over Ukraine and the Czech Republic. They did not proceed to the final.

At the Auckland Open, Sock reached his 3rd career ATP final by beating his 2nd career Top 10 player David Ferrer, despite losing the 1st set and battling flu-like symptoms. He would end up retiring in the final due to that illness.^[25] Sock began the clay court season by reaching his 2nd consecutive final at Houston, but was unable to defend his title after struggling with an injury in the last set of the final.

Sportsmanship

His act of sportsmanship in 2016 Hopman Cup was hailed by many.^[26][27] During the match against Lleyton Hewitt, Hewitt was serving to stay in the first set when his first serve at 30-0 was called out by the chair umpire. Prior to Hewitt hitting his second serve, Sock said: "That was in if you want to challenge it". After review the serve was found to be in, giving Hewitt the point.

Playing style

Sock is primarily an aggressive baseliner. He can be considered a complete baseliner with both offensive and defensive abilities at the same time. His topspin on the forehand side helps him move his opponents far back behind the baseline to control points. He is a classic American-Style player. His forehand and serve are his biggest weapons and he also boasts an impressive second serve. He hits with a large amount of spin, especially on his forehand and kick serve, and can use this to control points. He can use his groundstrokes to either overpower opponents from the baseline, or move them around the court and look for a winner. He is also capable of flattening out both his forehand and his backhand to devastating effect, but Sock prefers to hit with controlled spin instead. He often hits "whiplash" forehands, where he uses his body-rotation and elbow to generate tremendous pace and topspin with a minimal take back.

Retired American tennis player Andy Roddick has remarked that he and young Sock have similar playing styles, saying, “[Sock] kind of has the half take up with the serve. He’s got the flailing elbow on the forehand and the backhand.” Sock feels that he and Spaniard Rafael Nadal, currently ranked number 5 in the world (12 December 2015), actually have a more similar playing style, stating in an interview last year that “Nadal prefers the forehand to the backhand and hits with incredible spin. I also like to hit with more spin than pace and prefer my forehand.”^[28]

Sock has a very strong service game, being able to hit serves at speeds of up to 227 km/h (141 mph). He is able to also hit very powerful and consistent kick serves.

He has excellent touch at net, being able to hit volley winners with ease. While he does not come to net often, in recent months he has played a great deal of doubles, both improving his net game and showcasing his impressive reflexes. This improved net game helped him and Vasek Pospisil win the 2014 Wimbledon doubles title.

Furthermore, Sock is very fast around the court, and is particularly good at running around his backhand to hit powerful inside-in or inside-out forehands. His great court speed allows him to retrieve many shots and use his forehand, his main weapon from the baseline, more frequently. Sock aggressively slides his left foot on the ground when running to his forehand, which wore a hole in his sock and shoe, and drew blood, at the 2015 BNP Paribas Open.

Some commentators have remarked that his technique on the forehand, while quite effective, actually hinders his ability to hit returns well. If Sock has a successful singles career, it will be in spite of, not because of, his technique, according to retired American tennis champion and now commentator Jim Courier.

Significant finals

Grand Slam finals

Doubles: 1 (1–0)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Winner	2014	Wimbledon	Grass	Vasek Pospisil	Bob Bryan Mike Bryan	7–6^(7–5), 6–7^(3–7), 6–4, 3–6, 7–5

Mixed doubles: 1 (1–0)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Winner	2011	US Open	Hard	Melanie Oudin	Gisela Dulko Eduardo Schwank	7–6^(7–4), 4–6, [10–8]

ATP career finals

Singles: 4 (1 title, 3 runners-up)

Winner – Legend Grand Slam tournaments (0–0) ATP World Tour Finals (0–0) ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (0–0) ATP World Tour 500 Series (0–0) ATP World Tour 250 Series (1–3)

Titles by surface Hard (0–2) Clay (1–1) Grass (0–0) Carpet (0–0)

Outcome	No.	Date	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Winner	1.	April 12, 2015	U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, United States	Clay	Sam Querrey	7–6^(11–9), 7–6^(7–2)
Runner-up	1.	October 25, 2015	If Stockholm Open, Stockholm, Sweden	Hard (i)	Tomáš Berdych	6–7^(1–7), 2–6
Runner-up	2.	January 16, 2016	ASB Classic, Auckland, New Zealand	Hard	Roberto Bautista Agut	1–6, 0–1 ret.
Runner-up	3.	April 10, 2016	U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, United States	Clay	Juan Mónaco	6–3, 3–6, 5–7

Doubles: 12 (6 titles, 6 runners-up)

Winner – Legend Grand Slam tournaments (1–0) ATP World Tour Finals (0–0) ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (1–4) ATP World Tour 500 Series (1–1) ATP World Tour 250 Series (3–1)

Titles by surface Hard (5–6) Clay (0–0) Grass (1–0) Carpet (0–0)

Outcome	No.	Date	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	1.	February 24, 2013	U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships, Memphis, United States	Hard (i)	James Blake	Bob Bryan Mike Bryan	1–6, 2–6
Winner	1.	March 3, 2013	International Tennis Championships, Delray Beach, United States	Hard	James Blake	Max Mirnyi Horia Tecău	6–4, 6–4
Winner	2.	July 7, 2014	Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom	Grass	Vasek Pospisil	Bob Bryan Mike Bryan	7–6^(7–5), 6–7^(3–7), 6–4, 3–6, 7–5
Winner	3.	July 27, 2014	Atlanta Tennis Championships, Atlanta, United States	Hard	Vasek Pospisil	Steve Johnson Sam Querrey	6–3, 5–7, [10–5]
Runner-up	2.	August 17, 2014	Cincinnati Masters, Cincinnati, United States	Hard	Vasek Pospisil	Bob Bryan Mike Bryan	3–6, 2–6
Runner-up	3.	October 19, 2014	If Stockholm Open, Stockholm, Sweden	Hard (i)	Treat Huey	Eric Butorac Raven Klaasen	4–6, 3–6
Winner	4.	March 21, 2015	Indian Wells Masters, Indian Wells, United States	Hard	Vasek Pospisil	Simone Bolelli Fabio Fognini	6–4, 6–7^(3–7), [10–7]
Runner-up	4.	April 4, 2015	Miami Masters, Miami, United States	Hard	Vasek Pospisil	Bob Bryan Mike Bryan	3–6, 6–1, [8–10]
Winner	5.	October 11, 2015	China Open, Beijing, China	Hard	Vasek Pospisil	Daniel Nestor Édouard Roger-Vasselin	3–6, 6–3, [10–6]
Winner	6.	October 25, 2015	Stockholm Open, Stockholm, Sweden	Hard (i)	Nicholas Monroe	Mate Pavić Michael Venus	7–5, 6–2
Runner-up	5.	November 8, 2015	Paris Masters, Paris, France	Hard (i)	Vasek Pospisil	Ivan Dodig Marcelo Melo	6–2, 3–6, [5–10]
Runner-up	6.	March 19, 2016	Indian Wells Masters, United States	Hard	Vasek Pospisil	Pierre-Hugues Herbert Nicolas Mahut	3–6, 6–7^(5–7)

Performance timeline

Key

W

F

SF

QF

R#

RR

Q#

A

P

Z#

PO

G

F-S

SF-B

NMS

NH

(W) Won tournament; reached (F) final, (SF) semifinal, (QF) quarterfinal; (R#) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; competed at a (RR) round-robin stage; reached a (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent from tournament; played in a (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; won a (G) gold, (F-S) silver or (SF-B) bronze Olympic medal; a (NMS) downgraded Masters Series/1000 tournament; or (NH) tournament not held.

To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated either at the conclusion of a tournament, or when the player's participation in the tournament has ended.

Current through the 2016 Mutua Madrid Open.

Singles

Tournament	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	SR	W–L	Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open	A	A	A	Q1	2R	A	2R	0 / 2	2–2	50%
French Open	A	A	A	2R	3R	4R		0 / 3	6–3	67%
Wimbledon	A	A	A	Q1	2R	1R		0 / 2	1–2	33%
US Open	1R	2R	3R	3R	1R	2R		0 / 6	6–6	50%
Win–Loss	0–1	1–1	2–1	3–2	4–4	4–3	1–1	0 / 13	15–13	54%
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
Indian Wells Masters	A	A	1R	1R	1R	4R	3R	0 / 5	4–5	44%
Miami Masters	Q1	1R	A	Q2	2R	3R	3R	0 / 4	4–4	50%
Monte Carlo Masters	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	0 / 0	0–0	0%
Madrid Masters	A	A	A	A	A	2R	3R	0 / 2	3–2	67%
Rome Masters	A	A	A	A	Q1	1R		0 / 1	0–1	0%
Canada Masters	A	A	A	Q2	2R	3R		0 / 2	3–2	60%
Cincinnati Masters	A	A	Q1	1R	1R	2R		0 / 3	1–3	25%
Shanghai Masters	A	A	A	Q2	3R	2R		0 / 2	3–2	60%
Paris Masters	A	A	A	A	2R	1R		0 / 2	1–2	33%
Win–Loss	0–0	0–1	0–1	0–2	5–6	10–8	2–2	0 / 21	19–21	48%
National representation
Davis Cup	A	A	A	A	A	PO	QF	0 / 0	2–1	67%
Career statistics
Titles / Finals	0 / 0	0 / 0	0 / 0	0 / 0	0 / 0	1 / 2	0 / 2	1 / 4		25%
Overall Win–Loss	0–1	1–2	5–7	10–13	27–20	35–18	10–7	88–68		56%
Year-end ranking	878	381	150	102	42	26		$ 2,073,053

Doubles

Tournament	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	SR	W–L	Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open	A	A	A	A	A	QF	0 / 1	2–1	67%
French Open	A	A	2R	3R	QF		0 / 3	6–3	67%
Wimbledon	A	A	A	W	3R		1 / 2	8–1	89%
US Open	1R	2R	1R	3R	1R		0 / 5	3–5	38%
Win–Loss	0–1	1–1	1–2	10–2	5–3	2–1	1 / 11	19–10	66%
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
Indian Wells Masters	A	A	A	A	W	F	1 / 2	9–1	90%
Miami Masters	1R	A	A	SF	F	1R	0 / 4	7–4	64%
Monte Carlo Masters	A	A	A	A	A	A	0 / 0	0–0	0%
Madrid Masters	A	A	A	A	QF		0 / 1	1–1	50%
Rome Masters	A	A	A	A	SF		0 / 1	3–1	75%
Canada Masters	A	A	A	1R	1R		0 / 2	0–1	0%
Cincinnati Masters	A	A	A	F	2R		0 / 2	4–2	67%
Shanghai Masters	A	A	A	2R	1R		0 / 2	0–2	0%
Paris Masters	A	A	A	2R	F		0 / 2	4–2	67%
Win–Loss	0–1	0–0	0–0	7–4	17–7	4–2	1 / 16	28–14	67%
Career statistics
Titles / Finals	0 / 0	0 / 0	1 / 2	2 / 4	3 / 5	0 / 1	6 / 12		50%
Overall Win–Loss	0–3	2–4	10–6	25–11	30–13	6–4	73–41		64%
Year-end ranking	370	168	101	15	19		$ 1,077,231

Wins over top 10 players

#	Player	Rank	Event	Surface	Rd	Score
2014
1.	Kei Nishikori	6	Shanghai, China	Hard	2R	7–6^(7–5), 6–4
2016
2.	David Ferrer	8	ASB Classic, Auckland, New Zealand	Hard	SF	3–6, 6–1, 6–2

References

1. "Jack Sock". ATP World Tour.
2. "Wimbledon doubles champs Jack Sock, Vasek Pospisil focusing on singles at Citi Open". Washington Post.
3. http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/players/jack-sock/sm25/overview
4. American Closed ITF Championships 2008 Results ITF. Accessed September 9, 2011.
5. Activity – Jack Sock ITF. Accessed September 9, 2011.
6. Sock, Gavrilova win US Open junior titles SIFY News. 2010-13-09. Accessed September 9, 2011.
7. "Jack Sock 2009 Singles Activity". ATP. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
8. 2010 SONY ERICSSON OPEN SINGLES AND DOUBLES DRAWS Sony Ericsson Open. Accessed September 9, 2011.
9. SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS ATP RANKINGS HISTORY ATP. Accessed September 9, 2011.
10. The Decline of Weston Civilization Part I – The Final Weekend of the USA F3 Futures Challenger Tennis. February 2, 2011. Accessed September 9, 2011.
11. Roddick vs. Sock: Breaking It Down New York Times. September 3, 2011. Accessed September 9, 2011.
12. Melanie Oudin-Jack Sock reach final ESPN. August 9, 2011. Accessed September 9, 2011.
13. ATP – Coaching updates on Donald Young and Jack Sock TennisworldUSA. September 28, 2011. Accessed September 29, 2011
14. "Blake impressed by Sock; Querrey in Challengers". Tennis.com. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
15. "ITF Futures – Jack Sock wins second ITF title". Tennis World USA. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
16. "Hit with Robby Ginepri – Honolulu Challenger Conclusion". 10S Balls. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
17. "Almagro beats US teen Sock in US Open 3rd round". Retrieved September 1, 2012.
18. "Sock falls in Champaign Challenger final". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
19. "Jack Sock re-emerges with Memphis run". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
20. Oddo, Chris. "Lopez's 300th Win Knocks Sock out of Memphis". Retrieved February 24, 2013.
21. "B.Bryan/M.Bryan – J.Blake/J.Sock Match Result". Tennis Databank. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
22. http://www.startribune.com/sports/209636731.html
23. Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images. "Daily Bagel: Jack Sock to miss Australian Open due to hip surgery". SI.com.
24. "2015 Mutua Madrid Open Draw and Results". ATP World Tour. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
25. "Bautista Agut wins ASB Classic when Sock retires". ESPN. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
26. http://www.eurosport.co.uk/tennis/jack-socks-sportsmanship-stuns-leyton-hewitt_sto5049687/story.shtml
27. http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/a-great-sporting-moment-at-the-tennis-between-lleytonhewitt-and-jack-sock-20160107-gm1oda.html
28. http://www.memphistennis.com/news/story-150

External links

• Jack Sock at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Jack Sock at the International Tennis Federation
• Jack Sock at the International Tennis Federation Junior Profile