In some positive news for tennis fans, former top 10 player Jack Sock has finally won his first official singles match since November 2018.
Delray Beach again proved to be the lucky charm for the American. He defeated defending champion Radu Albot 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2). The event has some good memories for Sock as he’s won it in 2017.
After his victory, Sock broke down into tears as he struggled through the match, gaining the edge in the third set tiebreak. From a guy who is known to be reserved after his victories, this came as a pleasant surprise. It also gave us a peek into his mountain of emotions after the disastrous period of his career.
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Through tears, Sock explained that he was close to quitting tennis. Post this, he thanked his current coach Alex Bogomolov Jr and his fiancee. He also joked that this was their first win as a couple.
His fall from grace came as a tough pill to swallow for his newly cultivated legion of fans after he achieved a career-high ranking of No 8 in November 2017. It was no mean feat. He got through some tough matches to get to the top of the mountain. The American made it to the year-ending ATP Finals and reached the semis. There, he fell to the eventual champion Grigor Dimitrov. However, his moments of success came when he beat Roger Federer, Marin Cilic and Alexander Zverev in the process.
However, how did his downfall start? Let’s take a rewind of two years.
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2018 was an abysmal year for Sock. His win-loss record stands at 9-21 in that year. The American lost 14 first-round matches and fell outside the top 100 by the end of 2018.
The year 2019 was not better; it was worse rather. He lost in the first round of the Australian Open. Worst still, he tore two ligaments in his right thumb during a gym workout. After getting surgery, he had to miss half the year.
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With renewed hope, Sock returned. However, things weren’t getting better as he went on to lose seven first-round matches. In his last two matches, he retired because of back issues. Wild card after wild card, hopes started getting dim. He began 2020 without a ranking.
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However, he didn’t lose hope and took another wildcard at the New York Open. That didn’t work out as he lost to compatriot Marcos Giron in the first set.
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At Delray Beach, it was another event and another wildcard. With all the context, this win becomes very special for Sock. His next challenge will be his countryman Steve Johnson.
Do you think Jack Sock can finally pull off a comeback?