It had been a few years since we lost track of Jack Sock. The former world number 8 suffered a drop in performance, confidence and ranking, which led him to move away from the top 200 and disappear from the big stages, the Grand Slams tournaments. However, something has changed this season, where he opens a new coach and in which he boasts a marriage alliance dated for next December. The Nebraska man is happy and it shows on the court. This Wednesday Dominic Thiem will test your smile on your second round crossover in Roland Garros, where the North American will have nothing to lose but much to prove.
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– A unique 2020
“It has been a very difficult year for everyone. I think that at the beginning of the course I played a good level of tennis in some Challengers, in fact I had two wildcards for Indian Wells and Miami. Unfortunately the pandemic arrived and left us out. In this sense it is quite similar to my last year, although it was due to different circumstances. On the other hand, being so many months away from the circuit has allowed me to allocate much more time for my fiancée and to design our wedding for next December. I have been able to find positive aspects to this new reality ”.
– Dominic Thiem, his rival in the second round
“Well, I have heard that he is a great player on clay, even that a few weeks ago in New York he did not do badly. I think he is called to be the new king of clay after Nadal. He loves this place, he loves to play here, and he probably comes from playing the best tennis of his life, which has helped him win his first Grand Slam. On the other hand, I think that I am also a good player, I must stick to my virtues, become strong with my games at the service, control everything that passes through my racket. If he’s able to do everything right from his side, move me from side to side and control every point, then it won’t be a good day for me. I have to focus on my things to have a chance ”.
– Controversy with the new Wilson balls
“I am probably the last person to answer on this topic. Throughout my career I have never been overly stressed by the type of ball or the type of court that I have encountered, unless it is an extremely fast track where you cannot play tennis. Regarding the new balls, it is true that they are a little heavier, just as people say. I also tell you that, if you give me different balls, I can’t tell you which is heavier or lighter, I’ll just go out there and start playing. I have my own style, I love playing clay so I don’t worry too much about this. The guys say they notice the difference a lot, most hit with a lot of topspin, so now the points will be longer, although I’m not sure either ”.
– Low performance and doubts about its future
“When you hit the top 10 and suddenly stop winning matches at the highest level for the first time in your career, confidence breaks down, it’s like a new path opens up. I’ve always been a very confident player, I think I always played great tennis, I competed against any player out there. Seeing yourself one day unable to win games, without confidence in your shots and losing against anyone turns everything into a different scenario. My new coach has worked a lot on this aspect based on training, playing with other people, focusing all responsibility on the player. Right now I feel a confidence that I hadn’t had for a long time ”.
– Good performance in the US Open, beating Cuevas in the first round
“For me it was a relief, although I didn’t need to win the game. Obviously, winning the game was great, even losing the fifth set I would have been happy, the triumph was in exposing myself on a stage like this at a high level, showing certain things to all the people who doubted me, surely that game made them change their minds. It’s nice to have silenced a good bunch of haters after such a rough couple of years, I’ve had to read and listen to too much. I am ready to return to the place where I was, that people see that I have returned, I feel good. I’m finally playing well again, I’m doing things well and I can compete with anyone ”.
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