News

 

 

 

Well, I’ve been able to grind out two more matches.  I’m pumped to be able to play in a Grand Slam final.  My quarters match was tough because my opponent hit a flat ball that got on me fast.  It took a while to adjust but after a while I thought that I did a decent job of returning the pace with a little more movement of the ball. 

 

I felt like my movement during the match was really good and helped me to eventually control the point.  I don’t know if he served as well as he could.  I got some good looks at his second serve which allowed me to eventually break.  He is a very good player.  I’m sure that won’t be the last time we compete against one another. 

 

My semis match was the best I’ve felt over the last two weeks.  I’ve found a good rhythm on my serve and feel very confident in my return.  My opponent had won Junior Wimbledon earlier in the summer and was poised to win his second slam of the summer.  He has the ability to hit most shots from anywhere on the court. 

 

I was fortunate today to serve well and have really good depth and movement on my ground strokes.  This kept me in control of many of the points.  I felt really comfortable on the court today.  Everything seemed like it was moving at a slower pace.   I thought I made my best shot choices of the tournament.  My coach was very complimentary of my poise, mental toughness and match management.  It was a good match to play leading into the final.  He is another player that I’m sure that I will battle many times in the future. 

 

Another cool part of the day was that Novak Djokovic and I warmed up again.  Today was a little different.  It felt more serious.  There wasn’t as much talking and he didn’t miss a ball in the warm-up until we were 20 minutes into it.  His ball is so clean and his movement is scary.  If you watched him play today you saw what I mean.  I was at his match against Federer -- unbelievable.  Both of the guys are ripping the ball, down match points.  I guess that’s what makes them the best in the world.  I can’t imagine the final Sunday. 

 

Tomorrow will be a fun day for Denis and I.  I’m sure that we are both excited.  As always we will both battle.  It’s awesome that two Americans are there at the end.  I’m shutting it down for the evening. 

 

And yes, I did eat at Chipotle again.  We are all on a first name basis.  Win or lose I will have to stop by and let them know the outcome.  I think that they are into it.

 

 

Well, since my last blog I have been able to win two singles matches.  In my round of 32 match I got off to a quick start.  I felt like I was controlling most of the points and was able to finish inside the court.  As the match went on, my opponent started to serve better and was controlling more of the points.  We had a good battle in the second set but fortunately for me I was able to hang on to win the set. 

 

Today I got to play on one of the stadium courts, Louis Armstrong.  I had played there last year in the third round but this year it felt different.  Probably because last year I was kind of clueless about everything and didn’t realize how neat it was to be able to play there.   It was windy out there which made hitting a clean ball difficult.  It’s also a different look playing in a large stadium.  It takes a while to pick up the ball like I normally would.  My opponent was a very good player.  I thought that he managed the wind well and had very good control of the ball.  I don’t think that my coach was pleased with some of my tactics.  But we were both impressed with the way that my opponent played.  He had a very good feel for what he was doing.  He was able to dictate lots of the match.  I think that I did a fairly good job of forcing the play at the right time. 

 

During the entire tournament I have started strong and then gotten away from the game plan.  I need to stay with the plan better.  I was fortunate that this was a two set match.  We lost a tough one in the quarters of the doubles tonight.  It went to a match tie-breaker for the third.  The team we played was very solid and I’m sure will be a tough out the rest of the way. 

Like every day, I will eat a continental breakfast at the hotel, stretch/warm-up for one hour, take a shower/change, have another meal, review the game plan and get my mind prepared to compete.  After every match there is a cool down bike ride, stretch, sometimes a little treatment, shower and then dinner at Chipotle.  I try and finish some homework and then get to bed early. 

 

Every day I am really excited to get to the site.  Win or lose I know that I am prepared and just have to focus on competing.  Everyone left in the tournament can win.  They are all good players.  It’s a challenge to see who can execute under pressure.  Interacting with all these great pros makes you want to get after it.  I’m sure everyone feels the same way.  Tomorrow should be another war.

I haven’t had a chance to watch that much tennis at the Open.  I hope to be able to see some tomorrow.  The level of play is really amazing.  It’s very different to see it up close.  If you ever have the chance, it’s worth it.  I will also be able to spend a little more time with my family that made the trip.  Maybe we will even step out and change up the dinner plans.  I also want to go to Central Park.  There are lots of things that I would like to do tomorrow. 

I will keep you posted on all the happenings!

 

 

 

On Monday I played a very solid player from China.  I started quickly and was able to win the first set with two breaks.  The second also started well but he was able to raise his level.  He forced me to become impatient and I tried to hit through him instead of maneuvering the ball around the court.  He came up with some terrific passes on keys points.  I felt like he had settled down and I was a little tight.  The second set came down to a tie-breaker that I was fortunate to win 7-4. 

Today my doubles partner, Andrea Collarini, and I played the #2 seeds.  This was the first time that we had played together.  My partner has been playing well and we were able to get the "W".  For the last two years, my coach has spent lots of time explaining many doubles concepts to me.  I thought that I was decent at doubles but I really wasn’t.  I didn’t clearly understand the basics of the game.  I’m still learning but I feel like I now have a clue what I am supposed to be doing.  I feel like Andrea and I will be a tough out -- I hope so.

Since my last blog I have had several awesome workouts.  I have been able go to an amazing tennis complex/estate and hit with Novak Djokovic.  He and his team have been really friendly and informative with my coach and me.  The stories and advice are really interesting.  The ball comes off his racquet so cleanly.  My biggest serves he takes incredibly early.  He moves around the court like a cat.  We played a tie-breaker today for push-ups.  Guess who won?  Really?  He was all over me.  Surprise.  He told me that I didn’t have to do the push-ups because I had a match later.  Nice guy!  He is going to be a tough out.

Tomorrow I have another singles and doubles match.  I’ve been in New York now for two weeks but I feel like I gotten my second wind.  I’m rested and excited to play.  Every match will be a war but that’s what it should be at this level.  Good luck to the rest of the Americans tomorrow!

 

 

 

On Saturday my partner and I, Beatrice Capra, played in the mixed doubles competition.  We had to play the number four seeded team.  We got off to a very slow start and at one point I was just hoping that we could somehow be respectable. 

 

We had lost the first set quickly but luckily had a few things go our way and had a decent lead in the second.  I started to change my expectation, thinking that maybe we had a chance.  After my partner made a couple great returns to get a break and then a couple solid first volleys to hold serve, we won the second set. 

 

I would be lying if I didn’t admit that we were surprised by the position that we were in.  For the third set we played a match tie-breaker.  Again, my partner made a couple great returns, one that I cut off and we then had a 4-0 lead.  I had a volley that I should make to go up 7-3, but missed it.  At this point, the more experienced team went on a roll and won the breaker 10-7.  It felt good to turn things around and we would have liked to have won, but hopefully we will have another chance in the future.

 

The last several days have consisted of my best practices.  As I have said, I’m not supposed to name drop (so I won’t) but I have to say that three of the guys I’ve had the privilege of practicing with are still alive in the draw.  One had a huge win today, one wears Sergio Tacchini and the other is Regor Reredef-WOOPS!!!  Let’s keep this on the DL. 

 

One of the things that I’ve noticed is that all these players do the basics the best.  I’ve always been coached on the importance of caring about the little things and now I’ve seen that the best players in the world don’t overlook them.  Their ball watching, preparation, balance, racquet speed, footwork, positioning, etc., are awesome.  They all get up to and punish the short ball.  Their first serves all do damage.  If you hit any soft second serves they get pummeled.  I’ve gotten a quick education on many of the things that make a difference.  Being part of all this practice has highlighted what I need to work on.  Thank you to all the guys for including me.  I’m warming up ND tomorrow. I’m in big trouble.

 

Tomorrow, I start the junior event.  I am excited to compete again.  The draw looks tough and any match will be a major challenge.  Andrea Collarini and I have a tough one in doubles as well.  At this level they should all be dog fights.  I will keep you posted.

 

 

The Experience

I want to thank all of my friends and family for the support at my match yesterday.  Thank you for being in New York and being part of such a cool day.  I also want to thank everyone at home and on Facebook for the support.  It was an amazing feeling.

Congrats to Ryan Harrison, fellow American, for an incredible win yesterday.  He has taken it to the next level.  Also congrats to my mixed partner, Beatrice Capra, for her second round victory.  That’s amazing.  I hope that she will still play mixed with me.

Finally, I want to thank the USTA and Coach Berger for all the opportunities that they have given me.  I go to a public school and have certain scheduling issues.   Without their help I would not have been able to have this experience or many others.

As for the match, my opponent simply played better.  It was obvious that I had a nervous start and he was all over me.  The set got away from me very fast.  When I get tight my feet slow down -- it probably looked like I was in quicksand.  In the second set I started to settle down and had a much better feel for the ball and for the tempo of the point.  I was getting many more opportunities to attack.   I played one bad service game that I was up in and that cost me the set.   He stayed very solid and I got a little loose.  That’s all it takes at this level. 

 

In the third set all of a sudden I felt much more relaxed.  Probably because I knew that this was it and that I better start to do a better job of pressuring him.  My energy level improved, I picked up some momentum and then felt like I was somewhat controlling the points better.  I felt like I had good composure and poise and that I was concentrating on the right things.  I played a solid third set.  The fourth set showed my juniorness (I just made up that word) when I tried to play couple shots too big and got behind early.  He then showed his experience and never let me back into the match.  All in all, I thought that I did a decent job of competing.  I was surprised how badly I started the match.  But I was happy that I was able to come back and play at a higher level.  I hope to have another chance like this sooner than later.

Overall this experience has made me hungry to succeed at this level.  Today I am a peon at this tournament but I am extremely motivated to change this in the future.  As my coach says, you will have to earn your stripes at this level through hard work and overall preparation.   To be honest, doing the work every day without whining about it hasn’t been easy for me.  I love to compete but some of the daily grind has been something that I have struggled with.  It’s gotten easier over the summer and I’m at a point now where I actually get down on myself if I don’t get out of the comfort zone.  There is no shortcut to play like these guys. 

Since the match I have had some incredible hits.  Tomorrow I have a practice match scheduled for the early morning and then will practice again later in the day.  It’s a dream to be able to train with these players.  It has inspired me to work as hard as it takes to be part of this. 

Next up is the mixed doubles on Saturday and then the junior tournament starts.  I hope that I will have something to continue to blog about.

Jack 
 

 

 

 

The last two days I spent mainly playing sets.  I generally have breakfast at about 9:00, get a ride to the tennis center at 10ish and then start practice at 11:00.  It’s been awesome to continue to play against some of the best players in the world.  I’m not supposed to name drop -- I’m learning to be invisible and play the role of a rookie.   The rookie principle was explained to me by my coach in a very convincing tone of voice.  I’m continuing to learn about trying to be a professional.  I think that I have learned as much off the court as I have on the court.  I’ve realized this week that the pro tour is something that I really want to be part of some day.  I know that I have lots of work to do.

I am doing less fitness work as my match gets closer.  I’m also continuing to fuel my body with extra fluids and good food.  It’s gotten hot here.  I think that it’s going to be in the mid-nineties for the next couple days.   I found out today that I won’t play singles until Wednesday.  I also found out today that I got a wildcard into the mixed doubles with Beatrice Capra.  I’m really excited to be able to compete in another event. 

It’s been neat to be able to have my friends, family and academy buds here for the tournament.  We’ve been able to have some good meals together (Chipotle and this tight breakfast place) as well as just hang out.  I appreciate all the support that they have given me this week.  It should be fun to have them at the match on Wednesday.  I know that having them there will help.

Another cool part of this week has been being able to watch lots of great tennis.  I saw Taylor Dent win today.  His serve and touch are amazing.  I have been able to play with Taylor some this past year because he is married to Jenny (Hopkins) Dent, who my coached worked with for a long time.  Jenny was also a really good world class player.  Keep it going Taylor.

Tomorrow I will probably just have one longer hit.  It will mainly focus on playing points.  I will stretch several times and then try and rest my body.  There are several matches tomorrow with American guys and girls playing that I want to check out.  Best of luck to all!  I will have several racquets strung.  The tension always seems perfect here.  Finally, I might have a massage before I head back to the hotel.  I should know when I play by later in the day and will then set the schedule for Wednesday.  I will be in bed early.

This week is more than I could have imagined.  I’m excited to compete! 

 

 

Lots to Learn

My basic day now consists of two hits a day, several warm ups and cool downs, lots of stretching, a gym session and yes, homework.  It’s true!  I also really try and fuel my body with lots of fluids and certain types of foods that I feel give me the most energy.  I have never played past three sets.  If I were to have to play longer than that I know that I better have taken care of my body.  It’s also getting warmer here, although I’m fairly used to that, but I understand what can happen if you aren’t prepared.

On Friday I played with one of the best juniors in the world and then worked out with a South American player.  You realize quickly why these players are at this level.  They play big and they don’t miss much.  There is also such a high level of professionalism out here.  Even though my coach has discussed many of these things, it has really helped to see it right in front of me.  I have a lot of room to improve in this area -- stay tuned.  ALL the little things are important.  Friday was also the player party.  I had a fun time getting to go with some of my friends.  Hopefully, we will all make it back to one of those parties.

Saturday was Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day.  I got to work the Nike court as well as a couple others.  I played short-court points with hundreds of kids.  Some of them were pretty darn good.  It was funny to see that several really wanted to beat me.  I definitely got pegged multiple times.  It was a fun day for the kids.  Back in the day, I would have wanted to be there forever.

My training on Saturday started with a valuable lesson about being a professional: If you don’t have your mind ready to go right from the first point, you will get your butt kicked.  That’s what happened when one of the American guys tuned me up.  I felt bad that I didn’t even give him a good workout.  I don’t think that I want to learn that lesson again anytime soon if I can help it.  Needless to say, my energy level was different during the second hit.  I got to play with a French player that hit as clean a ball as I ever had the opportunity to play against.  He literally could hit a winner from anywhere on the court.  I hit what I thought were a couple decent second serves and he roped them past me.  He ripped a lot of balls past me but I felt much more together out there.  I’m getting pumped to play!

I found out that I won’t play until Tuesday or Wednesday.  So I will continue practicing and preparing. I’m headed out to a little breakfast place and then off to the tennis center. 

See you later,

Jack

 

 

 

Hello again from NY.  I arrived Wednesday after my connecting flight In Philadelphia was cancelled and my coach had to come and get me.  It rained most of the day in NY so there wasn’t any hitting.  I did get to attend Nike event in the evening that was amazing.  Federer, Nadal, Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka were some of the pros that were there. 

Today started early because I needed to get to the tennis center and get situated.  It was a crazy feeling to walk into the locker room and get a locker right by Federer -- his had his name on it.  How cool is that?  I had an opportunity to hit with Sam Querrey today and had a couple gym workouts with Coach Wolf as well.  A couple things that are obvious at this level are that the serve is moving at a different pace and anything you leave short is going to get cleaned up.  You also aren’t going to get many free points.  I’ve really learned a lot hitting with these guys.  So much can get done with good focus and intensity.  

I noticed a couple other things that I thought were important.  The fitness level of the players is scary and movement around the court is something that constantly needs work.  The ball gets hit all over the entire court with pace, depth and angles.  I now understand how important all the arms up, interval bike sprints, countless foot drills really are.

I found out the draw today.  I play a Swiss player by the name of Marco Chiudinelli.  I’m really excited to compete and see what I can do. 

My day ended with a trip to the Nike distribution office.  It was Christmas come early.  We got all our new gear and it is beyond cool.  Thank you Nike -- you rock!

One of the neatest things here is that you see so many people that you don’t normally see.  Since you have the men, women, pros and juniors you run into everyone.  My coach and I have met up with a lot of people in just the first two days.  Tomorrow many of my Kansas City friends arrive (lets go Foto!) and Saturday my family starts getting to town.  I’m excited that so many have been able to make the trip!

I have an early start again tomorrow.  I plan on getting two hits in along with one lighter gym workout.  I might also hit some extra serves and returns.  There is the player party tomorrow that I plan on going to.  After that it will be lights out and back at it Saturday.

See you later,

Jack
 

 

 

 

Hey everybody, this is Jack Sock reporting before leaving for the US Open. A quick shout out to my parents, brother, coach and friends for all the support that they have given me over the years. I wouldn’t have been able to realize this life-long dream, playing in a Grand Slam, without all that they have given me. Thank you!

Several years ago Coach Wolf told me that I was capable of getting to this level if I would do the work.  It’s hard to believe that it’s right in front of me.  When I was playing In Kalamazoo, Michigan at the Boy’s Hard Court Championships last week my dream came true.  To be honest, I was lucky to win the tournament.  Justin Rossi had me beat in the third round, and Daniel Kosakowski had me more than beaten (two match points against) in the quarters.  I believe that you make your own breaks, and I had never prepared better, but I was definitely in the right place at the right time.

I felt going into the tournament that I was ready to go.  I knew what I had put myself through and believed that I was ready to battle.  Things took a quick turn for the worse.  After the Rossi match, I spent 4-5 hours in the emergency room with cramps and dehydration.  That night I took in a couple bags of fluids and began drinking ridiculous amounts of everything.  I played the next couple matches hoping that I wouldn’t get that feeling again.  The plan we put together with the crazy diet, tons of fluids, my on court routines and the post and pre-match deal was working.  I felt like I was gaining strength every day.

What I remember thinking toward the end of the tournament was that I had dodged a bullet, or two, and now had a chance to compete for the opportunity to play in the main draw at the US Open.  That pushed me to the next level.  Like I said earlier, Kosakowski had me but I got through it.  At that point, I felt like I was going to get my chance.

I definitely went on to play my best tennis on the last two days.  I felt like I was seeing the ball really well and had a good feel for what I was supposed to be doing.  I wasn’t under pressure anymore.  I was just excited to compete.  The feeling I had when I won the last point made all the work and sacrifice seem worth it.

Since the tournament ended, my training and intensity has improved.  I feel even better prepared to compete in NY.  I’m excited to get there tomorrow and will keep you posted.