by Andrew Eichenholz
Jack Sock faced an uphill battle when he opened his 2015 campaign this week at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. He underwent hip surgery in the offseason, pushing back his start to the season past the Australian Open.
The bigger fight, however, has been overcoming the emotions that he faced in supporting his brother Eric’s war with Lemierre’s syndrome, leaving Jack in shock at his bedside in the darkest of times, when tennis was a distant memory.
“Praying for my bro Eric. [He’s] been in ICU on life support since Fri w/bi-lateral pneumonia,” the younger Sock tweeted to the world on Jan. 21, disclosing the complications of Lemierre’s. “Love this guy.”
It is that love that has pushed Sock through what has visibly been an emotional week for the 22-year old Nebraskan. Where others would struggle in a return from surgery, Sock has flourished.
Perhaps love for his now-healthy brother is not all that has become apparent to the tennis community. The man wielding one of the biggest forehands on tour has shown that he loves the sport.
In the past, Sock has chastised himself for errors and shown disappointment throughout tournaments and matches. In his return to match play, he has looked like he is having fun on the court, and it shows.
“When you’re out there and you get frustrated missing a ball or whatever it is, you can kind of think he’s been through, almost not making it to a kind of miraculous recovery,” Sock told ATPWorldTour.com. “Kind of puts things in perspective. Just go out there and enjoy it.”
Everyone who has watched Sock’s performance so far at a high-level ATP Masters 1000 event can see that he is doing just that.
Against Yen-Hsun Lu, Gilles Muller and Roberto Bautista Agut, the fifth-ranked American fell behind by a set. He had every reason to let it go and head home with his brother to spend time with his family. Instead, he has fought back.
Instead of screaming in anguish as Sock neared defeat, he yelled in excitement as he worked his way back into matches. Each and every time, he found a way to win.
Perhaps it is time for young guns Nick Kyrgios, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Borna Coric to slide over and make some room on the arrow that is heading to the top of the men’s tour.
A Jack Sock that is having fun while playing, hitting out on the ball and going after it, is an extremely dangerous player. A Tennis Channel graphic showed that while everyone fears the daunting spin and pace of Rafael Nadal’s forehand, Sock actually rips it anymore. When in rhythm, his serve is not fun to deal with, either. Put that all together, and the great start to the tennis season for American tennis could get even better, with the return of arguably the nation’s biggest talent.
It is safe to say, however, that the accolades and recognition for his performance this week will not mean much to the youngster. Making his brother Eric proud will.
