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Sock Flashback in Miami: I Don’t Need A New Coaching Voice
77 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Bios
At the Miami Open this year, the day before his showdown with Rafael Nadal, I asked Jack Sock if he felt secure with Troy Hahn as his coach or if he needed to add a new coach, a new voice, who has experience at the ATP World Tour level. Here is the exchange…
Q. You’re obviously really close to beating those top guys. Do you think you’re ready to do it right now, or do you think you might need a little extra advice from maybe some kind of coach who really knows exactly what it takes to beat those guys?
JACK SOCK: I think it’s there. I’ve had chances in the past against some of those guys. No, I don’t think I need any more time. I think I’m ready to beat them.
I think it takes a great match obviously on my end. That’s where their experience kicks in. What I’m trying to do with some of the younger guys now, they’ve been doing it for ten plus years now – a lot of them.
Experience definitely is an advantage for them in some of those situations were tennis-wise I think I’m definitely ready to beat them.
——————
Of course, Sock was wrong as he lost to Nadal in straight sets in Miami and again on red clay in Rome. Sock also lost yesterday to Jiri Vesely in straight sets and is out of Roland Garros. Clearly, Sock miscalculated his capacity and now the question looms again. Is it time for Sock to make a coaching change – or at least keep Troy Hahn and add a co-coach, such as a former player who has played and beaten some of today’s top ten ATP standouts, with James Blake, Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick being the most worthy candidates of being added to Team Sock.
Is Sock’s loyalty and devotion to Hahn stifling his career and his progress as a professional player? Does Hahn really know what it takes to strategize against players well beyond his own playing level?
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« Previous 1 2Andrew Miller · June 1, 2017 at 7:42 pm
Cornet is playing well. Svitolina proving she has the chops too. Nice to see Svitolina showing her Halep win was no fluke.
Scoop Malinowski · June 1, 2017 at 9:59 pm
Dan; you can "see Anderson winning the French Open if he didn't have to play Rafa?" Did he look that good today beating Nick? Or you been drinking tonight? 🙂
Scoop Malinowski · June 1, 2017 at 10:01 pm
Korda got to 2 in the world and was very close to being 1. Great player who could battle tooth and nail with Pete Sampras and all the elites of that era. He also won a doubles major. Yes I would call Petr Korda a legend. And I highly doubt he was the only top player of that era to use a PED.
Scoop Malinowski · June 1, 2017 at 10:04 pm
Love Cornet when she starts with her basket case and fake injury routines. What a diva! She needs to give Raonic some of her emotional energy. Svitolina is a warrior. Ever since she was 18 and down 60 51 to Larcher De Brito at US Open qualies and then fought back to win I knew this girl was very special.
Andrew Miller · June 2, 2017 at 12:31 am
Korda, legend. NO. Scoop, Korda? ped user? Robbed Rios of a slam?
No, no, no.
And this is coming from me, I liked Korda’s game. But I noticed how he became stronger and stronger and how to me it was mystifying. He was known for hit flat, hard shots, but he had no right to be there. And when it was discovered he was using performance enhancing drugs that did it
Much worse than Sharapova, who I think was just stupid. No this was Korda.
catherine · June 2, 2017 at 2:57 am
I remember Korda and how shocked everyone was. First big tennis doping scandal. And yes, I bet quite a few players flushed away their PEDs just in time – Sharapova not in that class.
And somehow she’s getting all the mud slung at her and Korda’s now a ‘legend’ ?
catherine · June 2, 2017 at 2:59 am
And at RG Simona in cruise control 🙂
Dan Markowitz · June 2, 2017 at 5:37 am
Well, of course, I’ve been drinking Scoop, but I like the way KevAnd goes about his business. He lost a total of two games in the last two sets against Kyrgios, who by the way has exited his second slam in a row in the second round. KevAnd is a handful. Do I think KevAnd could beat the next three opponents in his way and reach the semis (Edmund, Cilic and Murray), yes I do.
Scoop Malinowski · June 2, 2017 at 8:33 am
Catherine; Sharapova is twice the legend that Korda is. But she got caught with her hand in the cookie jar and her legacy will forever be tainted by it.
Scoop Malinowski · June 2, 2017 at 8:36 am
Andrew: I spoke with Korda last month about possibly playing an exo with Rios for the 10 yr anniversary of their Aus Open final and he was dead set against it. He does not like Rios for trying to start that campaign last year to strip Korda of his title and he added that he knows a lot of very bad dirt on Rios and named one particular ugly incident that I had not heard about. Perhaps Rios dropped that campaign because of fear of Korda's retaliation of mud slinging.
Chazz · June 2, 2017 at 8:37 am
Dan, Anderson has been playing really well the last month or so. He hits with so much power. I think he had 21 aces against Kyrgios. I think he will beat Edmund but Cilic is also playing really well right now so that will be a huge challenge for Anderson.
Scoop Malinowski · June 2, 2017 at 8:39 am
Dan their is zero artistry or elegance to the Anderson game and those are your preferred criteria when selecting your favorites. This is quite odd for you to suddenly take a liking to Anderson's play style after all these years of leaving him off your radar.
catherine · June 2, 2017 at 8:49 am
Scoop – Korda v Rios ? Tennis can be such a squalid sport.
jg · June 2, 2017 at 8:51 am
I remember Dan complimenting Anderson in Delray a few years back
Andrew Miller · June 2, 2017 at 9:07 am
Korda is a good guy and hates Rios and therefore is a legend? Scoop, this is a bad rabbit hole for us all. McEnroe wasn’t warm and fuzzy either and he loves Rios. I couldn’t get Rios to talk to me when I told him he’s my favorite player.
So what.
Korda doped. Significantly. As he rose to #2. He deserves nothing for that period. If Rios was going to lose anyway for nerves it should have been against a clean opponent.
Sorry. This argument doesn’t fly, that because Rios is a first class jerk a la McEnroe and Nastase therefore Korda who beat him while doped up is a legend.
Korda is no legend. He is the lefty who doped in a slam against a lefty who didn’t, and he cheated many others out of either wins or hard fought losses.
Shame.
Andrew Miller · June 2, 2017 at 9:10 am
Onwards. Stosur having a nice tournament, following up her clay win a week ago on one of my favorite gamers Gavrilova. I thought Stosur was looking burnt out but here she is making a big go of it.
Good job Stosur!
Scoop Malinowski · June 2, 2017 at 9:19 am
Andrew: I saw Korda play a lot and this guy was a helluva player. I saw Korda beat Pete and many other great players. He was a great player and I highly doubt the ONLY top player who used PEDs in his era. He probably got caught and exposed because he was a lesser star. As Rios told us "If Agassi or Sampras ever tested positive for nandrolone you guys in the media will never hear about it because they're too important to the tour." Jonas Bjorkman also said: "I have heard of cases of the ITF covering up positive tests." Korda got caught – yes. Was he the only star player to get caught? Fat chance.
Scoop Malinowski · June 2, 2017 at 9:20 am
Jg:You have a good memory. Do you also remember what you got on that math quiz in seventh grade? 🙂
catherine · June 2, 2017 at 9:35 am
Stosur an example of a player who hit a big slump a while back and I thought she should retire, but she didn’t and now – good on her, as they say.
Angelique, are you listening ?
Never give up hope.
Chazz · June 2, 2017 at 9:49 am
Tough loss for Shelby Rogers. She was up 5-2 in the 3rd on Mladenovic and lost it from that point on.
Goffin had to retire because of injury, lucky break for Zeballos.
Scoop Malinowski · June 2, 2017 at 9:55 am
Did Kiki do it fairly today or were there Kikinanigans involved again? Goffin's injury was tragic. That tarp was the same color as the clay and it looked like camouflage. It should be colored differently to contrast against the color of the court surface.
britbox · June 2, 2017 at 10:57 am
Well, we know the ITF gave Andre a pass on the failed Meth test. I doubt he was the only one.
Hartt · June 2, 2017 at 11:03 am
Thiem played a very good match against Johnson, who played pretty well himself. Dominic had 10 aces and 45 winners to 19 UFEs in his SS win.
I am not saying that Dominic will have anything like Rafa’s career but think he will be a worthy successor on the clay when Rafa is ready to hand over the mantle.
Chazz · June 2, 2017 at 11:27 am
Schwartzman! Love this guy’s game. First time watching him play. He is very aggressive and mixes in excellent drop shots. Up two sets to one on Djokovic.
Scoop Malinowski · June 2, 2017 at 3:12 pm
Good point Britbox. Although Agassi did have that one very late pullout in Australia the day before and Gilbert didn't even know about it. That one was fishy. Also the time Pete pulled out of US Open very late after practicing at the Natl Tennis Center, the year he did the big Charlie Rose interview which we never got to see after he withdrew Rose decided to not air the interview. Both of those withdrawals seemed curious.
Scoop Malinowski · June 2, 2017 at 3:18 pm
Chazz; Schwartzman first appeared on the tennis scene about four years ago he played a night match on Ashe Stadium vs a top seed and he's progressed nicely ever since. Clearly he has something special. TO beat Dimitrov in the Istanbul final last year from a deep hole was heroic. He has a lot of valuable wins like that. He crushed Ferrer in Miami this year. He's played three quality matches vs Federer. Diego Schwartzman is an incredible player.
Andrew Miller · June 2, 2017 at 3:32 pm
Korda doped. I’m not talking about his clean stroke production or lovely cartwheels. It was nandrolone not meth that he used, straight up anabolic steroid. Not even mild meldonium. He was found in violation of the itf anti doping program with his suspension upheld, showing they doubted his claim he had no idea he was taking them.
Korda doped. Same year as his slam. Then retired soon thereafter as a digrace who will never, ever be in the hall of fame because he doesn’t deserve it.