Tennis Prose




Jun/22

8

Sock Hires New Coach

Jack Sock is no longer working with his coach for over three years Alex Bogomolov. According to the ATP site Sock profile page, the 29 year old American ranked 110 in singles is now being coached by Robby Ginepri.

Sock, the winner of four ATP singles titles, was once ranked no. 8 in the world (2017).

The 40 year old Ginepri won three ATP singles titles in his career and was ranked no. 15. His best Grand Slam result was 2005 US Open semifinals, where he lost to Andre Agassi in five sets.

Though their careers overlapped and they did play in several of the same ATP touraments, they only met on court once and that was in 2013 at Miami Open qualies, won by Ginepri 64 64.

Ginepri’s last ATP match was while ranked 561 at 2015 Washington DC qualies vs. Yoshihito Nishioka, a 46 63 63 loss. Since ending his playing career, “Gineps” has coached at his own academy in Georgia and he also coached Frances Tiafoe to some of the best results of his career. Ginepri also holds the distinction of being the first ATP player to wear a sleeveless shirt at Wimbledon (2003).

Sock is aiming to return to the top 100 after five years of inconsisent results. This week he is competing at the ATP Nottingham Challenger where he won his first round match vs Germany’s Henri Squire 62 76,

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24 comments

  • MATT SEGEL · June 8, 2022 at 2:03 pm

    Thanks for the update. JS as really fallen off the map. He fits my theory of big bodies (Raonic, Tsonga, Del Po, etc) not holding up as well in tennis.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 8, 2022 at 4:14 pm

    Matt, Sock is at 110 now and just a hot month from being elite top 50 again. I think he needed a chance, Bogomolov has been a loyal friend and coach for three-four years but Sock’s results didn’t earn much money to pay him and his ranking didn’t improve to what they hoped (top ten again). Sock is playing well in the matches I saw, he’s just not winning like he used to. It’s been the same pattern for three years. Working hard, playing well but maybe the game passed him by?

  • ma · June 9, 2022 at 8:12 am

    Scoop,

    Do you think fitness is the issue? By fitness I mean endurance. I remember when he played Federer at Indian Wells a few years ago he came out gangbusters, but Fed just kind of rallied him to the point he was tired and then turned the screws. Speed and endurance and even flexibility seem to be very important in the pro game today.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 9, 2022 at 9:26 am

    No it’s not fitness, Sock is in great shape. The problem IMO is he chokes now. He can put himself in the winning position vs top players like Tsitsipas and others, mini break up in third set tiebreaker but he squanders those leads and loses. He got blown out by Fritz. Then against lower ranked and unknown competition he goes life and death. But when you look at Sock play he looks great, he is moving incredibly well. For some reason the results are just not coming. And I think he’s mystified by it. I find it mystifying too.

  • MATT SEGEL · June 9, 2022 at 9:55 am

    Well the fall he experienced was pretty epic and I am sure was very tough to deal with. Perhaps he has lost some inner belief which shows up at the key moments. Sport is tough business. Remember when Rafa lost his confidence for a year? I hope he gets it back, he’s still young enough to have a good few years left.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 9, 2022 at 11:25 am

    Matt, Sock believes and a year ago he said he believes he can be top ten again. But the results over the last year may have dampened his hopes, but as we know all it takes is that sudden spark and hot streak, as Raducanu proved.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 9, 2022 at 12:40 pm

    Sock and Pouille lost in doubles today to JP Smith and Ramanathan 76 67 6-10. Sock losing to average journeymen doubles players is surprising.

  • chris · June 17, 2022 at 7:09 pm

    I’ve been following sock since his us open debut as a high schooler. I kinda agree with Scoop that Sock’s lack of progress has less to do with his fitness. I think it’s more mental and confidence. In practically every set or match he’s been in a winning position, e.g. up a break. But for some reason, he seems to let his foot off the gas. I’ve seen him lose a crucial game where he’s got two set points and break points at 15-40, has set up the point beautifully where opponent hits a defensive shot to sock’s bh side and is out of position. You want sock to step around, like he usually does, to blast an inside out fh for a winner, game and set. Instead, he decides to try his 2hbh — and he misses it in the net. That to me is a mental mistake. He ended up losing that set and the match. Also, he seems to complain so much about line calls, that are very close. SOmeone should remind him that balls that land on the line are in. Sure some line calls will be wrong, but he seems to have a bad attitude on court, like he’s entitled to every close call on his side — instead of just accepting some calls are bad but focus on the fight. All that said, his latest grass season run seems to be headed in the right direction.

  • chris · June 17, 2022 at 7:13 pm

    Also, in regards to jack sock’s fitness. For a while, sock had employed mardy fish’s ex fitness trainer, who helped fish improve his diet and slim down. I was kinda hoping he would do the same. This is totally subjective opinion, but from what i see on his ig feed, he seems to be eating a lot of tastey foods, e.g. bbq, that a more disciplined / dedicated professional would probably steer clear of. Again, just a subjective opinion. i could be totally wrong here. Just would like to see him lose some weight. Would make it easier for him to run around bh’s.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 17, 2022 at 7:35 pm

    Agree Chris. He has the arsenal to be a monster. But he gets silly sometimes. Houston final early in his career, Monaco calls a fake injury timeout in third set, Sock got really bothered by it, complaining it was a fake move and fumbled away the match. Instead of getting angry and taking it out on Monaco. He like you say, seems to focus on the wrong things in crunch time, line calls, whatever. If he can fix his mind better and become more of a ruthless vicious killer, he can be top ten again. But he’s a nice guy. Twice I’ve seen him overrule umpires calls and give points/games to the opponent, once vs Hewitt in Hopman Cup. Few players do that. He’s a really good guy, maybe needs to be meaner on court.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 17, 2022 at 7:44 pm

    Chris, right again, Sock has an okay diet and nutrition, said he loves Chipotle which is good not great. I saw him last year in Newport at the very good Italian restaurant which has great pizza but a top player eats better and smarter than that. I didn’t see what he got but it’s not the kind of food a machine champion would eat after a tough win.

  • chris · June 18, 2022 at 8:42 am

    yaup. I wonder if his coaches know these issues but aren’t willing to confront him on them. About the jack sock sportsman thing though. That to me is a total farce. Hopman cup was an exhibition event, with nothing on the line. Players are always friendly and good sportsman under those circumstances, even the biggest a*holes on the tour. The true test of character comes under fire. For example, I’ve seen plenty of matches where he is a total jerk to line judges and chair umpires. In my view, a top sportsman wouldn’t act in that regard. But I guess the only really valid opinion is that of his opponents.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 19, 2022 at 8:45 am

    Chris, Yes most coaches will be afraid to speak the truth to a player who pays the bills, Sock is a good sport though. Hopman Cup was a serious competition, far more than just an exo though for some reason it had the false rep as being just an exo. Sock also overruled the umpire and linesman call this year at Sarasota Open Challenger in a tight match vs Christian Harrison which I witnessed live. Important match and he was 0-1 career vs C Harrison. Sure Sock can get crabby and sarcastic and annoyed on court and express it but he is a top sportsman IMO.

  • chris · June 20, 2022 at 1:09 am

    i guess we’ll have to agree to disagree — on js’s sportsmanship. Perhaps everyone has their good and bad moments — and should be judged on a body of work. I watched all his matches this week at a london challenger. He was clearly mocking the grunting of his semifinal opponent — by sarcastically exaggerating his own grunts. And in the finals, the judge asked him to stop making out calls on his side before the line judge makes a call — assumably so that he doesn’t try to influence their decision. Really though, I just wish sock would focus his energy and attention on the fight at hand. Can you imagine if he had the attitude of a david ferer? let’s see how he does at wimby!

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 20, 2022 at 7:59 am

    Chris, knowing Sock’s competitive style I would guess Sock believed Bergs was intentionally varying his grunts to annoy him. I have read comments on this final and one fan said Bergs does not usually grunt that way and so he was doing it to irritate Sock and Sock will play retaliate in some way. Like I said, this is a patter of Sock in his career to be annoyed by what he perceives to be gamesmanship, Monaco faked the back injury against him in the Houston final many years ago and Sock distracted himself by complaining about it. But when the opponent plays clean and fair, Sock does as well. This conclusion is drawn from my experiences watching Sock play over the last decade and I have watched many of his matches, over 50 I would estimate. Agree with you if he had a Ferrer bulldog focused like a machine mindset, he would be top 5 for sure. But Sock likes to have fun too, not just be a robot killing machine like Ferrer.

  • chris c · June 20, 2022 at 11:41 am

    ‘robot killing machine’ haha. ya, he definitely likes to have fun. And hard to change the stripes on a zebra. That’s cool that you’ve followed his career so closely. What got you interested? He went to my high school in overland park, ks, which is why I have followed him so closely. I seriously think i’ve watched almost every single match of his possible – singles and doubles — since his 2010 Us Open debut. Probably numbering in the hundreds? I’ve invested so much fan time into his career which is why i’m so crabby about his current situation — not that he’s struggling with his ranking, but because I don’t think his on-court attitude used to be so bad. Shrug shrug. It’s a sunken cost thing. At some point, I probably should accept the way he is will be the way he always is. shrug.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 20, 2022 at 12:22 pm

    First saw him play US Open juniors when he won as, I believe, a wildcard. Saw him play Dzumhur on Armstrong I think it was semis. Did a Biofile with him after he won also asked him questions about being asked to hit with Djokovic (which I included in my Facing Novak Djokovic book). Sock’s game and demeanor always gave me a feeling that he could have a very good pro career which he has. Millions of Americans would love to hve his career, major titles, top ten, Olympic medals, some great singles wins. I covered Miami Open and Sarasota Open and US Open, Newport, Citi Open for the last decade and he was always a player to watch singles and doubles. J Sizzle is his self proclaimed nickname and he always puts on a show. Just something about Sock suggests that he can still be an ATP force and produce the best results of his career, if he fixes, refines a few areas which we both mentioned. I believe he wants it but the question is, is he willing to make the necessary sacrifices to dare to be great instead of just a very good player of his era.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 20, 2022 at 12:26 pm

    The reason I called Ferrer “a robot killing machine” is because about five years ago at the old Miami Open in Key Biscayne I had the pleasure to sit at the outside bar one night with friends and Mike Belkin, who was a former top Canadian pro who beat Ashe and guys in that era. And on the TV screen at the bar was Ferrer playing and I will never forget Belkin describing Ferrer as a “killer. He really wants to kill you on the court.” Pancho Gonzalez once said, “All the great champions are vicious competitors.” If Sock can become more vicious somehow, I know it’s against his nature, I think he can be great in singles, or greater in singles.

  • chris c · June 20, 2022 at 12:33 pm

    i know i’m beating a dead horse here. You’re being a good sport in not blasting me for this 🙂 But I actually do remember the christian harrison match you referred to. I think harrison was outmatched throughout and sock felt it, particularly in the second set when he was cruising to a 6-1 victory.

    I agree that he’s a total nice guy and sportsman in those winning circumstances e.g. when there’s not really much pressure to win. He’s also a great interviewee off-court. It’s when his matches gets tough that he gets really irritable and seems to take out his tension or frustration or whatever on things like close line calls, umpires, opponent behavior, non-ideal playing conditions, fans, etc etc etc, rather than just focusing on the battle at hand.

    It’s like he can’t deal with the pressure, emotionally and has to vent it out somehow. Struggling in the challenger level for so long, after reaching the highest peaks, may have something to do with this. It’s probably easier to be climbing up rather than feeling like you’re climbing back up after falling down???

    There are a lot of guys on tour these days that i’ve seen with similar reactions to tough situations, particularly against lower ranked players in smaller courts. kyrios & tomic come to mind.

    I guess everyone has different ideas of what a sportsman is. Back in the day I looked up to Stefan Edberg and Steffi graf. Nowadays, I think guys like Rajeev Ram & Hurkacz (aside from nadal and fed) come to mind. Win or lose, you can see that they always receive a respectful response from their opponent at the net handshake. know what I mean. It’s really nice to see that — in any match, wta, atp or any level.

  • chris c · June 20, 2022 at 12:54 pm

    This all goes to show just how amazing agassi’s comeback was — on and off the court. I remember watching him tank a match to Richie Reneberg in the 80s, in indianapolis. He lost a close first set in a tie breaker and then checked out. 0-6 in the second. You remember that one? I’m sure you have other anecdotes too! Wow, did he did a complete 180 in his career and after his fall from grace. Part of me is hoping that kyrgios and sock, as they age, and come closer to the end of their careers, will also experience this, but i’m losing hope.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 20, 2022 at 2:08 pm

    Well, tennis can make us all go crazy at some points, Borg, Agassi. King, Federer, Ilie, Ilie, McEnroe, Bagdhatis, Youzhny, just about everyone can go bananas over this game. Sock has a different way of releasing his tension, maybe he needs to smash a Babolat and vent it out better. It works for Djokovic. Ram, Edberg, Hubi, all gentlemen.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 20, 2022 at 2:11 pm

    Agassi comeback with Gilbert and Reyes was something very special and inspiring, he was a real punk in the beginning years and he had a few crazy episodes on the way up. I know a guy who played sets with him at NBTA when Andre was top dog in the ATP and he beat Andre and Andre flipped, he went to one of the NBTA Mitsubishi vans and was driving it inthe lot pounding the steering wheel and screaming and pounding the brakes too. A real meltdown breakdown. He tanked a few more than just Reneberg who was always a tough out.

  • chris · June 20, 2022 at 3:16 pm

    ya, i wish he’d just smash his racquet(s) and get on with it.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 20, 2022 at 6:23 pm

    Sock competes with a demeanor that is more fun loving and happy go lucky than always cut throat ruthless. For some it works – Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali, Prince Naseem Hamed, Tyson Fury, John Daly. Would like to see how far SOck could go if he plays in a Terminator mode.

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