Jack Sock hopes for Wimbledon double-double
Jack Sock’s success in tennis has led to increased expectations as he prepares to play at Wimbledon, but it’s not just from fans.
“I think that he probably has high expectations for himself,” said Sock’s brother, Eric. “Not in a bad way, in a good way. I think he expects to do better. I think the success in doubles made him feel like he belonged on the tour.”
Sock, a Blue Valley North High School graduate, and Canadian partner Vasek Pospisil won the men’s doubles title last year at Wimbledon by knocking off brothers Bob and Mike Bryan in five sets.
Since then, Sock gained his first ATP singles title in April by winning the Houston Open and he made a run to the round of 16 at the French Open earlier this month before falling to Rafael Nadal.
Sock is seeded No. 31 in singles at Wimbledon, and he and Pospisil are seeded third in doubles. Sock tuned up for Wimbledon by defeating Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-4 at the Boodles Tennis Challenge in England.
“It’s been great, unfortunately earlier in the week I wasn’t able to make the match that I was supposed to play, I had a slight injury but I’m over it now,” Sock told reporters after the match.
“I’m very happy that I was able to come back and play a few matches later in the week. I feel ready and it’s really helped by preparation for Wimbledon.”
In the short time between the French Open and Wimbledon, Sock only took a few days off, Eric said.
“He got in a good training block, putting in the work on the court and in the gym,” Eric said.
When asked if the intensity of his brother’s workouts were taken down a notch, Eric said, “I know that his trainer kicks his (behind).”
Star news services contributed to this report.
Six players to watch at Wimbledon
Serena Williams: The top-seeded Williams has won the first two Grand Slam tournaments and she’s won Wimbledon five times. Hard not to see her at the favorite.
Petra Kvitova: The defending Wimbledon champion is the second seed and she also won the tournament in 2001. In her last five trips to Wimbledon, she has been no worse than a quarterfinalist.
Maria Sharapova: She’s been to the finals just once in the last 10 years at Wimbledon, but she hasn’t won since 2004. Sharapova, however, is the fourth seed.
Novak Djokovic: Defending Wimbledon champion has been in three of the last four finals, taking the title twice (also in 2011). He’s looking for a ninth major title.
Roger Federer: He’s 33 and hasn’t won a Grand Slam title since 2012. However, Federer was a finals last year and won the grass-court tournament in Halle, Germany, in June for the eighth time.
Alexander Zverev: A former No. 1 junior player from Germany, won the Australian Open juniors in 2014 and was the runner-up at the French Open junior event in 2013. He also beat Djokovic on Saturday at the Boodles.
| Star news services
This story was originally published June 27, 2015 at 10:22 PM with the headline "Jack Sock hopes for Wimbledon double-double."