So, it’ll be Nadal v Djokovic in the quarter-finals, as the world No1 sees off Richard Gasquet in straight sets.
That will unquestionably be a sterner test of Rafa’s title credentials, but after romping through the first two sets against an opponent who offered only flashes of his ability, Nadal was stunned by Jack Sock’s third set fightback, dropping a first set of the tournament as Sock roared back from 5-3 down to take it 7-5.
The American, in his first Grand Slam fourth round game, showed plenty of potential, particularly when deploying his renowned forehand, but unforced errors and Nadal’s determination kept him from ever truly threatening an upset. The long wait for a male American quarter-finalist goes on, but Sock is surely the most likely candidate next year.
Thanks for joining me. Bye!
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Rafael Nadal beats Jack Sock 6-3, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2!
Sock’s return can only find the net, and Nadal has got the job done. Novak Djokovic, closing in on victory against Richard Gasquet, awaits in the quarter-finals.
Fourth set: Nadal 5-2 Sock* (sets 2-1) So, here we go again. Nadal serving for the match - but a short backhand sets up Sock for another vicious winner. 0-15, cancelled out by a forehand winner. Nadal finds the baseline with a forensic forehand, and Sock can only dig the ball wide of the line. Nadal is fired up now, and he steps up to the net to lash home a volley. Two match points...
Fourth set: Nadal 5-2 Sock* (sets 2-1) A little bit of pressure on Sock here, after he released the shackles at 5-3 down. He works his way to 30-15, but fails to follow in a lob, for fear of the passing shot. Rafa knows, and plays the return out wide, forcing a wild swing from Sock. A volley brings up a double break point... and an unforced error hands it to Nadal. Suddenly, this looks all over.
Sock gags
You guys took your time, but the inevitable has happened:
Fourth set: Nadal* 4-2 Sock (sets 2-1) Sock keeps swinging, narrowly missing with a backhand, then just falling short as he scrambled to reach a drop shot. Sock looks to have perhaps hurt a finger in the fall. We’ll keep an eye on him. A groundstroke drops long, and it’s 40-30. Rafa takes plenty of time to get his second serve in, but he seals the game as Sock nets a return. So, almost an hour after serving for the match, Nadal has his two-game cushion back.
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Fourth set: Nadal 3-2 Sock* (sets 2-1) So, both players lead 0-40 against the serve, both are pinned back to deuce, but Rafa wins them both. Pivotal? We’ll see. Sock cruises through this service hold, after two titanic struggles in the last two games.
Now, there’s a school of thought that says Nadal will have had his confidence knocked by Sock’s fightback. Presuming with not a little uncertainty that Nadal gets through, surely he should be grateful to Sock for giving him a genuine test? Twelve straight sets of trouble-free tennis isn’t much good to you once Novak Djokovic appears on the other side of the net.
Fourth set: Nadal* 3-1 Sock (sets 2-1) Rafa leads 2-1, 2-1, with the break in the fourth. Given that neither player has been able to maintain any real momentum in this set, you feel there’s still a way to go in this one. Sock’s backhand has improved markedly since the early stages, and a winner makes it 0-15. A double fault for Rafa, and a sloppy forehand makes it 0-40! Sock gets round a rising groundstroke, takes aim - and blazes wide! Two more chances. The first is saved with an ace, then Nadal serves wide, charges in and takes the game to another deuce. There’s a taste of second-set Rafa as a topsin-laden punch into the corner sets up the overhead smash, then he reacts smartly to a netcord, and lashes a cross-court winner!
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Nine double faults, and over 30 unforced errors for Sock. Those are some grim numbers for a guy who has, by and large, acquitted himself very well out there.
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Fourth set: Nadal 2-1 Sock* (sets 2-1) Sadly for Sock, Rafa’s return to focus coincides with a slump for him, as a couple of unforced errors see him slip to 0-30. Another error, and suddenly Nadal has three break points. The American rallies, cracking a rare backhand winner to get to 30-40 - and Nadal fires wide!
Deuce - and another blistering forehand gives Sock the advantage. Double fault, at the worst possible time, and it’s deuce once again. Sock lets out a few choice words as a forehand finds the net. Break point - Nadal’s fourth of the game - but Sock saves it with a kicking cross-court volley. And another double fault! This is getting silly. Break point 5 - and this time there’s no stopping a low cross-court sweep.
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Fourth set: Nadal* 1-1 Sock (sets 2-1) Nadal ends a run of five straight games for Sock by returning to his strengths, forcing Sock into taking on tricky shots to motor to a love service hold. That was needed. If Sock can maintain his form when Rafa’s in full flight, this fourth set could be quite something.
Fourth set: Nadal 0-1 Sock* (sets 2-1) Sock moves to 40-15 ahead, as Rafa busies himself by grumbling at the umpire. I’d imagine that’s got something to do with those two time violation calls, both on break point. Nadal refocuses and rallies to deuce, but Sock is in the mood now, and powers down a forehand winner on his way to holding.
Well, well. Jack Sock, contained and frustrated by Rafa Nadal for most of the match, finally found his moment at 5-3 down in the third. He’s reeled off four straight games, snatched the set, and suddenly all things seem possible.
Jack Sock wins the third set 7-5! (Nadal leads 2-1 in sets)
He takes one at the first time of asking, this time going down Rafa’s left with that ferocious forehand. Nadal can’t live with it! This game is back on!
Third set: Nadal* 5-6 Sock (sets 2-0) From serving for the match, to serving to save the set. Sock is playing easily his best tennis of the match, and punches a backhand just inside the tramlines for 15-all. Suddenly, it’s Nadal who can’t find his rhythm, and as Sock bludgeons away with that forehand, Nadal can only net in reply. The tactic is the same next point, and it works just as well, Sock repeatedly lashing the ball down the right-hand side until Nadal capitulates. Two set points for Jack Sock...
Third set: Nadal 5-6 Sock* (sets 2-0) Can Jack Sock build on that? He hasn’t looked more fired up all match, but Nadal edges ahead with a kicking forehand into the corner that Sock can’t reach. The roles are reversed next point, as a popping volley from Sock just evades the reach of Nadal, who nets. Nadal is frustrated, and a rush of blood sends a routine forehand long. 40-30... but Sock goes for serve-volley, and his opponent reads it, sliding a passing shot down the line. Deuce.
Sock is again muscled out of the rally, and goes long for break point... but an air shot from Rafa restores parity. 2-0 to Sock is the underwhelming ace count. Sock again opts for a drop shot, and Nadal can flick it into the open court - but he goes long! Advantage Sock... and game, as Nadal just can’t live with a pair of snapping forehands.
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Third set: Nadal* 5-5 Sock (sets 2-0) New balls for Nadal, as if he needed any help. “Do it for America, Jack!” shouts a wag in the crowd. That will do the trick, I’m sure. Well, who knows? Sock moves 0-30 ahead when Rafa nets from another booming forehand. Nadal grits his teeth and claws back to 30-all with a couple of punishing rallies - but this time, it’s Sock who lasts longer, forcing Rafa long for a break point! And it’s another time violation, and second serve for Nadal! The serve is in, but his rhythm is affected, and he fires long again. Sock breaks back!
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Third set: Nadal 5-4 Sock* (sets 2-0) Eight straight points for Rafa, and Sock needs to stop the rot - but a double fault won’t help. It’s his sixth of the match, and Rafa is three points away, but Sock rallies, powering to 40-15, the highlight a vicious forehand, taken from the middle of the court and despatched into the far right corner of the court. Double fault No7 follows, but Sock controls the next point, finishing with a sliced volley into the open court. Nadal will have to serve this out.
Third set: Nadal* 5-3 Sock (sets 2-0) Another chance for Nadal to consolidate the break, and start thinking about that quarter-final. The Spaniard ups the pace on his groundstrokes, not allowing Sock any thinking time, and races to 40-0 when Sock nets a return - and he takes the game with a curling, disguised forehand that leaves his opponent rooted to the spot.
Third set: Nadal 4-3 Sock* (sets 2-0) A footnote to that last game: Nadal was warned for time taken between points, just before he served at break point. He didn’t look happy, but rules are rules. Nadal takes out his anger on Sock, powering a running forehand down the line to move 0-30 up, and then outmanoeuvres his opponent, forcing the error to claim three break points. The change in gear is immediate, and there’s nothing poor Jack can do. Rafa bullies him into the break on the very next point.
Third set: Nadal* 3-3 Sock (sets 2-0) The hope for Jack Sock was that, if he could find a gap in the armour, this Rafa doesn’t quite possess the steel nerve of previous years when pegged back. The 2015 edition has absolutely no problem leading from the front, though.
Aside from the break in the first set, Sock hasn’t made any in-roads on the Nadal serve - but a couple of well-constructed points, playing to his forehand strengths, get him to 30-30 - and a ripper of a cross-court winner gives him break point. Perhaps feeling a little freer, Sock sticks with Nadal through 29 shots, and gets the break as Nadal nets! He’s back in the set...
Third set: Nadal 3-2 Sock* (sets 2-0) Two double faults in three points put Sock on the back foot (OK, maybe one more), and an errant forehand brings up two break points. Nadal sticks in the rally, waits for a mistake, and Sock obliges, firing a backhand square into the net. After fighting gamely at the start of his set, that was a poor game from the American.
Third set: Nadal* 2-2 Sock (sets 2-0) Nadal, in case you hadn’t heard, is playing with a $775,000 watch - with a velcro strap. I wouldn’t put anything close to that value in front of a Jack Sock forehand, myself. Sock has found it hard to build on the fleeting chances he’s presented, and after bagging the first point of the game, he’s 40-15 down in the blink of an eye. Another low, flat backhand forces Nadal long, but on the next point, a volley into the net from Sock draws groans from the crowd.
Third set: Nadal 1-2 Sock* (sets 2-0) Sock comes out swinging, determined to make this third set more of a contest. He remains oddly inconsistent, netting a forehand one moment, then getting on tiptoes to caress a drop shot over the net. Nadal has dropped the intensity a notch or two, but he’s still giving Sock plenty of problems, and a slip at the baseline leads to deuce. A rare error from Rafa, miscuing a passing shot, and Sock seals the game with a tidy cross-court volley.
Third set: Nadal* 1-1 Sock (sets 2-0) 76% first serve and one unforced error in the second set for Nadal. Not giving Jack a lot to work with - and Rafa races away in this game from the moment Sock turns down a cross-court forehand, opting instead for an unconvincing backhand down the line. Soon, it’s 40-0, with Nadal pulling his opponent this way and that. A terrific, low backhand return keeps Sock in the game, but he can’t keep pace in the next rally, and Nadal holds.
Third set: Nadal 0-1 Sock* (sets 2-0) Sock’s reward for making Nadal serve out the second set is that he starts this one on serve - and he finds perhaps his best game of the match, getting that forehand moving and finishing off the points to hold to love. He’s ahead in a set for the first time.
Some motivational music for Jack Sock:
Rafael Nadal wins the second set to lead 6-3, 6-1
Second set: Nadal 6-1 Sock* (sets 2-0) So, the Nebraskan’s pride is spared, but the set should be a formality. Sock just hasn’t been allowed to find his rhythm, or been able to time his shots right, and a loose forehand cancels out an early advantage. He moves to 15-30, haring after a Nadal drop shot to snick the ball down the line, but a brutal body serve again ties the American up. A bit of desperation, Sock swinging for a backhand winner, and it’s set point. Another big serve, and the return lands long.
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Second set: Nadal 5-1 Sock* (sets 1-0) Sock starts the game in fighting mood, moving ahead with another of those trademark forehands. Nadal works his way back to 30-30, and brings up a set point when Sock mistimes a backhand. Another forehand gets Sock out of trouble. The pattern is repeated, Sock missing a backhand then finding a crucial forehand. It’s advantage to the American after Nadal finds the net cord - and he takes the game when an aggressive return just evades the baseline.
One American who will make the quarter-finals is Serena Williams, who scraped past Sloane Stephens without finding anything like her best form. Sara Errani of Italy awaits in the last eight. With Maria Sharapova out of the way, Williams will like her chances of a third French Open title.
Second set: Nadal* 5-0 Sock (sets 1-0) Sock is normally an animated figure around the court, but he’s drifted from passive to deflated. It’s hard to blame him - Nadal has been on a different level so far. Nadal rolls to 40-15, confident that he will win enough of these rallies to keep ahead. A punched volley into the corner continues Nadal’s good day at the net. One game for Sock to avoid the bagel.
Second set: Nadal 4-0 Sock* (sets 1-0) So, Jack Sock has slipped 3-0 down in both sets. That’s not ideal against perhaps the greatest single-surface player ever, on said surface. He has hit some excellent shots even in this tough first hour though, and outlasts Nadal in a rally to edge 30-15 ahead. Nadal’s movement, and not inconsiderable hunger, are forcing Sock to panic, though - a mishit cross-shot, and another framed groundstroke hands Nadal a break point - and he takes the game with a perfect lob that the American can only watch.
Second set: Nadal* 3-0 Sock (sets 1-0) Nadal is in danger of enjoying himself out here, going down the line at full stretch from another thumping Sock forehand, but just coming up short. Nadal looks in control, but an unconventional passing forehand drops onto the baseline for Sock, and it’s 30-30. A return pings off the frame though, and it’s game point for another 3-0 lead. And he does it again! Colourful language ensues.
Second set: Nadal 2-0 Sock* (sets 1-0) Can the American fight back - or is Sock about to unravel? Sorry. That’s the only one, I promise. He’s still game, charging all over the court, but his forehand lets him down, fired straight into Nadal’s path, and the game descends into Sock’s worst of the match, giving up two break points and losing the game with a wild cross-court attempt.
Second set: Nadal* 1-0 Sock (sets 1-0) So relentless is Nadal thus far, Sock is having to go for broke to give himself a chance in these rallies. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, and this game falls into the latter category, Nadal waiting for his opponent to miss, and being rewarded with a hold to love.
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Rafael Nadal wins the first set 6-3
First set: Nadal 6-3 Sock* The American has far from disgraced himself in the opening set, but at crucial points, Nadal has found another gear. He edges ahead with kind of heatseeking forehand that would have Novak Djokovic in a cold sweat. Sock hands over two set points with a limp effort into the net, but rallies to deuce, calling on his serve to dig him out of trouble.
Sock can’t control a volley, and it’s a third set point. Sock is halfway to his chair after setting up Nadal for a smash - but he gets a racket on it, and it lands in! Deuce, but it feels like a matter of time, Nadal racing to the net to set up a fourth set point, and taking it when another rapier forehand has Sock sprawling.
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First set: Nadal* 5-3 Sock Quite a contrast between Sock’s forehand and backhand; he loses the first point when he’s forced onto the backhand, and offers up a limp return that’s duly put away. Unusually for a clay court game, it’s Nadal looking to shorten the points, marching to 40-15 with a ferocious forehand winner and a booming serve. Nadal tidies up a rally at the net, and he’s one game from snaring the first set.
First set: Nadal 4-3 Sock* Nadal gives us a nice club player cameo, slipping 0-40 down with a series of errant shots, including a failed drop shot attempt that he gives another nudge over the net. We’ve all tried it. Sock seals the game to love with another cute angled drop shot. Well played.
First set: Nadal* 4-2 Sock With his opponent finding his feet, Nadal hasn’t had to think too hard so far - but he produces a smart run of shots to go 40-0 up. Nadal looks to close the game, drilling a groundstroke into Sock’s body - but Sock adjusts, and slaps the forehand straight down the line! Nadal is peeved, and takes the game with a near-100mph forehand.
On Philippe Chatrier, Serena Williams has edged ahead in the all-American battle with Sloane Stephens. Williams leads 4-2 with a break in the third, having lost the first set 6-1.
First set: Nadal 3-2 Sock* It’s been a rough start for Jack Sock, but he’ll be feeling much more settled now. He holds serve for the first time, getting a better read on Nadal’s returns to forge ahead, then killing the game with an unreachable drop shot! Nice.
First set: Nadal* 3-1 Sock Sock has an unexpected opportunity, as Rafa double-faults for 0-30. Nadal outlasts his opponent in the next rally, and an unforced error makes it all square. Nadal nets a volley though, and it’s a break point for Sock! He gets himself firmly in the rally with two straight forehands that clip the baseline, and Nadal, reaching for a winner, misses the line with a cross-court shot!
Here’s Craig McEwan:
“Brilliant looking quarter final draw. Will be fantastic if Rafa beats Jack Sock as expected, but really exciting if Sock wins. Really looking forward to the next couple of days at Roland Garros”
Too true, Craig - even putting aside the potential Djokovic v Nadal match up, we’ll definitely have Murray v Ferrer, Nishikori v Tsonga and Wawrinka v Federer. Four matches that are too close to call. The game done changed.
First set: Nadal 3-0 Sock* Signs of encouragement in those opening exchanges for the American, but this feels like a significant moment already. It’s a ragged service game, and a double fault, followed by a netted forehand, bring up two more break points for Nadal. Sock saves one with a big serve - and the second when Nadal can’t steer his return back into play.
Deuce - and Sock prevails in a muscular rally with a fierce, flattened out forehand. Then he tries the drop shot, which is a mistake. Nadal rolls the passing shot into the open court. Sock can only net a vicious Nadal return, and it’s another break point. He nets again, gearing up for a big forehand, and it’s a double break.
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First set: Nadal* 2-0 Sock Nadal is the aggressor in each rally, but his opponent keeps in the game with a mighty cross-court forehand. 30-all, then an attritional spell where Nadal, far from the quickest to get his serve going, produces three lets and a fault. A punched forehand from Sock lands long, and Nadal consolidates the break.
First set: Nadal 1-0 Sock* (*denotes server) It’s Sock who will serve first, and there’s early evidence of that whipping forehand, but Nadal forces him wide and volleys home for 0-30. After netting a forehand, Nadal dominates the next rally. Two break points. On second serve, Sock tightens up, netting to hand Nadal a perfect start.
So, this is a new experience, even for a hardened clay machine like Nadal - the match is out on Suzanne Lenglen court, rather than Philippe Chatrier, the central court where Nadal has won nine finals. He’s never played Sock before, either. Worth noting, too, that the young American pretender is just six years younger than the allegedly over-the-hill Spaniard. The players have knocked up, and we’re about to get started.
More on Jack Sock: a former U.S. Open junior champion, Sock has enjoyed his best moments as a doubles player (perhaps he prefers being in a pair). He earned his first singles title in April, prevailing on the red stuff in Houston against fellow American Sam Querrey.
Sock has beaten Dimitrov, Pablo Carreno and teenager Borna Coric to reach the fourth round. He also cried at Titanic, primarily because Leo DiCaprio’s character was also called Jack.
Want to know more? Here’s Stephanie Myles on just what makes Jack Sock so dangerous to Nadal today.
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Preamble
Hello. This year’s French Open has been a little different for Rafa Nadal. The king of clay, with a 66-1 career record at Roland Garros, arrived in the middle of his worst-ever season on the surface and a draw littered with potential conquerors.
One name that wasn’t on many lips as a threat was Jack Sock, the laconic US No2 who has handed a first-round tie with Grigor Dimitrov. That changed from the moment Sock took care of the Bulgarian in straight sets, marrying a renewed focus to a titanic forehand, and announced himself as a contender.
Sock is not the snarling, sinewy type one might expect to strike fear into Nadal; he spends his time off court at Chipotle, or serving up lukewarm Ace Ventura impressions. Yet Sock, in an almost unique scenario for a U.S. player in recent years, truly has the on-court weapons to trouble the king of clay.
That forehand, perhaps the only one on tour that can match Nadal for power and topspin, gives Sock a width and scope even the defending champion doesn’t have. Sock, like compatriot John Isner, also possesses a potent serve that can shorten points at key moments when the going inevitably gets tough.
Beat Nadal, and the 22-year-old will become the first American in the men’s quarter-finals here since Andre Agassi, securing a place for himself in the annals of U.S. tennis history. It may not be probable, but it’s certainly possible. Can Jack Sock shock the world? We’re about to find out.
