D. THIEM/J. Sock
6-1, 6-3, 7-6
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Wondering how you felt about your tennis overall today, especially after you made quite a go in the third set?
JACK SOCK: Yeah, I mean, I think the score kind of told the story a little bit. Obviously got better as the match went on.
Yeah, felt more and more solid as the match went on. Kind of had to maybe tweak a few things out there and change up a few things to try to help myself out there and give myself my best chance, and had a lot of chances I feel like there at the end. Played a great third set.
Really good breaker to start. Put myself in a position to still be out there playing right now in a fourth set, and I would have loved to see where that could have gone.
But I think overall I'm just going to take away the positives of everything from today with my coach and my team and get ready for probably offseason right now since my ranking isn't quite where I wish it was.
So for me it will be another long break and another good training, big training block to start out 2021 wherever that may be.
But I think hopefully I got the respect of the players that I'm on my way back and, you know, I obviously can play at that level again. Yeah, I'm just excited to move forward and keep playing good tennis.
Q. What have you done of late to help with your fitness to make your fitness stronger?
JACK SOCK: Are you saying my fitness is stronger, or...
Q. You appeared more fit the last ten days or so.
JACK SOCK: I appreciate that (smiling). I have good routines going with my coach, Bogie. We put in good work back in Charlotte to get the body ready. Put a lot of hours on court, hours off the court as well, obviously.
We have put a lot of time in on the court. I feel like obviously there is a lot of things you need to do off the court, in the gym with conditioning and certain weights and everything, flexibility stuff, but I feel like I'm one where if I'm playing a lot of tennis, good physical tennis, I feel like one of the best ways to get in tennis shape is by playing obviously. We spent a lot of hours, more than normal for me probably, on court and then doing the necessary things off the court.
I felt great the entire time I have been playing. I was excited to try to get that tiebreaker, gave myself chances and then see where it goes from there.
But, yeah, I mean, a lot of, like I said, a lot of positives from New York and from here. The only few tournaments we have played, and I'm going to take those into next year.
Q. What makes Thiem such a tough opponent? All these shots? All the action on the ball? What do you find makes him really difficult?
JACK SOCK: Yeah, I think he's -- yeah, I think the physicality of it obviously. I mean, I think between Rafa, himself, and probably myself, we have a lot of revolutions on the ball. I think him and I actually play, especially on this surface, we play very similar. I'm probably a little more aggressive as in coming to the net, coming forward.
Yeah, he plays a very physical game, especially on clay. I think his discipline on the court, with his patterns, he doesn't really stray away from them too often. He looks obviously to dictate with the forehand.
Once he's in control, you know, control of the points, or playing ahead in the score, you know, he's tough to catch. His ball is tough to catch up to out there, similar to a Rafa.
But, yeah, he's very disciplined out there. He can play his style for as long as he needs to. Then usually, I would say his opponent is probably usually the one getting tired first out there. If the opponent is getting tired at all, his game will devastate you even more.
Yeah, the discipline, the physical part of it is tough to match up on, especially on this surface.
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