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ROLEX PARIS MASTERS

November 4, 2017

Jack Sock

Paris, France

J. SOCK/J. Benneteau

7-5, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You are one win away from your first Masters title and one win away from London so you must be absolutely ecstatic. Do you feel under pressure or was this an opportunity for you to just seize rather than a pressure situation?
JACK SOCK: Yeah, I feel more seized than the pressure. If the pressure would have kicked in a lot of it would have been today as well playing in front of the French crowd, playing a French player.

But I was able to go out today and play my game, swing big, kind of like I always do, and play some good tennis and get through. And tomorrow is just a good opportunity for me to go out and try to compartmentalize all the things that would come with winning tomorrow and just go out and play my tennis again.

Q. You say it's a question of just going out and playing your tennis but the pressure will be there. You're the only seed left. And you've got so much riding on it. Presumably you weren't thinking about those kind of things when you entered the tournament.
JACK SOCK: Yeah. To be completely honest, I had no idea I could still make London even if I was to win the tournament. I didn't know if I was going to be even close. I had a good start to the year and a very bad middle and towards the end of the year. To be able to regroup and get that confidence back and play some of the tennis I've been able to play in the last few matches is big for me.

And like I said, I should have been out first round here, in my first match, so I'm kind of just playing with house money now as you'd say. And just enjoying it.

Q. You say you're playing with house money. But playing against a Frenchman like that, do you think that's the kind of seasoning you need for a big match on Sunday?
JACK SOCK: Yeah. I mean, it can't hurt playing in front of that crowd. They were electric there in the first set when he was able to break back and level things up in the first.

But yeah, I mean, to play in front of that crowd and produce some of the tennis I did today, especially obviously towards the end of the first and second set, it only gives me confidence going into tomorrow.

Q. Krajinovic mentioned how you were rivals in your juniors. I think that's what he said anyway.
JACK SOCK: I don't even know if we played in the same tournament once. So I don't think we were rivals.

Q. Maybe he confused you with someone else. What do you make of him as a player? Because he's kind of come from nowhere, kind of through the qualifiers and a lot of injuries.
JACK SOCK: Yeah, I mean, I obviously had heard his name. I think I was out of the juniors. I didn't play that many ITF's. So I don't know if he was pretty dominant or maybe No. 1 in the world of juniors.

But yeah, I heard his name when he was coming out starting in the pros. And yeah, I think he's had a lot of unfortunate luck with his body and injuries and everything.

But yeah, I think the potential has always been there. Everyone knows he's a very talented player and I think he's showcasing that this week. And everyone blossoms at a different time and peaks at a different time.

So like I said, he's showing his skills this week and obviously playing some great tennis so I'm going to have to bring my A-game tomorrow to win.

Q. It's your fifth final in ATP tour and it's your first final in the Masters.
JACK SOCK: Sure. Yeah. I don't know. First matches? I don't know what final. Yeah. I don't know how many finals I've been in.

Q. Julien was talking about your forehand. I was wondering how do you manage to make so much spin on your forehand? Is it a question of technical, of power? And I want to know as well I think you have the second biggest forehand in terms of RPM behind Nadal on the tour. Do you make a contest with him sometimes?
JACK SOCK: No. I mean, I think he's got that No. 1 spot, you know, pretty much every year.

Yeah, I don't know. I mean, my coach growing up, Mike Wolf, back home taught me how to hit topspin as a young kid and I kind of ran with it from there. All personal feel, the grip, and everything. The technique was all just what felt comfortable to me and I think he's always said that when people ask him, you know, how it came about. He showed me how to turn the ball over and hit topspin and then I just kind of ran with it from there.

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