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U.S. OPEN

September 2, 2011

Jack Sock

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

A. RODDICK/J. Sock
6-3, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What is it like playing on center court here?
JACK SOCK: Center court? Center court was my best tennis experience so far. Obviously, it's one of the biggest stages in tennis, if not the biggest.
So I went out there and I soaked up all the experience I could and learned a lot from it and had a good time.

Q. Do you feel like the score maybe doesn't indicate how close the match was at points?
JACK SOCK: Yeah, I mean, the first two sets were just one break. Regardless of it being 6-3, it was one break. I had chances early in the first to break. I think I missed a couple returns. Probably got aced with his massive serve.
But I felt like I was hanging in there well. Felt like I had a lot of chances and just didn't execute. Probably the experience on his part took over.

Q. How much of this are you going to chalk up to nerves and inexperience?
JACK SOCK: I mean, I actually didn't feel that nervous. I thought I had a great start. Held pretty comfortably at the beginning. Had chances to break. I felt comfortable out on the court. Felt comfortable hitting the ball. Felt pretty good.
But I think the experience on his part probably played a role in the big points. I probably played looser points. That cost me the sets, then the match in the end.

Q. Were you surprised by how strong he was off the ground?
JACK SOCK: I felt like I was dictating a lot of points. I was hitting a lot of forehands. I felt like I was in pretty much every rally. I think the biggest difference obviously is the serve, and he hurt me a lot there, and the second serve.
But he gets a lot of balls back. I probably waited too many times for the ball to get to me and really didn't take time away. Overall, he's so steady from the ground, you can't just sit back and rally. You've got to take chances. I didn't execute that great.

Q. What did you think of him growing up and how well do you two know each other now?
JACK SOCK: He was the guy to watch for guys my age growing up. He was the up-and-comer, doing really well on tour. Obviously, being from Nebraska, that was more incentive for me to watch him. I enjoyed watching him. I watched him a lot. To be able to play him was the best tennis experience of my life.
I mean, yeah, we're pretty good friends. I think being from Nebraska helps, both of us. But I think we probably got closer after the match tonight as friends.

Q. Did he invite you down to his place? Did he say, Come on down?
JACK SOCK: Yeah, he invited me to Austin in the off-season to come practice with him.

Q. Will you do that?
JACK SOCK: Most likely (smiling).

Q. What did you learn about his game tonight that you won't make the same mistakes again?
JACK SOCK: I mean, I think the key thing was taking time away. I think, yeah, like I said, he's so steady from the ground. He gets a lot more balls back than you probably think.
I think I allowed him to get back in the point or back in the court after I hit some good balls. I thought I used my forehand well to get him off the court, but then he could just retrieve back and keep making balls without me putting pressure on him or taking the ball early and coming in or anything like that so...

Q. Have you gone down and practiced with him before?
JACK SOCK: No. That would be the first time. I only practiced with him once, and that was in Florida.

Q. What did he say to you after the match?
JACK SOCK: Yeah, I mean, he said on the court that I'll be out on that court many more times. Got a bright future. Then invited me to Austin to practice.

Q. What was it like playing on Arthur Ashe tonight?
JACK SOCK: Like I said, it was the best tennis experience of my life. You don't really realize how big the stadium is I think until you get down there. There's a lot of people there. It looked pretty full.
Just to have the crowd behind your back, even playing another American, I mean, the atmosphere was unreal. Yeah, I mean, I'll never forget that.

Q. Had you been in there before?
JACK SOCK: I mean, I've watched in there before, but I hit in there for the first time this morning.

Q. What were you thinking and expecting before the match, and what did you find out?
JACK SOCK: I mean, yeah, after watching him I knew that he kind of plays a lot from the baseline, maybe a little bit behind the baseline, makes a lot of balls, is steady.
I felt like I could go out there and try to dictate points and try to hit a lot of forehands, try to move the ball around as much as possible, and then attack when I could.
I felt like I did a decent job of that. I mean, like I said, it comes down to him getting back in the court and retrieve and be able to hit passing shots how he wants, like standing still or not on the run.
I felt overall like I played a pretty good match.

Q. Does high school feel a long ways away?
JACK SOCK: I mean, when I was here the first couple weeks it seemed a long ways away. As the week went on, my friends from back home in high school were congratulating me. I talked to them more. I realized, Man, I'm still a younger kid. I just got out of high school.
Yeah, obviously when you play on Arthur Ashe at the US Open it feel as lot different than playing at Blue Valley North in May at the high school state championship.

Q. Do you feel you gave up a lot of developmental time by staying in school? Do you feel you have a little catching up to do with other kids your age?
JACK SOCK: No, not at all actually. I felt very happy with the path I took growing up. I mean, obviously if you look at our histories, yeah, they might have been playing these matches longer and have a little bit more experience. I went this way, they went that way, and now we're all right back in the same pool.
Obviously the paths we took were irrelevant to the development or the stage we're at now. I mean, we're all in the same boat right now. We're playing, competing against each other to win matches and win money and get points.
So, no, I don't feel like it set me back at all. Obviously if I had a couple bigger matches under my belt maybe that would help, but I felt very comfortable out there tonight.

Q. What was your reaction when you saw the time the match was yesterday?
JACK SOCK: Yeah, I mean, I actually saw it from Collette here on Twitter. I checked my phone. She tweeted about it being on Arthur Ashe Stadium. I went over to the desk to double-check to make sure she wasn't fibbing me. I went over and checked, saw the schedule. That was a pretty incredible moment.
I mean, obviously growing up as an American tennis player, that's probably the dream court, dream stage that you want to play on. To play against another American that I grew up watching was a pretty surreal moment.

Q. What would you tell Sloane? Would you give her any advice?
JACK SOCK: I mean, she's obviously a heck of a player and having a good week. I would say just keep doing what she's doing and enjoy every minute of it. That's what I did. I mean, I was out there just loving every point, every minute of it.
So I would probably give the same to her and tell her to keep doing what she's doing.

Q. Do you feel a connection with the other Americans that are doing so well here?
JACK SOCK: Yeah, I mean, someone has to do it. Someone has to try to step up. I think when all of -- when the other Americans coming up do well I think it pushes the other ones. I mean, we're all friends. I mean, I like all the Americans coming up. I like all the Americans, in general.
I think when any of us do well we definitely strive off of it, push off of it, want to see everyone do well. Congrats to everyone this week, and I hope they keep going.

Q. Was this the latest match you ever played?
JACK SOCK: Yes.

Q. When you practiced with Andy, was it just one practice?
JACK SOCK: Just one practice and then it rained, unfortunately.

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