Video - Jack Sock's Unexpected Triumph at the 2017 Paris-Bercy Masters 1000
In 2017, with Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray (still world number 1 a few months earlier) absent due to injuries, and with Roger Federer also missing, the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000 seemed wide open.
This tendency was confirmed in the quarterfinals when Rafael Nadal, the number 1 seed who was seeking his first title at this tournament, withdrew before facing Filip Krajinovic.
Players like Juan Martin Del Potro and John Isner, who had yet to win a title in this category of tournaments at that time (before they both eventually succeeded in doing so), were in prime position to take advantage of the situation before the quarterfinals.
But ultimately, it was two unexpected players at this stage of the competition who reached the final: Jack Sock and Filip Krajinovic. Both men, entirely new to this stage of the competition in Masters 1000, faced their destiny.
It was, probably, the chance of a lifetime for one of these two players to have their name added to the winners' list of a prestigious tournament. Sock, who could qualify for the ATP Finals if he won the title, was the favorite against the Serbian, but no scenario could be ruled out in this improbable and unimaginable final just days before the start of the tournament.
Seeded number 16, Sock eventually wore down his opponent. Tired after going through the qualifiers, Krajinovic, 25 years old at the time, surrendered in the third set (5-7, 6-4, 6-1 in 1 hour and 58 minutes).
In this match between players born in 1992, it was the American who celebrated, lying down on the court after the match point. Sock, who was down 5-1 in the third set of the second round against Kyle Edmund, managed to turn the situation around (4-6, 7-6, 7-6), before continuing against Lucas Pouille (7-6, 6-3), Fernando Verdasco (6-7, 6-2, 6-3), Julien Benneteau (7-5, 6-2), and then Filip Krajinovic (5-7, 6-4, 6-1).
This victory opened the doors for him to the ATP Finals in London, where he emerged from a group composed of Roger Federer, Alexander Zverev, and Marin Cilic, before falling short of the final against the eventual winner Grigor Dimitrov (4-6, 6-0, 6-3).
Today, Sock has retired. The American decided to put away his rackets in 2023 at the age of 30 to focus on pickleball. Meanwhile, Krajinovic also ended his professional career after his first-round qualifying loss at the 2024 US Open to Jurij Rodionov.
