Jack Sock is the man to watch in men’s singles at the Opendoor Pickleball World Championships. Sock earned his spot to the semi-finals by defeating Jonathan Truong, Yates Johnson, Roscoe Bellamy and most notably, Federico Staksrud.

Sock credits his recent success in singles to a new mindset.

“My entire game plan in singles now is just to have fun and try to honestly have the most fun I can. Swing free and play loose,” explained Sock in a post-match interview with Pickleballtv.

“If I’m in the draw, I honestly just want to have a blast playing. I want to enjoy my time on the court. When I’m looser and I’m having fun, I play better anyways. Every time I’m uptight or overthink, I don’t play as well. So that’s my goal is just swing free and if it goes in, great,” said Sock.

When Sock plays like that, he becomes one of the best showmen on tour. Sock loves to chirp with his opponents, make jokes, and go for trick shots that other pros might think are too risky. So when he’s having fun, the crowd is too.  

Additionally, Sock has been hitting the gym and working on his fitness to better equip his body for these long tournament days. Of course, that’s only helping his game too.

“It’s not even about the amount you’re playing. It’s also the time you’re on site, starting, stopping, warming up, cooling down, and all that. So being in better shape, I have less wear and tear on my bones, muscles, and joints,” Sock said.

“I honestly feel like I’m moving as well as I have in a long time. I have the energy to play all day. And these singles matches are less stressful to me because I don’t have to worry about my body if I’m playing doubles later,” he continued.

Physically, Sock is feeling stronger than he ever has throughout his pickleball career. Coupled that with a refreshed mental game, it’s making for an elite combination that’s proving to be tough for his opponents.

“I think I actually got a little too focused on pickleball throughout the year. The more I was playing, and the more I was training, I started to overthink things. So, I’ve been trying to dial back and get back to how I was when I first started playing pickleball. Now, I’m also in shape and I have that mindset of having fun and enjoying being on the court. I’m feeling confident in my game,” shared Sock.

“I’m enjoying feeling good again on the court and having fun,” he added.

And of course, Sock would love to earn his first singles title on the PPA Tour at the biggest event of the year.

“I would love to be holding a trophy. I’ve talked about it for three years and I’d love to shut these haters up after this much time and finally hold up a trophy,” concluded Sock.

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