"I obviously snuck into the eighth spot in London unexpectedly, so zero pressure on me to go there"
Tuesday 7 November 2017 16:46, UK
Jack Sock said he "was thinking about his holidays" after coming close to exiting the Paris Masters before qualifying for the ATP Finals.
The American trailed 5-1 in a deciding set during his second-round match against Britain's Kyle Edmund, but fought back before going on to snatch the eighth and final spot for the season-ending event in London from Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta with the biggest title of his career in the French capital on Sunday.
The 16th seed beat Serbian qualifier Filip Krajinovic 5-7 6-4 6-1 in the final and rose from 22nd to ninth in the world rankings, also becoming the first American to reach the ATP Finals since Mardy Fish in 2011.
I'm going to swing big and play my game like I always do, and just, honestly, enjoy the moment
"Coming in this week I had no idea I could even make London," the 25-year-old said. "It wasn't in my head. I just wanted to play some good tennis in my last week and go start my off-season.
"I was thinking about my holidays the next day [when a double-break down to Edmund]. I tried to start shortening points and just going after my shots. They were landing and I was connecting a lot of them."
His victory was the first in a Masters tournament by an American since former world No 1 Andy Roddick took the Miami crown in 2010, and Sock said he would have nothing to lose when he arrives in London to take on the likes of world No 1 Rafael Nadal and six-time champion Roger Federer.
"I obviously snuck into the eighth spot in London unexpectedly, so zero pressure on me to go there," he added.
"I'm going to swing big and play my game like I always do, and just, honestly, enjoy the moment."
Sky Sports will have all the action from the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan from 7-11 November.
The season-ending extravaganza ATP Finals at London's O2 in November ends another memorable year which will be covered via our website sky.mnosports.com/tennis with live blogs and updates as the season reaches its climax.
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