Real Estate Professional Matija Pecotić Upsets Jack Sock at 2023 Delray Beach Open

Matija Pecotić, a full-time director at a real estate investment firm, upset world No. 8 Jack Sock in the 2023 Delray Beach Open on Tuesday 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 to reach the round of 16 in his ATP Tour main draw debut.

Pecotić, ranked No. 784 in the world, defeated Sock in two hours and 10 minutes. He rattled off 10 aces and 30 winners to overcome the American.

"You've got to be realistic," Pecotić said, per ESPN. "This is a former top-10 guy with an incredible amount of tennis experience and a huge serve. He came out serving 134 mph on the first serve. It would be arrogant to think I'm going to come out and expect to win.

"But I figured if I could sink my teeth into the match and work on the two or three patterns I prepared before, that I'm going to have a chance."

Pecotić told reporters after the stunning victory that he had to leave work early in order to compete in the match.

"I'm going to have to ask for another day off tomorrow," he joked.

The Croatian began his professional tennis career in 2014 after a standout collegiate career at Princeton, where he was a three-time Ivy League Player of the Year. He was once ranked No. 206 in 2015, but he had to put his tennis career on hold after complications from stomach surgery just before the 2016 Australian Open.

While he was recovering from surgery, Pecotić attended Harvard Business School, where he rediscovered his love for tennis. During this time, he won an ITF Futures event in Cancun in May 2019.

"I absolutely love this game, and I know it's not forever and I'm 33," Pecotić said.

"I try to maximize each day. I try to train every morning if I can, five, six times a week. Sometimes I train with my boss, who is 70 years old. This week I trained with a guy who is probably in his late 50s. But you find creative ways to work around it."

Pecotić is now set to face world No. 55 Marcos Giron in the round of 16 on Wednesday. Giron boasts a singles record of 59-68. His best finish in a Grand Slam event came in 2021 when he reached the third round of the French Open.