Rafael Nadal vs. Jack Sock: Score and Reaction from 2015 French Open

Coming into the French Open, Rafael Nadal was playing perhaps the worst tennis of his career. It appears a trip to Roland Garros has cured all of those ills.

Nadal had few issues with fourth-round opponent Jack Sock on Monday, defeating the unseeded American 6-3, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2. The win extends Nadal's record-setting consecutive victories streak at the French Open and sets up what should be an excellent quarterfinals matchup with top-seeded Novak Djokovic.

"To have any chance against him I have to play my real best tennis," Nadal said, per the Associated Press (via Edmonton Journal).

The Spaniard wasted little time early with Sock, coming out aggressive and looking as close to top form as we've seen all season. He faced only seven break points the entire match, combining accuracy with a stellar first-serve percentage to stay in control.

Sock, the last American remaining in the field, looked every bit like a 22-year-old playing on the biggest stage of his singles career. He put less than half of his first serves in play, double-faulted nine times and had 44 unforced errors. While a competitive third set allowed him to save face a bit, Sock was fighting an insurmountable uphill battle.

“Obviously as a tennis player, when you play Roger at Wimbledon or playing Rafa here, there’s a few of those matchups and scenarios where it’s the greatest of all time on that surface,” Sock said, per Christopher Clarey of the New York Times.

Sock, who had never previously reached the fourth round of a major, upset 10th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets and had looked strong throughout his run. But from the opening set, it was clear he wasn't showing the same form.

Sock double-faulted twice and was broken three times in the first set, which saw Nadal pepper the lines with a series of strong shots. The lone "victory" for Sock during the set was taking advantage of a single break-point opportunity. Nadal played 13 net points to set an aggressive tone, and while he had some uncharacteristic unforced errors, his decisions paid off more than they didn't.

The second set featured more of the same, with Nadal dominating while Sock tried desperately to find his game. The nine-time French Open champion didn't face a break point and lost only three first-serve points. By contrast, Sock won 11 total points the entire set. By the time he finally was able to hold serve and capture a game, it looked like it was but a mere gimme on the road to being steamrolled.

Sock's fighting spirit was on full display in the third set.

Taking advantage of every slight opportunity he was given, Sock forced a fourth set by making shots when they counted. He broke Nadal on three occasions, including the deciding game that gave him a 7-5 victory. Those breaks came on just three opportunities, as Sock would not allow Nadal a chance to recapture momentum.

Other than a downtick in Nadal's service point wins, the set didn't appear all that different in form. Sock had four double-faults, more unforced errors than winners and was broken twice himself. 

That string of luck regressed hard to the mean in the fourth set. After converting each of his first four break-point opportunities, Sock went 0-of-3 in the fourth. Nadal couldn't clean up his serve accuracy but did much better on second serves and was downright dominant anytime he got near the net. He took the final three games of the set, as Sock had 12 unforced errors against just five winners.

Of course, most came into Monday assuming this matchup was a mere prelude to a clash between Djokovic and Nadal. The pair came into Roland Garros essentially considered co-favorites. Djokovic has been a one-man wrecking crew all season, winning five titles and all but lapping the field in the world rankings. He was 13-0 on clay prior to his fourth-round matchup with Richard Gasquet, including a win over Nadal at the Monte Carlo Masters. 

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Nadal, even though he's looked fine at Roland Garros, was considered a contender mostly by Ric Flair rules. To be the man, you have to beat the man. Nadal has been the man for a decade at the French Open, winning a record nine times and losing only once overall.

His dominance over Djokovic on clay has been perhaps the Serb's biggest career failure, as he's failed to knock off Nadal's reign on multiple occasions. The French Open is the only major that Djokovic needs to finish off his career Grand Slam. With Nadal's level of play trending downward and Djokovic on his way to perhaps his best season, many pegged him as the man who would finally finish the job.

It's time to find out.

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