"The crowd was obviously all against us": Jack Sock reveals being 'most hated' after defeating Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal in Laver Cup

Former American tennis player Jack Sock has revealed that he was amongst the most hated tennis players in the world because he won a doubles contest in the Laver Cup against legendary tennis stars Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Both players are regarded as two of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category in the Open era, having won more than 20 and 22 Grand Slams, respectively.

Both players teamed up in a famous Laver Cup tie in 2022, but surprisingly, they lost to Frances Tiafoe and Sock. Much to the despair of tennis lovers, that match turned out to be the last one for the Swiss legendary tennis star, who retired from the sport in September after struggling with fitness concerns.

Sock recently spoke to the Nothing Major podcast, where he stated that he felt like the most ‘hated’ tennis player in the world after being part of the team that defeated the pair of Nadal and Federer. He also explained how difficult it was to play arguably the most loved players in men’s tennis history.

"We were the most hated people in sports! It was definitely the strangest match of my entire career,” he said. “I wasn't sure how Federer would play that match since he was coming back from an injury. The crowd was obviously all against us as is normal when you play against Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal who are two of the GOATs of our sport. Even our World team bench didn't cheer for us too much because there was huge respect for Roger Federer. We left the court as quickly as possible after winning the match because we wanted to keep the spotlight entirely for Roger Federer so that he could take all the time he needed for that moment. But definitely after that match it was the moment in which I felt and received on my skin the most hate, the most criticism than I have received in my entire career. For at least 48 hours we were among the most hated people in the entire world of sports. It was brutal and this wave never stopped.”