After starting over in the rankings, a more mature Jack Sock is "ready to do some damage again"

WATCH: Stefanos Tsitsipas defeats Jack Sock in the 2022 Indian Wells second round.

A few weeks ago in Indian Wells, Jack Sock came within two points of a major upset over world No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round. On Thursday at the Miami Open, the American came agonizingly close again against a rock-solid Miomir Kecmanovic, a player ranked nearly 100 places higher than his No. 144, but eventually bowed out, 7-6 (3), 6-4.

Sock will depart from the Sunshine Swing with a 1-2 main-draw record on paper, but he should take confidence that he’s on the right track in his road back from injury. The 29-year-old is not yet the same player he was at the height of his powers in 2017, when he peaked at world No. 8 and claimed a Masters 1000 trophy, but the signs are coming together that, as long as he stays healthy, we could soon see him back at his best.

Sock was nominated for the ATP’s Comeback Player of the Year award last year, after his career was nearly derailed in 2019 by a right thumb injury, which required surgery to repair torn ligaments. He dropped out of the ATP Rankings entirely at the end of that season, leaving him wondering if a comeback would even be possible.

“Everyone knows the road back is basically starting over. I didn’t even have a number next to my name for a ranking. There was definitely a real conversation whether we were going to do this or not,” Sock reflected during last year’s US Open.

“I’m happy with what I’ve done in my career. I would say I’ve had a very successful career to this point, but we did feel there was still some, if not a lot left in the tank and a lot of good tennis still ahead of me.

"Maybe some of my best tennis is still ahead of me. I’m just trying to prove that one week at a time, one match at a time."

From zero, Sock built his ranking back little by little, at ATP Challenger events, qualifying tournaments and taking wild cards. The COVID-19 pandemic halted his comeback just a few weeks after he earned his first ranking points, and by the time he made his way back on tour at an ATP 250 in Newport last year, he was sitting at No. 231.

His victory at the Little Rock Challenger last June marked his first tournament win at any level in almost four years.

“It is mentally wrapping your mind around, ‘Hey, I used to be Top 10, I used to be seeded at Slams, I used to get byes at tour events,’” Sock said. “Now it’s, ‘Play Challengers and work your way back up.’ You literally have zero points, so the mental grind is definitely tougher than the physical.”

Now more than a year into his return to action, Sock looks like he’s been settling into the grind just fine. He has an 8-5 record on the season across all levels, with a run to the quarterfinals at a Challenger in Columbus. At the tour level, he has increasingly shown that he can go toe-to-toe against the best in the rankings: in Delray Beach, he gave eventual champion Reilly Opelka a handful in their 6-7 (6), 7-6 (4), 6-1 battle, before pushing world No. 5 Tsitsipas in a third-set tiebreak at Indian Wells, 7-6 (5), 3-6, 7-6 (5).

And in between, Sock has been back to his winning ways in doubles—where his ranking once peaked at world No. 2. Sock, who has won three Grand Slams and the ATP Finals in doubles, added another Masters 1000 trophy to his cabinet at Indian Wells. He partnered with countryman John Isner for a repeat of their 2018 victory, defeating top team Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic along the way.

“I feel great,” he said after the Indian Wells final. “I played some great singles here, too. I wasn’t able to get it done against one of the best players in our game, but I think I’m definitely back to some of my best form if not ever.

“I feel more mature, more patient out there. I’m ready to do some damage again.”