Sock had revealed earlier that his coach had nicknamed him ‘Showtime’ because he always loved playing in front of the people, and the showman was at his peak at London’s O2 Arena on Tuesday. The incident took place in the tie-breaker of the final set with Cilic leading 4-3. The fierce rally ensued with Cilic’s serve that was returned comfortably by Sock, who looked determined to get things going after coming back from a first set loss.

It was during the fourth exchange when Cilic’s backhand shot hit the tape on the net and the ball fell into Sock’s court well short of the American, who was standing at the baseline. But, the Nebraska man showed brilliant persistence and athleticism to reach the ball that needed a full stretch and sliced the dropping ball with a backhand slice with impeccable pace and placement. Cilic, who was advancing towards the net anticipating such a shot was left stunned by Sock, whose shot fell wide and behind him before taking a backspin.