Most people, when they sneak out of the office a bit early, might take care of some personal business or slip into happy hour after a hard day. Matija Pecotic heads to tennis tournaments.
The full-time real estate professional shocked the tennis world Tuesday by upsetting the former eighth best player in the world (and currently ranked number 47) at the Delray Beach Open. The streak came to an end Wednesday, however, and it’s back to the world of private equity
It was one hell of a Cinderella story for a while there, though.
Pecotic, who played pro at one time, but withdrew when he had complications after surgery, beat Jack Sock 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 in a two-hour, 10-minute match on Tuesday.
"I had to leave work early today," Pecotic said. "I had to send an email to the whole team. [My boss] let me off. I'm going to have to ask for another day off tomorrow."
That hooky seems to have been forgiven by his boss, who sometimes trains with him and watched the match from the players’ box on court.
The unlikely story came to an end Wednesday, however, when Pecotic faced American Marcos Giron, who beat him 6-3, 6-3. Pecotic will return to Wexford Real Estate Investors, where he has sourced capital for the past year.
Pecotic’s start in the tournament wasn’t quite as impressive as Tuesday’s victory. Pecotic won just three games in the opening round of a Cleveland ATP Tour Challenger event two weeks ago, but his victory over Sock set up a tie with Giron in the round of 16.
"I absolutely love this game and I know it's not forever and I'm 33," he said after his victory over Sock.
