James Blake
James Blake
James Riley Blakeis an American retired professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. During his career, Blake had amassed 24 singles finals appearances, while his career-high singles ranking was World No. 4. His career highlights included reaching the final of the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup, the semifinals of the Beijing Olympics and the quarterfinals of the Australian Openand US Open, as well as being the former American No. 1. His two titles for the...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionTennis Player
Date of Birth28 December 1979
CountryUnited States of America
We weren't sure if I was ever really going to be back to a 100 percent, if I was ever going to be back to this level again. I said whatever tournament I win, the next Grand Slam, you have to wear a gold tooth for the whole time I'm in the tournament.
If I'm up two sets to one and a break, I'm not going to start getting ahead of myself, thinking, 'This is Andre Agassi, the legend, I'm going to beat,' ... I'm just going to try to keep the same maturity and the same focus and perspective I've had so far this tournament and this whole year.
I know I'm not in a Hollywood script, otherwise I probably would have won a lot more this year. I've always known I had a chance to go deep in a major or go and win a tournament and play with these guys because I can put together a good set here, a good match there. I don't think of it as fate or anything. I think it's a lot of hard work.
The only thing I don't like about this job is the travelling but here I don't have to. I sleep in my own bed, I have dinner with my mum or my friends and I feel at home on the court too.
This summer is a little better than last summer, ... I can actually sit here without feeling I am going to fall off the chair. I can actually smile, and, yeah, I definitely feel so much better and I am enjoying it a whole lot. And it does put a few things in perspective and I am just so happy to be playing and now that it is going well and I feel like I'm healthy. I feel like things are starting to go my way, it's such a good feeling.
To be in the quarterfinals is pretty unexpected for most people. But I didn't feel like it was that absurd to think that I could be here, and hopefully even further.
To be in the quarterfinals is pretty unexpected for most people, ... But I didn't feel like it was that absurd to think that I could be here, and hopefully even further.
We got him back, ... He was one of the team members when they beat us in Paris. It's a good feeling. I knew it was going to be this way when I heard how many fans were coming out and how many of my fans were going to be here. It's a good feeling when they're on your side.
This was the most fun I've had losing,
To hear them get fired up, it just makes it that much more emotional, ... If I'm down, I know I have them to count on to pick me up pretty quickly and not let myself get too far down on myself.
You have to play pretty close to perfect.
Even though individually I didn't have the best of weekends, I consider this week a 100 percent total and complete success.
Being this close to home, you really can't beat it with this crowd, ... I'm staying in my own bed, being around so many friends, people that go way back, that know me from when I was a kid, is something that is very rare on tour. We travel the world, so it's very seldom that we're in our hometown.
Being around so many friends, people who are supporting me, people I have known since I was a kid, is a great feeling, ... You travel the world, and it is very seldom that we are in our hometown.