James Blake has to be recognized as one of the most distinctive American tennis players of the last decade – an extremely athletic, agile and intelligent competitor who remained at the top despite a lot of setbacks and injuries. James Blake was born on December 28, 1979 in Yonkers, New York, but he grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut. The athlete graduated from the prestigious Harvard University where Blake became a distinguished college player, and after graduation Blake stepped onto the ATP Tour, becoming one of the top rivals of his time. Besides being very athletic, Blake was also famous for his graciousness, sportsmanship and humor.
Biography summary
Blake's way to success in professional tennis was not easy; nevertheless, Blake's biography differs significantly from those of other tennis professionals. First of all, Blake became a very good tennis player when he was a child. Later Blake entered Harvard University where Blake became an outstanding college player. By playing in college Blake could compete with other talented American players and develop his skills in choosing shots and creating points. Blake has never claimed to be an entertaining player; however, Blake has always been very accurate and athletic – these qualities helped Blake to adapt easily to professional tennis. So in 1999 Blake turned pro.
Joining the ATP Tour, Blake had to reveal not only his athletic but also mental abilities since tennis is a very tough game for both body and spirit. Unfortunately, the early period of Blake's professional career was rather hard and unsuccessful. Blake faced many difficulties; nevertheless, Blake did not give up and, thanks to his perseverance and tenacity, Blake won the hearts of many tennis fans.
Breakthrough on tour
Blake made a breakthrough on tour during the middle of the decade; nevertheless, Blake's performance perfectly matched Blake's image as an intelligent competitor who could manage every situation on court. In 2005 Blake reached the quarterfinals of the US Open – one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments, requiring a huge amount of mental toughness from every player. Blake managed to face this challenge and so became a genuine contender.
Next year Blake reached his personal best ranking on the ATP Tour (No. 4), so Blake proved to be a member of the tennis elite. For an American player the ranking in the top five should be considered a valuable achievement in the era of numerous players of different styles and such famous athletes as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Blake's game could be described as effective – Blake used early striking, redirecting of pace and incredible agility to win games.
Blake managed to reach the quarterfinals of another Grand Slam event – the 2008 Australian Open – and in this way proved his ability to play successfully on different surfaces. Besides, Blake was always an essential member of the U.S. team in Davis Cup competition and so contributed to the popularity of American men's tennis on the international arena. Blake's success was not only in Blake's wins, but also in the fact that even without major titles Blake attracted attention with his performance in major events.
Blake's career has also been distinguished by the extraordinary resilience of this player since Blake returned to the tour despite injuries and competed with younger, stronger and physically tougher players. So Blake was a unique representative of tennis who attracted attention not only by wins, but also by the road Blake travelled. Blake played his last professional match after the US Open in 2013.
Beyond the baseline
Blake has become very famous not only for Blake's wins on court, but also for Blake's memoirs. Blake is a very thoughtful player who is interested in lots of things besides his professional career, so Blake wrote a book, "Breaking Back," in 2007 which became a bestseller. Blake is a good speaker and so Blake succeeded in telling his story and describing all hardships and joys Blake felt being a tennis player.
Blake has also distinguished himself on court by his nontraditional style of playing. Blake has been an aggressive baseliner who used incredible speed, compact and elegant swing (although Blake does not look very big) to win games. Blake has always been a very confident player and could surprise his opponents by changing direction suddenly, stepping inside to hit the ball or covering huge distances.
Conclusion
James Blake is one of the few tennis players who have distinguished themselves not only by athletic skills and wins, but also by lots of other things. Blake is a Harvard graduate, has been ranked No. 4 in the world, reached the quarterfinals of Grand Slams and has written a bestseller. All these facts make Blake's biography very interesting.