James Blake - USA 
| Birth Date:
| 12/28/1979 |
Age:
| 33 |
| Birth Place:
| Yonkers, New York, USA |
Residence:
| Tampa, Florida, USA |
| Height:
| 6'1" (185 cm) |
Weight:
| 183 lbs (83 kg) |
| Year Turned Pro:
| 1999 (13 years on tour) |
Plays:
| Right-handed |
| Official Website:
| N/A |
Twitter:
| |
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A former Top 5 player, the United States’ James Blake has won 10 career singles titles and reached the quarterfinals of three Grand Slams. Injury has limited him time and again in his career, and he is currently ranked No. 135 in the world.
His career peaked between 2006 and 2008, when he was routinely ranked in the Top 10. He first entered the Top 100 in 2001, beginning the year out of the Top 200, but moving into the Top 100 when he reached the third round at Cincinnati, upsetting No. 11 Arnaud Clement in the process. He moved up even more when he reached the semifinal at Tokyo, losing to No. 3 Lleyton Hewitt. By winning the year-end Challenger in Knoxville, he finished the year ranked 71st.
His rapid ascension continued in 2002, as he upset No. 16 Alex Corretja in the first round of the Australian Open and reaching the finals at Memphis, upsetting No. 5 Tommy Haas in the quarterfinals. He reached the fourth round at Miami with two upsets of Top 20 players, and the quarterfinals at Rome. Blake made the second round at both the French Open and Wimbledon, then reached the finals at Newport. He entered Washington D.C. ranked 32nd and shocked the field by winning the tournament, defeating No. 6 Andre Agassi in the semifinals. He followed it with a third-round appearance in the US Open, pushing No. 1 Hewitt to five sets before falling. He finished the season ranked No. 28.
He slipped slightly in 2003, ending the season ranked 37th. His best showings were a fourth-round appearance at the Australian Open and a quarterfinal appearance at Indian Wells.
The next season, 2004, was one that Blake would like to forget, but one that turned him into an American icon for his resilience. He reached the quarterfinal at Indian Wells and was ranked in the Top 45 heading into the Masters at Rome when he slipped on the clay, collided with the net post and suffered a broken neck. Three months later, his father died of stomach cancer and Blake developed shingles, which not only blurred his vision but also temporarily paralyzed half of his face. Despite the hardships, Blake returned to the court at Newport in July, but only played five matches the rest of the year. Unable to defend his points, he dropped to 97th by year’s end.
He made a remarkable comeback in 2005. He struggled mightily early in the year, plunging to 210th in the rankings by the middle of April. Deciding his game needed significant work, Blake entered several Challenger events, winning the first two tournaments he played in then getting beat in the second round at the French Open and the first round at Wimbledon. Blake made a triumphant return to the tour at Washington DC, reaching the final before losing to Andy Roddick. The run saw Blake rise from 101st to 70th in the rankings. Two weeks later, he won New Haven to jump to 49th entering the US Open, where he shocked No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the third round but fell to No. 7 Agassi in the quarterfinals. His hot streak continued in Stockholm, where he won another title to move into the Top 25, finishing the year ranked 23rd.
His luck turning 180 degrees from 2004, Blake put together his finest campaign in 2006. He started the season by winning Sydney then reached the third round of the Australian Open. He won Las Vegas over Hewitt to crack the Top 20 for the first time, then reached the finals of Indian Wells, defeating Nadal in the semifinals before falling to Roger Federer in the final. The huge points grab saw Blake soar into the Top 10 at No. 9. He reached the finals at the Queen’s Club to rise to No. 7, won Indianapolis over Roddick to move to No. 5, made the US Open quarterfinals before losing to Federer and closed his season with wins at Bangkok and Stockholm to wind up ranked fourth.
He slipped out of the Top 10 by the end of 2007 but was still a major force on tour, ranked 13th. He defended his title at Sydney and reached the fourth-round of the Australian Open. He added a third-round appearance at Wimbledon, but was upset by No. 101 Radek Stepanek in the finals at Los Angeles. He was brilliant through the rest of the US Open series, losing to Federer in the finals at Cincinnati, then defeating fellow American Mardy Fish for the crown at New Haven. Blake lost in the fourth round of the US Open and in the semifinals at Stockholm.
He was back to No. 10 at the end of 2008. He was shocked in the first round at Sydney after winning the title there the two years previous, but made up for it with his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, falling to Federer in the semifinals at the Australian. The Australian was the first of six straight ATP events in which Blake reached at least the quarterfinals, allowing him to climb back within the Top 10.
In 2009, Blake’s came began turning slowly south. He played fewer tournaments as injuries began to nag at him, although he started the season by reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open and the semifinals at San Jose. He did not get beyond the third round again until reaching the finals at Estoril in May, and did so again at the Queen’s Club in June, falling to Roddick. Blake was bounced in the first round of both the French Open and Wimbledon, but rallied to the third round at the US Open. The rest of the year, he compiled a 3-4 record and slid to 44th in the rankings.
The wheels came completely off the wagon for Blake in 2010 as he dropped out of the Top 100 for the first time since 2001. After making the quarterfinals at Delray Beach in late February, he lost four of his next five matches, missing the French Open and falling in the first round at Wimbledon to 151st-seeded Robin Haase. He also engaged in a verbal dispute with TV commentator Pam Shriver during the match, complaining of her loud voice during points.
Unable to defend very few points between March and July saw Blake plummet in the rankings from 52nd to 110th. He received a controversial wild card for the US Open in his native New York, and generous draw, wiping out players ranked 321st and 205th in the first two rounds before being dominated by No. 3 Novak Djokvoic in the round of 32.
Year-End Singles Rankings: 1999 – 220th; 2000 – 212nd; 2001 – 71st; 2002 – 28th; 2003 – 37th; 2004 – 97th; 2005 – 23rd; 2006 – 4th; 2007 – 13th; 2008 – 10th; 2009 – 44th; 2010 – 135th.
Personal
Began playing tennis at age five with brother Thomas, who was an all-American at Harvard. When he was 13, he was diagnosed with severe scoliosis, which required him to wear a back brace most of the day.Went to high school with popular American singer John Mayer. Saw Arthur Ashe speak at the Harlem Junoir Tennis Program as a child, and counts it as his inspiration to play professional tennis. In 2006-2007, he was named People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive.” In 2007, he released an autobiography “Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life,” which reached No. 15 on the New York Times Best Seller List. Has twice taken batting practice with Major League Baseball squads – the Houston Astros and Florida Marlins – and hit two home runs in each session.