James Blake

Country	United States
Residence	Saddlebrook, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Date of birth	December 28, 1979 (1979-12-28) (age 28)
Place of birth	Yonkers, New York, U.S.
Height	6 ft 1 in (1. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1065 - Westminster Abbey is Consecrated. 1308 - The reign of Emperor Hanazono, Emperor of Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Yonkers is the fourth largest city in the US State of New York (behind Rochester, Buffalo, and New York City) and the largest city in The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. 85 m)
Weight	183 lb (83 kg/13. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass 1 st)
Turned pro	1999
Plays	Right-handed; one-handed backhand
Career prize money	US$5,659,493
Singles
Career record:	270–160
Career titles:	10
Highest ranking:	No. The stone is a unit of Weight. It is part of the Imperial system of weights and measures used in the British Isles, and formerly used in most The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 4 (November 20, 2006)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open	QF (2008)
French Open	3R (2006)
Wimbledon	3R (2006, 2007)
US Open	QF (2005, 2006)
Doubles
Career record:	85–84
Career titles:	5
Highest ranking:	No. Events 284 - Diocletian was chosen as Roman Emperor. 762 - Bögü Khan of the Uyghurs, Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments held each year The French Open ( Les Internationaux de France de Roland Garros or Tournoi de Roland-Garros) is a major Tennis tournament held over The Championships Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest Tennis tournament in the world and is widely considered as the most prestigious The US Open Tennis tournament is one of the oldest tennis championships in the world first contested in 1881 31 (March 31, 2003)
Infobox last updated on: May 12, 2008. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1191 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common

James Riley Blake^[1] (born December 28, 1979 in Yonkers, New York, United States) is an American professional tennis player and is currently the 8^th ranked player in the world as of April 7, 2008. Events 1065 - Westminster Abbey is Consecrated. 1308 - The reign of Emperor Hanazono, Emperor of Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Yonkers is the fourth largest city in the US State of New York (behind Rochester, Buffalo, and New York City) and the largest city in The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Tennis is a sport played between two players ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles) Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common He is the second-ranked American player behind Andy Roddick. Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick (born August 30 1982 is an American professional Tennis player and a former World No Blake is known for his speed and powerful forehands. In 2006 he reached the final of the Tennis Masters Cup but lost to World No. The 2006 Tennis Masters Cup was a Tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. The Tennis Masters Cup is a Tennis tournament played at the end of each year involving the top eight players in the men's tennis world rankings 1 Roger Federer in three sets, 6–0, 6–3, 6–4. Roger Federer (ˈrɒdʒə ˈfɛdərər born August 8 1981 is a Swiss professional Tennis player who is currently ranked World No On July 3, 2007, Blake's book, Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life, discussing his comeback after his unlucky 2004 season, was released and debuted at #22 on the New York Times bestseller list. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. He wrote this book along with Andrew Friedman. Andrew Friedman (born in Houston Texas, United States is the Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations for the Tampa Bay Rays franchise in Major League

Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 2000–2001 2.2 2002–2003 2.3 2004 2.4 2005 2.5 2006 2.6 2007 2.7 2008 3 Playing Style 4 Equipment 5 Career Highlights 6 Notable Matches 7 Personal life 8 Tennis Masters Cup singles finals 8.1 Runner-up (1) 9 ATP Masters Series singles finals 9.1 Runner-up (2) 10 Career finals (29) 10.1 Singles wins (10) 10.2 Singles runner-ups (12) 10.3 Doubles wins (5) 10.4 Doubles runner-ups (2) 11 Grand Slam singles performance timeline 12 Notes 13 External links

Early life

Blake was born in Yonkers, New York to African-American father Tommy Sr. Yonkers is the fourth largest city in the US State of New York (behind Rochester, Buffalo, and New York City) and the largest city in African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa and White British mother Betty. " White British " was a racially -based classification used by the 2001 census. ^[2] He has a brother, Thomas Jr., who is also a professional tennis player, and three older half-brothers, Jason, Christopher, and Howard, and a half-sister, Michelle. Thomas Blake Jr (born 29 December 1976) is an American professional Tennis player

Blake started playing tennis at age five alongside his brother Thomas. When 13, he was diagnosed with severe scoliosis and for five years as a teenager, he was forced to wear a full-length back brace for 18 hours a day, though not while playing tennis. Scoliosis is a medical condition in which a person's spine is curved from side to side and may also be rotated A back brace is a device designed to limit the motion of the spine in cases of Fracture or in post-operative fusions Blake attended Fairfield Warde High School (then called Fairfield High School), in Fairfield, Connecticut. Fairfield Warde High School is a Co-educational Secondary school located in Fairfield Connecticut, United States. Fairfield is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. A schoolmate was future musician John Mayer. A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a John Clayton Mayer (; born October 16 1977 is an American musician Blake was inspired to pursue tennis after hearing his role model, Arthur Ashe, speak to the Harlem Junior Tennis Program. Arthur Robert Ashe Jr ( July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was an African American Tennis player who was born and raised Brian Barker was his first (and current) coach. He dropped out of Harvard University after his sophomore year to pursue a career in professional tennis.

Career

2000–2001

At the age 21, Blake saw his first Davis Cup action in 2001 against India and became the third African-American heritage to play the Davis Cup for the United States (after Arthur Ashe and MaliVai Washington). The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's Tennis. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's Tennis. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Arthur Robert Ashe Jr ( July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was an African American Tennis player who was born and raised MaliVai 'Mal' Washington (first name mælɨˈviːə mal-i-VEE-a) (born June 20 1969 in Glen Cove, New York is a former professional Tennis player

Ranked No. 120 in the world, Blake accepted a wild card into AMS Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Masters is an annual Tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. He beat a qualifier and Arnaud Clement to reach the round of 16 where he met Patrick Rafter. Arnaud Clément (born December 17, 1977) is a professional Tennis player from France. Patrick "Pat" Michael Rafter (born 28 December 1972 is a retired Australian former World No Blake came close to winning the first set (falling in a tiebreak), and after dropping the second set, Rafter, according to Blake's autobiography, complimented him at the net and boosted his confidence immeasurably by saying "Now do you believe you can beat someone like me, or even me?"

2002–2003

In January, Blake won the 2002 USTA Waikola Challenger in Hawaii. The USTA Waikoloa Challenger is one of the series of Challenger Events on the United States Tennis Association circuit The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the A month later, in Memphis, he posted his first win over a top-ten ranked opponent, Tommy Haas, who was then ranked fifth, and reached the finals, losing to Andy Roddick. Tommy Haas (born April 3, 1978 in Hamburg) is a German Tennis player who plays right-handed Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick (born August 30 1982 is an American professional Tennis player and a former World No He posted solid results over the summer, reaching the quarterfinals at the ATP Masters Series (AMS) event in Rome in May and then the finals at Newport in July. The ATP Masters Series is a series of nine Tennis tournaments that are part of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP tour held annually throughout the year

In August in Cincinnati, he won his first career ATP Tour title and his first ATP Masters Series title: it came in doubles with Todd Martin and it made Blake the first African-American male to win a title of any kind in Cincinnati's 101-year history. The Cincinnati Masters is an annual Tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. Todd Christopher Martin (born July 8 1970, in Hinsdale Illinois) a native of East Lansing Michigan, is a former professional He was also the first African-American to reach a final in Cincinnati since 1969 when Arthur Ashe reached the doubles finals with Charlie Pasarell. Arthur Robert Ashe Jr ( July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was an African American Tennis player who was born and raised Charles "Charlie" Pasarell (born June 12, 1944, San Juan Puerto Rico) is a former American Tennis player and commentator The next week in Washington, he won his first ATP Tour singles title by beating Andre Agassi in the semifinals and Paradorn Srichaphan in the final. Andre Kirk Agassi (born April 29 1970 is a former World No 1 professional American Tennis player who won eight Grand Slam singles tournaments Paradorn Srichaphan (ภราดร ศรีชาพันธุ์ born June 14, 1979) is a Professional Tennis player from Thailand

At the U.S. Open, he reached the third round before falling to top-ranked Lleyton Hewitt in five sets. The US Open Tennis tournament is one of the oldest tennis championships in the world first contested in 1881 Lleyton Glynn Hewitt ( IPA: /ˈleɪtʌn ˈhjuːʌt/ (born 24 February 1981 is a former World No

In 2003 his best results were a quarterfinal showing at AMS Indian Wells; a Round of 16 finish at the Australian Open, AMS Cincinnati and AMS Miami; a semifinal appearance at San Jose; and a finals appearance at Long Island. The Indian Wells Masters is an annual Tennis tournament held in the small city of Indian Wells, California. The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments held each year The Cincinnati Masters is an annual Tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The Miami Masters is an annual Tennis tournament for men and women held at Key Biscayne, in Miami, Florida.

2004

The year of 2004 was an especially difficult year for Blake. While practicing with Robby Ginepri for the Masters event being held in Rome, he broke his neck when he slipped on the clay and collided with the net post. Robby Ginepri (born October 7 1982) is an American Tennis player who turned professional in 2001 The Rome Masters is an annual Tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. In July his father died as a result of stomach cancer. Stomach or gastric cancer can develop in any part of the Stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs particularly the Esophagus and At the same time, Blake developed shingles, which temporarily paralyzed half his face and blurred his sight. Herpes zoster (or simply zoster) commonly known as shingles, is a Viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with Blisters in a limited

With all these stresses and setbacks occurring all at once, Blake's future in tennis was in serious jeopardy.

2005

Blake's injuries and personal issues caused him to post relatively poor results for the first half of 2005, and by April his ranking was at No. 210. Blake made the decision to play the Challenger circuit, the "minor leagues" of tennis, in order to gain confidence and get more matches. In May, he entered Challenger events in Tunica, Mississippi, and Forest Hills, New York, and won both. He then rejoined the ATP circuit, and by August he was playing well enough to reach the final at the International Series event in Washington D. C. , where he fell to Roddick.

He was then given a wild card into AMS Cincinnati, where he drew Federer in the first round. The Cincinnati Masters is an annual Tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The following week he entered and won the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament in New Haven, Connecticut, defeating Feliciano Lopez in the final. The Pilot Pen Tennis (currently known as the Pilot Pen Tennis presented by Schick for sponsorship reasons is a professional Tennis Feliciano López Diaz-Guerra (born on September 20, 1981) is a Spanish professional male tennis player

His efforts that summer helped him re-enter the ATP Top 50, and after New Haven he was ranked No. 49.

Blake then accepted a wildcard into the US Open, where he defeated No. The US Open Tennis tournament is one of the oldest tennis championships in the world first contested in 1881 2 Rafael Nadal in the round of 32. Rafael Nadal Parera (rafaˈel naˈðal (born June 3 1986 is a Spanish professional Tennis player who has been ranked World No In the round of 16, he beat Tommy Robredo in four sets to reach the quarterfinals where he succumbed to Andre Agassi in a memorable fifth-set tiebreak after winning the first two sets. Tommy Robredo Garcés (born 1 May 1982 in Hostalric, Girona) is a professional Tennis player from Spain. Andre Kirk Agassi (born April 29 1970 is a former World No 1 professional American Tennis player who won eight Grand Slam singles tournaments He lost 3–6, 3–6, 6–3, 6–3, 7–6 (6).

In October at the Stockholm Open in Sweden, Blake won his third ATP tour title, defeating Srichaphan in the final. The If Stockholm Open is an Tennis event on the ATP Tour held in Stockholm, Sweden in the end of October or beginning of November each year "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Blake finished 2005 ranked #22 in the world.

2006

Blake started the year strong, winning the title at Sydney to take his fourth ATP tour title. The Medibank International is a professional Tennis Tournament in Sydney, Australia, played annually at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP was formed in 1972 to protect the interests of male professional Tennis players He defeated Russian Igor Andreev in the final. Igor Valerievich Andreev (Игорь Валерьевич Андреев born July 14, 1983) is a Russian professional Tennis player born in

At the Australian Open he was seeded twentieth, and lost in the third round to Spaniard Tommy Robredo. The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments held each year Tommy Robredo Garcés (born 1 May 1982 in Hostalric, Girona) is a professional Tennis player from Spain. Despite the loss, he cracked into the Top 20 for the first time in his career.

In March, he beat Hewitt in the final at Las Vegas for his fifth ATP tour title. The Tennis Channel Open is a Tennis tournament on the ATP International Series which was held for the first time in Las Vegas Nevada from

At the first AMS event of the year, Indian Wells, Blake defeated Robredo in the third round and world No. The Indian Wells Masters is an annual Tennis tournament held in the small city of Indian Wells, California. 2 Nadal in the semifinals to reach his first career ATP Masters Series singles final. He would lose in the final to Federer, but by reaching the finals of that event, Blake became the first African-American man since Arthur Ashe to reach the world's top 10. Arthur Robert Ashe Jr ( July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was an African American Tennis player who was born and raised

On clay, Blake defeated former world No. 1 Carlos Moyà in the first round at AMS Hamburg, and then lost to Mario Ancic in the third round. Carlos Moyà Llompart (born August 27 1976) also known as Carles Moyà, Carlos Moyá and Carlos Moya, is a former world number The Hamburg Masters, established in 1892 is an annual Tennis tournament for male professional players held in Hamburg, Germany. Mario Ančić (born March 30 1984 is a professional Tennis player from Croatia, and a graduate of Law from the University of Split.

At the French Open, he took down rising Spaniard Nicolas Almagro in four sets in the second round, to become the last remaining American man at the French. The French Open ( Les Internationaux de France de Roland Garros or Tournoi de Roland-Garros) is a major Tennis tournament held over Nicolas Almagro Sanchez Rolle ( Spanish: Nicolás Almagro Sánchez Rolle; born August 21, 1985 in Murcia, Spain) is However, in the next round, he was beaten by Frenchman Gaël Monfils in five sets. Gaël Monfils (ɡaɛl mɔ̃'fis (born on September 1, 1986 in Bobigny (near Paris) France) is a professional male Tennis

To start the grass court season, he made what many considered to be a surprising run at the Stella Artois Championships, reaching the finals, defeating Andy Roddick in the semifinal. The Queen's Club Championships is an annual tournament for male Tennis players held on grass courts at the Queen's Club in West Kensington Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick (born August 30 1982 is an American professional Tennis player and a former World No He lost to Lleyton Hewitt in the final. Lleyton Glynn Hewitt ( IPA: /ˈleɪtʌn ˈhjuːʌt/ (born 24 February 1981 is a former World No

At Wimbledon, Blake progressed to the third round, but lost to Max Mirnyi in five sets. The Championships Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest Tennis tournament in the world and is widely considered as the most prestigious Max Mirnyi (Максім Мірны Maksim Mirny; born July 6, 1977, in Minsk) is a professional Tennis player from Belarus [2]

Blake's first tournament after Wimbledon was at the International Series event at Indianapolis, and he went on to win the singles title by defeating Roddick (for the second time in 2006) in the final. Just by reaching the Indy final, Blake earned enough points to be ranked No. 5 in the world. He also lost in the third round to Marat Safin in Washington D. Marat Mikhailovich Safin (Марат Мөбин улы Сафин Marat Möbin ulı Safin Мара́т Миха́йлович (Муби́нович Са́фин /mɑ C. , and in the first round in New Haven to Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo. Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (born January 6, 1978 in Alicante, Spain) is a professional Male Tennis player from Spain

Blake didn't fare so well in the summer's biggest tournaments, losing in the second round to the eventual finalist in both of the summer ATP Masters Series events. At AMS Canada, he fell to Richard Gasquet (who would reach the final that week before losing to Roger Federer), and at AMS Cincinnati he lost to Juan Carlos Ferrero (who lost in the final to Andy Roddick). The Canada Masters (also long known as the Canadian Open) currently sponsored as the Rogers Cup, is an annual Tennis tournament held in The Cincinnati Masters is an annual Tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat (born February 12 1980) or JCF is a former World No

At the U.S. Open, Blake reached the quarterfinals where he lost to top seed and defending champion Roger Federer. The US Open Tennis tournament is one of the oldest tennis championships in the world first contested in 1881 Roger Federer (ˈrɒdʒə ˈfɛdərər born August 8 1981 is a Swiss professional Tennis player who is currently ranked World No In that match, Blake managed to win his first set against Federer, winning the third set in a tiebreaker (11–9).

In his debut appearance at the Thailand Open in Bangkok, Blake won his seventh singles title, defeating Jarkko Nieminen in the quarterfinal, Marat Safin in the semifinal, and Ivan Ljubičić for the first time in the final. The Thailand Open is a professional Tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. Bangkok, known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (krūŋtʰêːp máhǎːnákʰɔn) or Krung Thep ( for short is the Capital, largest Jarkko Nieminen (born July 23, 1981 in Masku, Finland) is a professional Tennis player from Finland Marat Mikhailovich Safin (Марат Мөбин улы Сафин Marat Möbin ulı Safin Мара́т Миха́йлович (Муби́нович Са́фин /mɑ Ivan Ljubičić ( ˈʎubitʃitɕ}} born March 19, 1979) is Croatian Tennis player

Just two weeks later, Blake won his fifth title of 2006, successfully defending his 2005 title in Stockholm, by defeating Jarkko Nieminen in the final. ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the Jarkko Nieminen (born July 23, 1981 in Masku, Finland) is a professional Tennis player from Finland

For the first time in his career, Blake qualified for the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai. The Tennis Masters Cup is a Tennis tournament played at the end of each year involving the top eight players in the men's tennis world rankings Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million Blake went 2–1 in the Gold Group, defeating world No. 2 Nadal and No. 3 Nikolay Davydenko, but losing, in an inconsequential match, against No. Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko (Николай Владимирович Давыденко born June 2, 1981 in Severodonetsk, Ukrainian SSR 6 Tommy Robredo. Tommy Robredo Garcés (born 1 May 1982 in Hostalric, Girona) is a professional Tennis player from Spain. Blake qualified for the semifinals, where he steamrolled defending champion David Nalbandian, 6–4, 6–1. David Nalbandian (born January 1 1982 is an Argentine-Armenian professional Tennis player who is ranked 7th in the world as of August 11 2008 He went on to the final against Federer, but lost the match in three sets. Blake finished 2006 at a career-high World Number 4, and also finished the year as the highest-ranked American tennis player.

2007

2007 prepared a great start for Blake, who collected his first title of the year at the Sydney International for second consecutive time. The Medibank International is a professional Tennis Tournament in Sydney, Australia, played annually at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis However, he then suffered a disappointing loss in the Round of 16 at the Australian Open, losing to tenth seed and eventual finalist Fernando Gonzalez 7–5, 6–4, 7–6 (4). Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi (born July 29, 1980) nicknamed El bombardero de La Reina ( Spanish "The La Reina He followed that up with a loss to Tomáš Berdych in Davis Cup play and a second round loss in the SAP Open (San Jose) to #103 ranked Ivo Karlović. Tomáš Berdych (ˈtomaːʃ ˈbɛrdɪx born September 17, 1985, in Valašské Meziříčí) is a professional Tennis player from the Czech Ivo Karlović (born 28 February, 1979 in Zagreb) is a Croatian Tennis player

At the 2007 Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas, as the defending champion, he was involved with a deep controversy. The 2007 Tennis Channel Open was a Tennis event on the 2007 ATP Tour. The Las Vegas metropolitan area includes the Las Vegas Valley a 600-square-mile (1600 km² basin and surrounding areas that is part of Clark County in southern It was one of the several tournaments experimenting with the new round robin format [3], and Blake had lost his first match to Evgeny Korolev. Korolev lost his other match to Juan Martin Del Potro. In order for Blake to advance to the quarters, he had to defeat Del Potro in straight sets while losing five games or less. This would result in a three-way tie, with Blake losing the fewest games. With Blake leading 6–1 3–1, Del Potro retired. This eliminated Del Potro from the three-way tie as he failed to complete one of his matches. Korolev then moved on to the next round, breaking the tie because he had defeated Blake in their match.

That caused a big uproar among fans, James Blake, and commentators, as they felt James Blake deserved to advance. After a press conference of many hours, the ATP, led by Etienne de Villiers, decided that, since Blake would have met the guidelines the way the match was going, and since neither player knew the consequences of retiring (Del Potro said he would have finished the match had he known), Blake would have advanced anyway. They overruled the tournament guidelines, giving Blake a place in the quarterfinals.

The following morning, De Villiers reversed his reversal deeming that it was unfair to Korolev as you shouldn't change the rules in mid-tournament, regardless of what happened. As a result, Korolev re-advanced to the quarterfinals, sending Blake to Indian Wells without a 3rd consecutive title defense. Shortly after this incident, the ATP decided to cancel the round robin format, reverting any tournaments planning a round robin draw to the standard single-elimination draw [4].

Roland Garros 2007 was a disappointment for Blake, losing in the first round to Ivo Karlovic 4–6 6–4 7–5 7–5. The 2007 French Open (Roland Garros was held in Paris, France from 27 May through to 10 June, 2007. Ivo Karlović (born 28 February, 1979 in Zagreb) is a Croatian Tennis player Blake was one of nine American men to lose in the first round of Roland Garros. This was the first time in the open era where an American had not made it into a Grand Slam second round.

In Wimbledon 2007, James reached the third round, matching his best showing there (2006), but was unable to get past former World Number 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, losing 3–6, 6–3, 6–3, 7–6. The 2007 Wimbledon Championships were held between 25 June and 8 July, 2007. Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat (born February 12 1980) or JCF is a former World No

During the summer hardcourt season, he advanced to his second career ATP Masters Series event and won a singles title. At AMS Cincinnati, he beat Alejandro Falla, Nicolas Kiefer, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Sam Querrey and Nikolay Davydenko en route to the final before falling to Roger Federer. The Cincinnati Masters is an annual Tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. Roger Federer (ˈrɒdʒə ˈfɛdərər born August 8 1981 is a Swiss professional Tennis player who is currently ranked World No He won the singles title at Penn Pilot in New Haven,CT, and started the North American hardcourt season by reaching the finals at Los Angeles, losing to Radek Stepanek in three sets, 7–6, 5–7, 6–2 after having three set points in the first set. Radek Štěpánek (born November 27, 1978 in Karviná) is a professional Tennis player from the Czech Republic.

In the second round of the 2007 U.S. Open, he won his first career five-set match against Fabrice Santoro, whom he defeated 6–4, 3–6, 6–2, 4–6, 6–4. The US Open Tennis tournament is one of the oldest tennis championships in the world first contested in 1881 Fabrice Vetea Santoro (born December 9, 1972) is a French professional male tennis player known for using both hands for every possible shot Blake made it to the fourth round, where he lost to No. 10 Tommy Haas in five sets, 4–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–0, 7–6(4), despite having match points in the fifth set. Tommy Haas (born April 3, 1978 in Hamburg) is a German Tennis player who plays right-handed

Blake and the rest of the US Davis Cup team defeated Sweden in September to reach the finals against Russia. See also 2007 Davis Cup Draw First Round Chile vs Russia France vs

James also participated in Madrid and Basel. In Madrid, he fell to former top ten star Mario Ančić in the second round. Mario Ančić (born March 30 1984 is a professional Tennis player from Croatia, and a graduate of Law from the University of Split. In Basel, he fell in the second round to Ivo Karlović. However, Blake teamed with former number one doubles player Mark Knowles of the Bahamas to make the final. Finals (84 Won (49 Runner-ups (37 The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an independent sovereign English -speaking country consisting of two thousand Cays and In the first round, he and Knowles upset U. S. Open champions Simon Aspelin and Julian Knowle in three sets. Simon Aspelin (born May 11, 1974 in Saltsjöbaden) is a professional doubles player ( Tennis) from Sweden who turned professional Julian Knowle is an Austrian male professional tennis player Being a born left-hander Knowle is one of now only few on the ATP Tour who plays his forehand In the semifinals, the team bore match points twelve times, and finally defeated Paul Hanley and Kevin Ullyett, the second seeds, 7–5 6–7 [12–10] with thirteen needed match points. Paul Hanley (born November 12, 1977 in Melbourne, Australia) is a professional Male tennis player from Australia Kevin Ullyett (born on May 23 1972 in Salisbury, now Harare) is a professional Tennis player from Zimbabwe. ^[3] Their luck, however, was halted by top seeds and top ranked Bob and Mike Bryan, who are Blake's Davis Cup teammates. Junior career Bob and Mike won their first doubles tournament at age 6 in a 10-and-under event Blake and Knowles lost 6–1 6–1. After the match, James quoted: "'Yes, they played as well I have seen them play in a while. It’s tough. I have seen them do it to a lot of guys in Davis Cup from the sidelines and know how little fun it is to face them. That’s the reason why they are the best doubles team in the world right now. [At the start of the week] I told Mark I had not won a lot of doubles matches this year, so I was glad to have him get me through a couple of wins. I had a great time and a lot of fun. Getting a chance to play with one of the best doubles players, really ever, was exciting for me. I learnt plenty and hopefully we’ll be better next time. '" ^[4]

Blake lost in the third round of Paris to Richard Gasquet and thus finished outside the top eight players, losing his chance to defend the points he gained as finalist in the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup. The Tennis Masters Cup is a Tennis tournament played at the end of each year involving the top eight players in the men's tennis world rankings

James Blake won his match in the 2007 Davis Cup finals against Mikhail Youzhny, 6–3, 7–6, 6–7, 7–6 (and also against Dmitry Tursunov). The 2007 Davis Cup was the 96th edition of the most important tournament between national teams in men's Tennis. Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny ( Russian: (mixaˈil ˈjuʒnɨj born June 25, 1982 in Moscow, USSR (now Russia) is a Dmitry Igorevich Tursunov ( Russian: Дми́трий И́горевич Турсу́нов ( (born December 12, 1982 in Moscow Andy Roddick won his match versus Tursunov and Bob and Mike Bryan won the doubles rubber over Igor Andreev and Nikolay Davydenko, sealing the Davis Cup win for the United States. Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick (born August 30 1982 is an American professional Tennis player and a former World No Igor Valerievich Andreev (Игорь Валерьевич Андреев born July 14, 1983) is a Russian professional Tennis player born in Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko (Николай Владимирович Давыденко born June 2, 1981 in Severodonetsk, Ukrainian SSR ^[5][6]

2008

James Blake began 2008 hoping to win his third consecutive Medibank International title. The Medibank International is a professional Tennis Tournament in Sydney, Australia, played annually at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis However, the defending champion bowed out of the tournament in the first round, losing to French veteran Fabrice Santoro(7–6, 6–2). Fabrice Vetea Santoro (born December 9, 1972) is a French professional male tennis player known for using both hands for every possible shot The third seed was said to be "uncharacteristic" in reference to his frustration.

At the Australian Open, Blake defeated his first round opponent, Chilean Nicolas Massu. The 2008 Australian Open was a Tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. Nicolás Alejandro Massú Fried (born October 10 1979, in Viña del Mar Chile) nicknamed Vampiro ( Spanish: "vampire" He then defeated compatriot Michael Russell (6–3 6–2 6–2). Michael Russell (Mike Russell (born 9 August 1953 in Bromley, Kent is a Member of the Scottish Parliament for the South of Scotland In the third round, he fought back from two sets down to best French veteran Sebastien Grosjean, who had beaten him in each of their three previous meetings. Sébastien René Grosjean (pronounced GROH-zhahn (born May 29, 1978, Marseille, France) is a professional Tennis player from

In the fourth round, Blake beat Marin Čilić in three sets to advance to the quarterfinals, his best showing yet down under. Marin Čilić (born on September 28, 1988 in Međugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, then part of Yugoslavia) is a tennis player from In the quarterfinal, James Blake faced world No. 1 Roger Federer, and fell in straight sets, 7–5, 7–6 ( 7–5) 6–4. Although out of the Australian Open, Blake's ranking jumped back into the Top 10 to No. 9 following his best performance down under yet.

In Davis Cup, the USA played Austria on clay. James defeated Stefan Koubek in four sets (5–7, 7–5, 6–2, 6–2). Despite being down 2–5 in the second set, James turned things around, helped in part by unforced errors by Koubek.

In Delray Beach, James made it to the final for the second consecutive year, but fell to No. 244 Kei Nishikori in three sets in the final. (born December 29, 1989 in Shimane, Japan) is a Japanese Tennis player In San Jose, he rebounded from that loss by defeating compatriot Sam Warburg in straight sets in the first round and Jesse Levine in straight sets in the second round. However, he lost to Robby Ginepri on the following round. Robby Ginepri (born October 7 1982) is an American Tennis player who turned professional in 2001

At the 2008 Pacific Life Open, Blake, the ninth seed, received a "bye" in the first round, before defeating Marc Gicquel 6–3, 6–7 (5), 6–1 in the second round. The 2008 Indian Wells Masters (also known as the Pacific Life Open for sponsorship reasons was a Tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts A bye, in sports and other competitive activities most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or Team to advance to the next Round of a Marc Gicquel (born March 30, 1977 in Tunis, Tunisia) is a professional Male tennis player from France. In the third round, Blake beat former world number one Carlos Moyà 6–3, 6–4. Carlos Moyà Llompart (born August 27 1976) also known as Carles Moyà, Carlos Moyá and Carlos Moya, is a former world number ^[7][8]. He then defeated Richard Gasquet in the fourth round in straight sets 6–4, 6–2, before losing to Rafael Nadal in the quarter finals 7–5, 3–6, 6–3. Rafael Nadal Parera (rafaˈel naˈðal (born June 3 1986 is a Spanish professional Tennis player who has been ranked World No

At the 2008 Miami Masters, Blake reached the quarterfinals, but again lost to Rafael Nadal in three sets. The 2008 Miami Masters (also known as the Sony Ericsson Open for sponsorship reasons was a Tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts The score was 6–3, 3–6, 1–6.

In Davis Cup, Team USA played France. Unfortunately for France, they were missing two of their best players, Richard Gasquet and Jo Wilfried Tsonga due to injuries. Gasquet had blisters on his right hand and a sore knee, and Tsonga had an ankle injury. So Michael Llodra and Paul Henri-Mathieu were the players playing singles for France. After Andy Roddick defeated Llodra, James would play Mathieu. James won in a three-hour, 48-minute, five-set match against the Frenchman, 7–6, 6–7, 6–3, 3–6, 7–5. He had to save two match points to defeat the number 12 Mathieu.

Blake then started the clay court season at the River Oaks International tournament in Houston, Texas. He defeated Nishikori in the first round (6–4, 6–4), 15-year-old Ryan Harrison in the second round, No. 5 seed Agustin Calleri of Argentina in the quarters, and Oscar Hernandez of Spain in the semifinals (6–3, 7–6). Agustín Calleri (born September 14, 1976 Río Cuarto) is a professional male Tennis player from Argentina. Oscar Hernandez (born March 22, 1954) is a Puerto Rican musician musical arranger and producer In his second ATP final of the year and his first career clay-court final, Blake fell to Spaniard Marcel Granollers Pujol, 4–6, 6–1, 5–7. Marcel Granollers Pujol (born April 12, 1986, in Barcelona) is a professional tennis player from Spain who turned professional in 2003

James received a wild card to play in the clay tournament in Barcelona, Spain. However, he lost in the first round to German Denis Gremelmayr in straight sets.

Looking for a better performance on clay, James played in the Master Series tournament in Rome. He received a bye in the first round. In the second round, he faced Itaian hope Andreas Seppi. James won in three sets 7–6, 3–6, 6–1. In the third round, he faced Spaniard Fernando Verdasco. He won in three sets 5–7, 7–5, 6–2.

At the French, he made it to the second round before being defeated by Ernests Gulbis. Ernests Gulbis (ˈærnəsts ˈgulbis born August 30, 1988) is a Latvian professional Tennis player

Playing Style

Blake adopts an offensive baseline strategy which he achieves through his aggressive powerful forehands that are deep and flat. In Tennis, a player uses different strategies that both enhance his own strengths and exploit his opponent's weaknesses in order to gain the advantage and win more points He undoubtedly possesses one of the strongest forehands on the tour. He is also an excellent returner of serve, he makes use of compact swings to aggressively return, reminiscent of Andre Agassi . Andre Kirk Agassi (born April 29 1970 is a former World No 1 professional American Tennis player who won eight Grand Slam singles tournaments His forehands, due to being flat and deep, offer little room for error when compared to high margin shots which employ topspin. For the fictional characters see Topspin (Transformers. In sports in particular Racquet sports ' topspin is a property of a shot where Although, Blake can incorporate an all-court playing style by aiming his shots down the lines, or moving an opponent from side to side and proceeding to finish the point at the net by smash or volley. In Tennis, a player uses different strategies that both enhance his own strengths and exploit his opponent's weaknesses in order to gain the advantage and win more points Blake is also noted for his exceptional court coverage, speed, and athleticism. He is noted for having incredible foot speed but lacking in footwork. His backhand has improved tremendously over the course of his career, what used to be considered a weakness has now become a powerful and reliable shot; He occasionally employs the slice backhand. BackSpin is an Old School Hip Hop radio station on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 43 and DISH Network channel 6043 The backhand in Tennis is a stroke hit by swinging the racquet away from one's body in the direction of where the player wants the ball to go

Blake's style of play is best suited for hard courts as his flat shots tend to stay low and move quickly across the court; this approach is relatively ineffective on clay courts. Apart from winning hard court tournaments, Blake has made some considerable runs to the finals of a few grass tournaments.

Equipment

Blake worked with Prince to create a new racquet featuring Prince's O3 technology. The endeavor resulted in the Prince O3 Hybrid Tour. However, Blake did not feel comfortable with this racquet, or with the O3 technology. Blake ended his relationship with Prince. He switched to the Dunlop Aerogel 2Hundred for Wimbledon which is characterized by its low power, 95 square inch head size, and a dense 18 x 20 string pattern. Dunlop Sport is a Tennis, squash, Golf, clothing and travel equipment brand that specializes in sporting goods. Blake said, "The new Aerogel racquet technology provides several frame specifications that will suit my game well and give me the confidence to know that I can take my career to new heights. " [5]. His racquet is strung with Luxilon Big Banger Alu Power 16L String at a relatively high tension (60 + pounds). The high tension and dense string pattern are thought to help provide better control for his powerful strokes.

His clothing sponsor is Nike, and he frequently wears the power sleeveless tops which are identical to Rafael Nadal's and Carlos Moya's. Nike Inc ('naɪki ( is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. His shoes are Nike Air Max Breathe Cage II.

Career Highlights

• August 5, 2002: Wins his first ATP title - the doubles title at AMS Cincinnati with Todd Martin
• November, 2002: Finishes the year ranked No. The Cincinnati Masters is an annual Tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. Todd Christopher Martin (born July 8 1970, in Hinsdale Illinois) a native of East Lansing Michigan, is a former professional 28 on the ATP Tour
• January, 2003: Reaches the fourth round of the Australian Open, losing to finalist Rainer Schüttler in four sets
• January, 2004: Reaches the fourth round of the Australian Open, losing to finalist Marat Safin in four sets
• March 19, 2006: Reaches his first ATP Masters Series singles final, losing to Roger Federer in the final of AMS Indian Wells
• March 20, 2006: Breaks into the world top ten for the first time—ranked No. The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments held each year Rainer Schüttler (born April 25, 1976) is a professional tennis player from Germany. The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments held each year Marat Mikhailovich Safin (Марат Мөбин улы Сафин Marat Möbin ulı Safin Мара́т Миха́йлович (Муби́нович Са́фин /mɑ The ATP Masters Series is a series of nine Tennis tournaments that are part of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP tour held annually throughout the year Roger Federer (ˈrɒdʒə ˈfɛdərər born August 8 1981 is a Swiss professional Tennis player who is currently ranked World No The Indian Wells Masters is an annual Tennis tournament held in the small city of Indian Wells, California. 9, moving up from No. 14
• June 17, 2006: Defeats Andy Roddick for the first time (semifinals at Queen's)
• August 21, 2006: Achieves a ranking of No. Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick (born August 30 1982 is an American professional Tennis player and a former World No The Queen's Club Championships is an annual tournament for male Tennis players held on grass courts at the Queen's Club in West Kensington 5
• November 4, 2006: Secures a spot in the Tennis Masters Cup for the first time in his career
• November 18, 2006: Reaches Masters Cup final in Shanghai, after beating David Nalbandian 6–4, 6–1
• November 19, 2006: Achieves a career-high No. Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million David Nalbandian (born January 1 1982 is an Argentine-Armenian professional Tennis player who is ranked 7th in the world as of August 11 2008 4 ranking, becoming the top-ranked American, despite losing the TMC final against Roger Federer. Roger Federer (ˈrɒdʒə ˈfɛdərər born August 8 1981 is a Swiss professional Tennis player who is currently ranked World No
• August 19, 2007: Reaches his second career ATP Masters Series singles final (Cincinnati)

Notable Matches

• 2001 Cincinnati Masters, round of 16: Came close to beating Patrick Rafter on August 9, 2001; according to Blake's book (page 16), at the net afterward, Rafter compliments Blake and says "You didn't win because you didn't believe you could win. The Cincinnati Masters is an annual Tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The Cincinnati Masters is an annual Tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. Patrick "Pat" Michael Rafter (born 28 December 1972 is a retired Australian former World No Events 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. "
• 2005 2005 U.S. Open third round: beat Rafael Nadal on September 3, 2005, which was his first win over a Top 10 player in a Grand Slam event. The US Open Tennis tournament is one of the oldest tennis championships in the world first contested in 1881 Rafael Nadal Parera (rafaˈel naˈðal (born June 3 1986 is a Spanish professional Tennis player who has been ranked World No Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The four Grand Slam tournaments are the most important Tennis events of the year
• 2005 U. S. Open quarterfinals: lost to Andre Agassi 6–3, 6–3, 3–6, 3–6, 6–7(6). Andre Kirk Agassi (born April 29 1970 is a former World No 1 professional American Tennis player who won eight Grand Slam singles tournaments Blake dominated Agassi in the first two sets with a break early in the third; however, Agassi adapted to Blake's game and took the match to a fifth set tiebreak where Blake got the early lead, though Agassi would take the match. The inspired play from both men led many to call this one of the greatest matches in US history. The match itself was nominated for an ESPY award. The ESPY Awards is an annual Sports awards event created and broadcast by American Cable television network ESPN.
• 2006 Tennis Channel Open final: defeated Lleyton Hewitt 7–5, 2–6, 6–3. The Tennis Channel Open is a Tennis tournament on the ATP International Series which was held for the first time in Las Vegas Nevada from Lleyton Glynn Hewitt ( IPA: /ˈleɪtʌn ˈhjuːʌt/ (born 24 February 1981 is a former World No It was (and to date still is) the only time Blake has won over the Australian, as Hewitt possesses a 7–1 record^[9] advantage in meetings over Blake.
• 2006 2006 U.S. Open quarterfinals: lost to Roger Federer 7–6 (7), 6–0, 6–7 (9), 6–4. The US Open Tennis tournament is one of the oldest tennis championships in the world first contested in 1881 Roger Federer (ˈrɒdʒə ˈfɛdərər born August 8 1981 is a Swiss professional Tennis player who is currently ranked World No Blake took a set from Federer for the first time in his career.
• 2007 2007 U.S. Open second round: on August 30, 2007, James Blake won his first ever five-set match over Fabrice Santoro, 6–4, 3–6, 6–2, 4–6, 6–4. The US Open Tennis tournament is one of the oldest tennis championships in the world first contested in 1881 Events 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Fabrice Vetea Santoro (born December 9, 1972) is a French professional male tennis player known for using both hands for every possible shot It was his tenth five-set match.
• 2007 U. S. Open fourth round: lost to Tommy Haas despite 3 match points: 4–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–0, 7–6(4). Tommy Haas (born April 3, 1978 in Hamburg) is a German Tennis player who plays right-handed
• 2008 Australian Open third round: defeated Sebastien Grosjean to win his first ever match after losing the first two sets; Blake was down 1–4 in the 4th set coming back for the eventual win, 4–6, 2–6, 6–0, 7–6(5), 6–2. Sébastien René Grosjean (pronounced GROH-zhahn (born May 29, 1978, Marseille, France) is a professional Tennis player from

Personal life

Away from tennis, Blake also enjoys golf, basketball, and Flaking. Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m He is a big fan of the New York Mets. "Mets" redirects here For the medical term see Metastasis. Blake was featured on Bravo's second edition of Celebrity Poker Showdown, but got 2nd after losing to Maura Tierney. Bravo is a Cable television network owned by NBC Universal. It is currently seen in more than 80 million homes and was the first service dedicated to film drama Celebrity Poker Showdown was a Celebrity Game show on the cable network Bravo. Maura Therese Tierney ( Boston Massachusetts, February 3, 1965) is an Emmy -nominated American actress, known for her ^[10]

Blake appeared in People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive issue. People (full name People Weekly) is a weekly American Magazine of Celebrity and human interest stories, published ^[11] He once dated Jennifer Scholle^[12] and until recently, was dating US Women's Soccer Player Heather Mitts. Heather Blaine Mitts (born June 9, 1978 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American Soccer player ^[13]

He is also good friends with singer/songwriter John Mayer, who also attended Fairfield High School. John Clayton Mayer (; born October 16 1977 is an American musician ^[14] When Blake was invited by Virginia's Anthem Insurance to do a cancer charity game honoring his late father, he invited John Mayer, Andy Roddick and Gavin DeGraw to perform. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Anthem was an Insurance company which began in the 1980s as a Spin-off of the group insurance operations of American General Insurance. John Clayton Mayer (; born October 16 1977 is an American musician Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick (born August 30 1982 is an American professional Tennis player and a former World No Gavin DeGraw (born February 4, 1977) is an American Singer-songwriter and Musician. ^[15]

James has appeared on show called No Strings on the Tennis Channel were he said that he has not so great looking feet.

Tennis Masters Cup singles finals

Runner-up (1)

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
2006	Shanghai	Roger Federer	6–0, 6–3, 6–4

ATP Masters Series singles finals

Runner-up (2)

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
2006	Indian Wells	Roger Federer	7–5, 6–3, 6–0
2007	Cincinnati	Roger Federer	6–1, 6–4

Career finals (29)

Singles wins (10)

Legend Grand Slam (0) Tennis Masters Cup (0) ATP Masters Series (0) ATP Tour (10)

Titles by Surface Hard (10) Clay (0) Grass (0) Carpet (0)

No. The 2006 Tennis Masters Cup was a Tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million Roger Federer (ˈrɒdʒə ˈfɛdərər born August 8 1981 is a Swiss professional Tennis player who is currently ranked World No The Indian Wells Masters is an annual Tennis tournament held in the small city of Indian Wells, California. Roger Federer (ˈrɒdʒə ˈfɛdərər born August 8 1981 is a Swiss professional Tennis player who is currently ranked World No The Cincinnati Masters is an annual Tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. Roger Federer (ˈrɒdʒə ˈfɛdərər born August 8 1981 is a Swiss professional Tennis player who is currently ranked World No	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent in the final	Score
1.	12 August 2002	Washington, D.C., U.S.	Hard	Paradorn Srichaphan	1–6, 7–6(5), 6–4
2. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon - Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The Legg Mason Tennis Classic is an annual late-summer men's Tennis tournament played in Washington D The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Paradorn Srichaphan (ภราดร ศรีชาพันธุ์ born June 14, 1979) is a Professional Tennis player from Thailand	22 August 2005	New Haven, U.S.	Hard	Feliciano López	3–6, 7–5, 6–1
3. Events 392 - Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Pilot Pen Tennis (currently known as the Pilot Pen Tennis presented by Schick for sponsorship reasons is a professional Tennis The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Feliciano López Diaz-Guerra (born on September 20, 1981) is a Spanish professional male tennis player	10 October 2005	Stockholm, Sweden	Hard (i)	Paradorn Srichaphan	6–1, 7–6(6)
4. Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The If Stockholm Open is an Tennis event on the ATP Tour held in Stockholm, Sweden in the end of October or beginning of November each year "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Paradorn Srichaphan (ภราดร ศรีชาพันธุ์ born June 14, 1979) is a Professional Tennis player from Thailand	9 January 2006	Sydney, Australia	Hard	Igor Andreev	6–2, 3–6, 7–6(3)
5. Events 475 - Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Medibank International is a professional Tennis Tournament in Sydney, Australia, played annually at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Igor Valerievich Andreev (Игорь Валерьевич Андреев born July 14, 1983) is a Russian professional Tennis player born in	27 February 2006	Las Vegas, U.S.	Hard	Lleyton Hewitt	7–5, 2–6, 6–3
6. Events 1560 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Tennis Channel Open is a Tennis tournament on the ATP International Series which was held for the first time in Las Vegas Nevada from The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Lleyton Glynn Hewitt ( IPA: /ˈleɪtʌn ˈhjuːʌt/ (born 24 February 1981 is a former World No	17 July 2006	Indianapolis, U.S.	Hard	Andy Roddick	4–6, 6–4, 7–6(5)
7. Events 180 - Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Indianapolis Tennis Championships (formerly known as the RCA Championships) is an annual men's tennis tournament played in Indianapolis as part of the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick (born August 30 1982 is an American professional Tennis player and a former World No	25 September 2006	Bangkok, Thailand	Hard (i)	Ivan Ljubičić	6–3, 6–1
8. Events 303 - On a voyage preaching the Gospel, Saint Fermin of Pamplona is beheaded in Amiens, France Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Thailand Open is a professional Tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Ivan Ljubičić ( ˈʎubitʃitɕ}} born March 19, 1979) is Croatian Tennis player	15 October 2006	Stockholm, Sweden	Hard (i)	Jarkko Nieminen	6–4, 6–2
9. Events 533 - Byzantine General Belisarius makes his formal entry into Carthage, having conquered it from the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The If Stockholm Open is an Tennis event on the ATP Tour held in Stockholm, Sweden in the end of October or beginning of November each year "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Jarkko Nieminen (born July 23, 1981 in Masku, Finland) is a professional Tennis player from Finland	13 January 2007	Sydney, Australia	Hard	Carlos Moyà	6–3, 5–7, 6–1
10. Events 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople. 888 - Odo Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Medibank International is a professional Tennis Tournament in Sydney, Australia, played annually at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Carlos Moyà Llompart (born August 27 1976) also known as Carles Moyà, Carlos Moyá and Carlos Moya, is a former world number	25 August 2007	New Haven, U.S.	Hard	Mardy Fish	7–5 6–4

Singles runner-ups (12)

No. Events 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Pilot Pen Tennis (currently known as the Pilot Pen Tennis presented by Schick for sponsorship reasons is a professional Tennis The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Mardy Fish (born December 9, 1981 in Edina Minnesota) is an American professional Tennis player	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent in the final	Score
1.	25 February 2002	Memphis, U.S.	Hard (i)	Andy Roddick	6–4, 3–6, 7–5
2. Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The Regions Morgan Keegan Championships and the Cellular South Cup are Tennis Tournaments held in Memphis Tennessee. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick (born August 30 1982 is an American professional Tennis player and a former World No	15 July 2002	Newport, U.S.	Grass	Taylor Dent	6–1, 4–6, 6–4
3. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Christian soldiers take the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Taylor Phillip Dent (born April 24 1981) is a Tennis player from the United States.	25 August 2003	Long Island, U.S.	Hard	Paradorn Srichaphan	6–2, 6–4
4. Events 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III the Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Paradorn Srichaphan (ภราดร ศรีชาพันธุ์ born June 14, 1979) is a Professional Tennis player from Thailand	8 August 2005	Washington D.C., U.S.	Hard	Andy Roddick	7–5, 6–3
5. Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Legg Mason Tennis Classic is an annual late-summer men's Tennis tournament played in Washington D The United States of America —commonly referred to as the	20 March 2006	Indian Wells, U.S.	Hard	Roger Federer	7–5, 6–3, 6–0
6. Events 1600 - The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Indian Wells Masters is an annual Tennis tournament held in the small city of Indian Wells, California. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Roger Federer (ˈrɒdʒə ˈfɛdərər born August 8 1981 is a Swiss professional Tennis player who is currently ranked World No	19 June 2006	London/Queen's Club, England	Grass	Lleyton Hewitt	6–4, 6–4
7. Events 1179 - The Norwegian Battle of Kalvskinnet outside Nidaros. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Queen's Club Championships is an annual tournament for male Tennis players held on grass courts at the Queen's Club in West Kensington England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Lleyton Glynn Hewitt ( IPA: /ˈleɪtʌn ˈhjuːʌt/ (born 24 February 1981 is a former World No	20 November 2006	Tennis Masters Cup, Shanghai	Hard (i)	Roger Federer	6–0, 6–3, 6–4
8. Events 284 - Diocletian was chosen as Roman Emperor. 762 - Bögü Khan of the Uyghurs, Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Tennis Masters Cup is a Tennis tournament played at the end of each year involving the top eight players in the men's tennis world rankings Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million	4 February 2007	Delray Beach, U.S.	Hard	Xavier Malisse	5–7, 6–4, 6–4
9. Events 211 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The International Tennis Championships is an ATP International Series men's tennis tournament held every year in Delray Beach Florida, and played The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Xavier Malisse (born July 19 1980) is a Belgian Tennis player	22 July 2007	Los Angeles, U.S.	Hard	Radek Štěpánek	7–6(7) 5–7 6–2
10. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Countrywide Classic (formerly known as the Mercedes-Benz Cup) is a Tennis Tournament on the ATP Tour International Series The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Radek Štěpánek (born November 27, 1978 in Karviná) is a professional Tennis player from the Czech Republic.	19 August 2007	Cincinnati, U.S.	Hard	Roger Federer	6–1, 6–4
11. Events 43 BC - Octavian, later known as Augustus compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Cincinnati Masters is an annual Tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the	17 February 2008	Delray Beach, U.S.	Hard	Kei Nishikori	3–6, 6–1, 6–4
12. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The International Tennis Championships is an ATP International Series men's tennis tournament held every year in Delray Beach Florida, and played The United States of America —commonly referred to as the (born December 29, 1989 in Shimane, Japan) is a Japanese Tennis player	20 April 2008	Houston, U.S.	Clay	Marcel Granollers Pujol	6–4, 1–6, 7–5

Doubles wins (5)

No. Events 1303 - The University of Rome La Sapienza is instituted by Pope Boniface VIII. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The US Men's Clay Court Championships is an annual ATP Tour Tennis Tournament which started in 1910 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Marcel Granollers Pujol (born April 12, 1986, in Barcelona) is a professional tennis player from Spain who turned professional in 2003	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partnering	Opponent in the final	Score
1.	5 August 2002	Cincinnati, U.S.	Hard	Todd Martin	Mahesh Bhupathi Max Mirnyi	7–5, 6–3
2. Events 642 - Battle of Maserfield - Penda of Mercia defeats and kills Oswald of Bernicia. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The Cincinnati Masters is an annual Tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Todd Christopher Martin (born July 8 1970, in Hinsdale Illinois) a native of East Lansing Michigan, is a former professional Mahesh Shrinivas Bhupathi ( Kannada: ಮಹೇಶ್ ಭೂಪತಿ (born June 7 1974 Chennai, India is a professional Tennis player. Max Mirnyi (Максім Мірны Maksim Mirny; born July 6, 1977, in Minsk) is a professional Tennis player from Belarus	10 March 2003	Scottsdale, U.S.	Hard	Mark Merklein	Mark Philippoussis Lleyton Hewitt	6–4, 6–7(2), 7–6(5)
3. Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. The Tennis Channel Open is a Tennis tournament on the ATP International Series which was held for the first time in Las Vegas Nevada from The United States of America —commonly referred to as the (born June 28, 1972 in Freeport) is a retired professional tennis player from the Bahamas Mark Anthony Philippoussis (born 7 November 1976 is an Australian Tennis player Lleyton Glynn Hewitt ( IPA: /ˈleɪtʌn ˈhjuːʌt/ (born 24 February 1981 is a former World No	16 February 2004	San Jose, U.S.	Hard (i)	Mardy Fish	Rick Leach Brian MacPhie	6–2, 7–5
4. Events 1249 - Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khan of the Mongols "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The SAP Open is a men's Tennis tournament held annually in San Jose California. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Mardy Fish (born December 9, 1981 in Edina Minnesota) is an American professional Tennis player Rick Leach (b December 28 1964, in Arcadia, California) is a professional Tennis player from the United States.	19 April 2004	Houston, U.S.	Clay	Mardy Fish	Rick Leach Brian MacPhie	6–3, 6–4
5. Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The US Men's Clay Court Championships is an annual ATP Tour Tennis Tournament which started in 1910 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the	26 April 2004	Munich, Germany	Clay	Mark Merklein	Julian Knowle Nenad Zimonjić	6–2, 6–4

Doubles runner-ups (2)

No. Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The BMW Open is a Tennis Tournament held in Munich, Germany. Held since 1974, the tournament is played on outdoor Clay courts Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Julian Knowle is an Austrian male professional tennis player Being a born left-hander Knowle is one of now only few on the ATP Tour who plays his forehand Nenad Zimonjić ( Serbian: Ненад Зимоњић born June 4, 1976 in Belgrade, Serbia, then SFR Yugoslavia) is	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partnering	Opponent in the final	Score
1.	27 February 2006	Memphis, U.S.	Hard (i)	Mardy Fish	Chris Haggard Ivo Karlović	0–6, 7–5, 10–5
2. Events 1560 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Regions Morgan Keegan Championships and the Cellular South Cup are Tennis Tournaments held in Memphis Tennessee. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Mardy Fish (born December 9, 1981 in Edina Minnesota) is an American professional Tennis player Chris Haggard (born April 28, 1971, in Pretoria) is a professional Tennis player from South Africa. Ivo Karlović (born 28 February, 1979 in Zagreb) is a Croatian Tennis player	28 October 2007	Basel, Switzerland	Carpet	Mark Knowles	Bob Bryan Mike Bryan	6–1, 6–1

Grand Slam singles performance timeline

Tournament	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	Career SR	Career Win-Loss
Grand Slams
Australian Open	A	LQ	LQ	2R	4R	4R	2R	3R	4R	QF	0 / 7	17–7
French Open	A	A	LQ	2R	2R	A	2R	3R	1R	2R	0 / 6	6–6
Wimbledon	A	LQ	LQ	2R	2R	A	1R	3R	3R		0 / 5	6–5
U.S. Open	1R	LQ	2R	3R	3R	A	QF	QF	4R		0 / 7	16–7
Grand Slam SR	0 / 1	0 / 0	0 / 1	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 1	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 2	0 / 25	45–25
Tennis Masters Cup	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	F	A		0 / 1	3–2
ATP Masters Series
Indian Wells Masters	A	1R	LQ	1R	QF	QF	3R	F	3R	QF	0 / 8	18–8
Miami Masters	A	LQ	LQ	4R	3R	1R	2R	QF	2R	QF	0 / 7	11–7
Monte Carlo Masters	A	A	A	1R	2R	A	A	A	A	A	0 / 2	1–2
Rome Masters	A	A	A	QF	1R	1R	A	1R	2R	QF	0 / 6	6–6
Hamburg Masters	A	A	A	1R	1R	A	A	3R	3R	2R	0 / 5	3–5
Canada Masters	A	A	A	2R	2R	A	A	2R	2R		0 / 4	4–3
Cincinnati Masters	A	A	3R	2R	3R	A	1R	2R	F		0 / 6	11–6
Madrid Masters (Stuttgart)	A	A	A	1R	1R	A	A	2R	2R		0 / 4	0–4
Paris Masters	A	A	A	2R	2R	A	2R	3R	3R		0 / 5	5–5
ATP Tournaments Won	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	5	2		N/A	10
Year End Ranking	220	212	73	28	37	97	23	4	13		N/A	N/A

• A = did not participate in the tournament
• LQ = lost in the qualifying draw
• SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played

Notes

External links

• ATP Tour profile for James Blake
• ITF profile for James Blake
• Davis Cup profile for James Blake
• jamesblaketennis.com fan site
• Blake Recent Match Results
• Blake World Ranking History
• 'Comback Kid James Blake'
• James Blake ORG Site
• James Blake bio on usolympicteam.com . The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP was formed in 1972 to protect the interests of male professional Tennis players The International Tennis Federation (ITF is the governing body of world Tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's Tennis. . . includes links to two photo galleries
• Interview with Blake on Forbes Video
• Father Thomas Blake's obituary
• James Blake News Articles
• Men's Vogue interview

Association of Tennis Professionals | Top ten male tennis players as of June 9, 2008

1. The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP was formed in 1972 to protect the interests of male professional Tennis players Events 53 - Roman Emperor Nero marries Claudia Octavia 62 - Claudia Octavia commits 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ▬ Roger Federer 6. Roger Federer (ˈrɒdʒə ˈfɛdərər born August 8 1981 is a Swiss professional Tennis player who is currently ranked World No ▬ Andy Roddick 2. Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick (born August 30 1982 is an American professional Tennis player and a former World No ▬ Rafael Nadal 7. Rafael Nadal Parera (rafaˈel naˈðal (born June 3 1986 is a Spanish professional Tennis player who has been ranked World No ▲ James Blake 3. ▬ Novak Djokovic 8. ( Serbian: Новак Ђоковић Novak Đoković, ˈnɔvaːk 'ʥɔːkɔviʨ born May 22 1987 in Belgrade, Serbia (part of Yugoslavia at ▼ David Nalbandian 4. David Nalbandian (born January 1 1982 is an Argentine-Armenian professional Tennis player who is ranked 7th in the world as of August 11 2008 ▬ Nikolay Davydenko 9. Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko (Николай Владимирович Давыденко born June 2, 1981 in Severodonetsk, Ukrainian SSR ▲ Stanislas Wawrinka 5. Stanislas Wawrinka (born March 28, 1985 in Lausanne) is a Swiss male Tennis player ▬ David Ferrer 10. David Ferrer Ern (born April 2 1982 in Jávea/Xàbia, Spain) is a Spanish professional Tennis player who lives in Valencia ▼ Richard Gasquet

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