At the start of this year’s U.S. Open, former Harvard student and pro tennis player, James Blake, was honored at Arthur Ashe stadium for his fighting spirit. The ceremony took place on center court.
Blake was honored alongside tennis legend, Martina Navratilova, wheelchair-bound tennis champ Esther Vergeer, and the USTA’s Dori Samadzai-Bonner, all having beaten seemingly insurmountable odds to achieve greatness. The seven-time Grammy winner, Gloria Estefan, a survivor in her own right, was on hand to serenade the group with her ‘94 Olympics tune, “Reach.”
In the pressroom, however, there was buzz about whether Blake was worthy of being singled out and feted, due to his current career slump.
Blake entered the U.S. Open as a wild card this year — a given due to his hometown credentials and former glory, but during his first round match, he made it a point to remind fans and foes why he is deserving of any accolades he receives.
Blake fought through scoliosis; wearing a back brace 18 hours a day for several years as a youth; a broken neck from colliding with a net post during tennis practice, and the loss of his father to cancer during the latter ordeal, to stage a phenomenal tennis comeback. He went from rehab to No. 4 in the world and Davis Cup champion.
His laser-sharp focus, incredible speed and lightening-quick backhand did the job then and in his first round match on Louis Armstrong court. He handily beat his opponent, Kristof Vliegenin, in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 despite his No. 84 ranking.
Blake is certainly in a slump, but if he can find the consistency he displayed in his first match, he has a chance of going deep in the tournament, as he did in ’05 and ’06. He made the quarterfinals both years. He’s known for being the nice guy on the court, but if he can take notes from Rafael Nadal and find that killer instinct, he could possibly demonstrate how he beat the odds before.
–gerald radford
