blake .. hot on clay.. can he keep it up?

swedechris · 05-17-2006, 08:07 AM

james blake is playing some great tennis lately and it looks like he is able to bring it on on the dirt too.. !!
saw today him play murray and made it look easy .. also he beat moya in a great great match monday .. he plays so smooth and simple . looks good !!!

hope he can keep it up .. i think ha can surprise many claycourters because his shots are very quick but stuill heavy and his return of serve i fantastic . takes the ball eary and the server doesnt have time to regruop and move .. ( almost like agassi used to do..

..)

oscar_2424 · 05-17-2006, 08:13 AM

spoiler!!!!

DXS · 05-17-2006, 08:20 AM

I'm hoping James can have a good FO as well. It's good to see good clay results from him.

Steve Dykstra · 05-17-2006, 08:33 AM

I'd like to see him go far, but I think Ancic will probably beat him. Ancic beat him on carpet last year when Blake was pretty hot and has played well on clay lately.

gts072 · 05-17-2006, 09:04 AM

Blake won't be able to keep it up. His game is just not suited for the dirt. He does horribly on clay as does most Americans. He will lose soon in Hamburg and will bow out early at the French.

Simon Cowell · 05-17-2006, 09:34 AM

Blake will win the French Open.

Freedom · 05-17-2006, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon Cowell

Blake will win the French Open.

Wouldn't that be a kick in the shorts?

JRstriker12 · 05-17-2006, 10:16 AM

Hmmmmm..... I'd hardly say that Blake is hot on clay, or even hot right now. He seems to be in a bit of a slump since Davis cup vs. Chile.

It's good to hear that he played well in the early rounds. I think his game is there, it's just the mental part that seems to go missing every once in a while.

While he's certainly no dirt baller, I can't see why Blake couldn't adapt his game to do well on the red stuff.

superman1 · 05-17-2006, 11:04 AM

He's certainly athletic enough. Just needs to work on slipping and sliding in the stuff, and he'll be on his way. If he's hitting the ball well, it doesn't matter what surface he's on, he's going to do some damage.

vllockhart · 05-17-2006, 11:59 AM

James seems to be in an all or nothing stretch right now. With Nadal and Federer out, I'd bet he wins the whole thing, since he managed a first round win .

I think he's still adjusting to being a top ten player. People come out pumped to beat him and playing with nothing to lose. He has to learn how to combat that and take control early.

DariusRaiden · 05-17-2006, 02:47 PM

Ancic will be a tough test, a real all-surface player who has had good clay results this year. I expect James to beat him, especially considering his strong form against formidible clay courters like Moya and a talented youngster Murray(trained in Spain no less!). The key is James' movement, he's waaayyyy faster than Ancic but doesn't move his best on clay. If he figures out his footwork, he can take Ancic and lots of other good clay players.

arosen · 05-17-2006, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon Cowell

Blake will win the French Open.

Now THAT is funny. Should Roger and Rafa retire based on James's recent run on clay? Hmmm....must be something in Hamburg water.

legolas · 05-17-2006, 10:47 PM

NO, he will never win a slam

Progressive10s · 05-18-2006, 05:44 AM

Even if Blake defeated Ancic, he would probably have to face Davydenko in the quarters, and either Ferrer or Robredo in the semis. Gonzalez (considering recent form) will probably come from the other side of the draw. That's quite a mountain to climb, but not impossible. We dismiss Americans on clay, but you have to play a patient game and create offense at the right moment. I personally don't think his game is suited to clay, but remember Henman made it to the semis of the French in 2004.

baseliner · 05-18-2006, 11:53 AM

Think Blake winning on clay a little iffy. To predict him winning French Open must be tongue in cheek. Losing to Ancic when serving for the match in the 3rd set does not bode well for his chances. I do think Blake may get the deepest in the draw of any American player. Now that is a realistic achievable goal.

JRstriker12 · 05-18-2006, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baseliner

Think Blake winning on clay a little iffy. To predict him winning French Open must be tongue in cheek. Losing to Ancic when serving for the match in the 3rd set does not bode well for his chances. I do think Blake may get the deepest in the draw of any American player. Now that is a realistic achievable goal.

It seems that Blake is missing the killer instinct. IIRC, he had a similar match against Gonzales in the Davis Cup. He had a chance to win it, missed his chance then folded.

Progressive10s · 05-19-2006, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRstriker12

It seems that Blake is missing the killer instinct. IIRC, he had a similar match against Gonzales in the Davis Cup. He had a chance to win it, missed his chance then folded.

Something has to be said about the killer instinct! He really had Gonzalez on the ropes in Davis Cup and match points against Ancic and he lost. It happens to the best. Serena should never have beaten Sharapova in the Australian Open in 2005, but it's never over till it's over!

05-17-2006, 08:07 AM	#1
swedechris Banned Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,072	blake .. hot on clay.. can he keep it up? james blake is playing some great tennis lately and it looks like he is able to bring it on on the dirt too.. !! saw today him play murray and made it look easy .. also he beat moya in a great great match monday .. he plays so smooth and simple . looks good !!! hope he can keep it up .. i think ha can surprise many claycourters because his shots are very quick but stuill heavy and his return of serve i fantastic . takes the ball eary and the server doesnt have time to regruop and move .. ( almost like agassi used to do.. ..)

05-17-2006, 08:13 AM	#2
oscar_2424 Legend Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Hallandale, Florida Posts: 7,176	spoiler!!!! __________________ all we are saying is give peace a chance.

05-18-2006, 05:44 AM	#14
Progressive10s Rookie Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 394	Asking a lot? Even if Blake defeated Ancic, he would probably have to face Davydenko in the quarters, and either Ferrer or Robredo in the semis. Gonzalez (considering recent form) will probably come from the other side of the draw. That's quite a mountain to climb, but not impossible. We dismiss Americans on clay, but you have to play a patient game and create offense at the right moment. I personally don't think his game is suited to clay, but remember Henman made it to the semis of the French in 2004.

05-18-2006, 11:53 AM	#15
baseliner Professional Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 1,160	Blake and clay (Spoiler) Think Blake winning on clay a little iffy. To predict him winning French Open must be tongue in cheek. Losing to Ancic when serving for the match in the 3rd set does not bode well for his chances. I do think Blake may get the deepest in the draw of any American player. Now that is a realistic achievable goal.

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