James Blake . . . modern day Sampson?

irishbanger · 08-10-2004, 06:02 AM

The biblical Sampson lost all of his power when he cut his hair. Could this be the reason for Blake's recent downfall? Will he ever get back?

dander · 08-10-2004, 06:07 AM

blake never had any power, just marketing hype and exposure for the hewitt linesman incident

rhubarb · 08-10-2004, 06:11 AM

Didn't hurt AA

pound cat · 08-10-2004, 06:13 AM

He hasn't been back since that freak accident with the net post when he injured his head and his spine. Not a good thing for a person with scoliosis. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him back at Harvard.

Fee · 08-10-2004, 09:53 AM

He played the Hall of Fame tournament in Newport Rhode Island after Wimbledon, so he has been back since that freak net post accident. Unfortunately, he injured his arm in that tournament, so he needed to take two weeks off for that and then I think he caught some virus and had to withdraw from Cincinnati. I'm pretty sure he still plans to be in Washington DC this weekend to play there next week.

If James was preoccupied by anything this season it wasn't the loss of his hair, it was the slow death of his father from cancer. The one good thing about that freak injury in Rome was that it allowed James to be home with his father for the last few weeks of his life. Thomas died on Saturday and James and Thomas (Jr) were in Newport to play on Monday, at their father's request. I think the virus he caught may have been part of the stress of the grief and everything else. I'd bet that James is now healthy and ready to get back on court to play his best tennis. I sure hope so anyway because he is one of my favorite people and players.

Eug · 08-10-2004, 10:48 AM

I second Fee, James is an awesome and classy player. I want to see him back and well again.

VamosRafa · 08-10-2004, 12:28 PM

I also don't think cutting his hair has made a difference. He's had a lot of bad luck lately, and I look forward to seeing him back in action soon. Although given the talent on today's Tour, he has a tough row to how to get to where folks thought he'd be by now.

But that's true of all players.

All the best to him.

Brettolius · 08-10-2004, 12:52 PM

yeah, you know, he's really just not very good though, at least not as good as he was supposed to be by now, not as good as he was supposed to be then. i really wouldn't get my hopes up that he will accomplish anything worth remembering. at least agassi could really play.

gugafanatic · 08-10-2004, 02:06 PM

As already mentioned james has had alot of problems to deal with off the court. How can someone possible criticise a guy who spent many years with a back brace, and yet still been in the top 30. He is such a bubbly character and a role model for young kids. The guy also posses alot of talent, especially that "monster" forehand. With injurys and personal problems, I cant see him having a strong finish this year but im sure he will be top 20 in years to come.

Eug · 08-10-2004, 07:35 PM

Why do you (Brettolius) just pounce on a guy when he is down? And he already accomplished something worth remembering. When he turned the other cheek when Hewitt made his comment in the memorable match.

Russell Finch · 08-11-2004, 12:22 AM

I don't think the disappearance of his hair was a matter of choice, he was in the same boat as AA a few years ago (and Rusedski now!!).

I hope he comes back strong as he's good to watch and seems like one of the good guys.

Cypo · 08-11-2004, 12:33 AM

Thanks Fee for filling us in - I hadn't caught any of that. My sympathies to him, losing your father must be really hard. I really like Blake, both for his tennis and for his character and I really hope he achieves that extra inch separating him from the greats. I think he has it in him.

Brettolius · 08-11-2004, 05:22 AM

how is that "pouncing" on the guy when he's down. i just think that he was overhyped before this year and really had no worthwile results. i didn't think much of him before this year regardless of what has happened recently. i mean he's still in all kinds of ads but then you have a guy like fish who acually has had some results,and you really don't hear about other than hardcore fans. i just think blake has got alot of undeserved credit. guess what...that memorable match with hewitt...blake did not win. its not like he's martin luther king, i mean what did you think he was going to do? jump over the net and kick his ass? my comments were referring to tennis results,or lack thereof. not that he's a bad guy, just overhyped.

Eug · 08-11-2004, 07:14 AM

He is not over hyped. There was an ad campaign but it promoted all the young stars of the game (Blake included). Blake is a great role model to all. He finished college, is well spoken, acts like a gentleman on the court, and he can kick some *** on the courts too.

Brettolius · 08-11-2004, 07:36 AM

i do not believe he finished college

Eug · 08-11-2004, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brettolius

i do not believe he finished college

Your right, I just checked. He finished 3 years of college. In a recent interview he said he would definitely go back to Harvard to finish his degree. That says something about him. Playing Tennis isnt only about strokes, its a combination of tangible and intangible things.

Fee · 08-11-2004, 09:41 AM

Brett you were a bit harsh. James got attention because he was a young player, a nice guy, good looking and he was beginning to move up in the rankings. I don't know this 'overhyping' that you speak of. He was mentioned just as much as other young american players were in the american media and he may have had a little bit more attention because he was always willing to go out and promote the game on behalf of the USTA or tournaments or whatever. To compare him to Agassi, as you did, is just plain silly. James has only been a pro a couple of years and the bulk of his career is ahead of him.

hippoti8 · 08-11-2004, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fee

Brett you were a bit harsh. James got attention because he was a young player, a nice guy, good looking and he was beginning to move up in the rankings. I don't know this 'overhyping' that you speak of. He was mentioned just as much as other young american players were in the american media and he may have had a little bit more attention because he was always willing to go out and promote the game on behalf of the USTA or tournaments or whatever. To compare him to Agassi, as you did, is just plain silly. James has only been a pro a couple of years and the bulk of his career is ahead of him.

Good point. Anyway, maybe he'll be revived at the Legg Mason....

Brettolius · 08-11-2004, 10:10 AM

actually i was responding to what rhubarb had posted, not comparing AA and blake myself, but adding my 2 cents to the comparison that he had drawn to the 2 of them.hey, i'll gladly eat crow if does he something spectacular and starts winning and breaks into the top ten. this whole post is similar to the espn deal with the americans as well, because there are plenty of higher ranked,classy and more talented foreign players than blake,say like a jiri novak,but they get no run on these boards. my point being people saying they hope blake can return to his old form, i guess that being going out early in majors and winning 0 tourneys. i don't dislike the guy and i don't mean to sound like i am attacking him, but jeez, its like tiger beat around here when somebody brings up blake. all i'm saying is he hasn't won anything, for someone who's on video games for chrissakes.[/quote]

Fee · 08-11-2004, 02:19 PM

He won Legg Mason 2 years ago, beating Agassi along the way, so your assertion of 0 tourneys is incorrect. I don't think that James is going to do anything 'spectacular', but so what. Most decent tennis players never do. What I know of these guys and the lives they lead, the fact that they can put up with the BS they deal with for 40 weeks a year is impressive enough for me. James will probably be a fairly consistent Top 30/Top 40 player for the bulk of his career and he may even break the Top 20 here and there. He will continue to be well-liked by fans because he is classy, intelligent, and willing to help promote the game, regardless of how many titles he wins or how deep he goes at majors. His career will probably be very similar to his good friend Todd Martin's, and I see no shame in that whatsoever.

I am not familiar with tennis video games, but if he's on one perhaps you should take that up with the game's designers and ask them why they chose him (perhaps it was a marketing decision or he was willing to give up the licensing rights?). As for Jiri Novak, I don't know that much about him and I'm sure a lot of other people here don't either, so feel free to start a thread about him anytime.

08-10-2004, 06:02 AM	#1
irishbanger Rookie Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 333	James Blake . . . modern day Sampson? The biblical Sampson lost all of his power when he cut his hair. Could this be the reason for Blake's recent downfall? Will he ever get back?

08-10-2004, 09:53 AM	#5
Fee Legend Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: In front of my computer, obviously Posts: 7,304	He played the Hall of Fame tournament in Newport Rhode Island after Wimbledon, so he has been back since that freak net post accident. Unfortunately, he injured his arm in that tournament, so he needed to take two weeks off for that and then I think he caught some virus and had to withdraw from Cincinnati. I'm pretty sure he still plans to be in Washington DC this weekend to play there next week. If James was preoccupied by anything this season it wasn't the loss of his hair, it was the slow death of his father from cancer. The one good thing about that freak injury in Rome was that it allowed James to be home with his father for the last few weeks of his life. Thomas died on Saturday and James and Thomas (Jr) were in Newport to play on Monday, at their father's request. I think the virus he caught may have been part of the stress of the grief and everything else. I'd bet that James is now healthy and ready to get back on court to play his best tennis. I sure hope so anyway because he is one of my favorite people and players. __________________ Pros should stop wasting money on coaches and doctors and just read the experts on this forum.

08-10-2004, 02:06 PM	#9
gugafanatic Hall Of Fame Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 2,006	blake As already mentioned james has had alot of problems to deal with off the court. How can someone possible criticise a guy who spent many years with a back brace, and yet still been in the top 30. He is such a bubbly character and a role model for young kids. The guy also posses alot of talent, especially that "monster" forehand. With injurys and personal problems, I cant see him having a strong finish this year but im sure he will be top 20 in years to come.

08-11-2004, 09:41 AM	#17
Fee Legend Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: In front of my computer, obviously Posts: 7,304	Brett you were a bit harsh. James got attention because he was a young player, a nice guy, good looking and he was beginning to move up in the rankings. I don't know this 'overhyping' that you speak of. He was mentioned just as much as other young american players were in the american media and he may have had a little bit more attention because he was always willing to go out and promote the game on behalf of the USTA or tournaments or whatever. To compare him to Agassi, as you did, is just plain silly. James has only been a pro a couple of years and the bulk of his career is ahead of him. __________________ Pros should stop wasting money on coaches and doctors and just read the experts on this forum.

08-11-2004, 02:19 PM	#20
Fee Legend Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: In front of my computer, obviously Posts: 7,304	He won Legg Mason 2 years ago, beating Agassi along the way, so your assertion of 0 tourneys is incorrect. I don't think that James is going to do anything 'spectacular', but so what. Most decent tennis players never do. What I know of these guys and the lives they lead, the fact that they can put up with the BS they deal with for 40 weeks a year is impressive enough for me. James will probably be a fairly consistent Top 30/Top 40 player for the bulk of his career and he may even break the Top 20 here and there. He will continue to be well-liked by fans because he is classy, intelligent, and willing to help promote the game, regardless of how many titles he wins or how deep he goes at majors. His career will probably be very similar to his good friend Todd Martin's, and I see no shame in that whatsoever. I am not familiar with tennis video games, but if he's on one perhaps you should take that up with the game's designers and ask them why they chose him (perhaps it was a marketing decision or he was willing to give up the licensing rights?). As for Jiri Novak, I don't know that much about him and I'm sure a lot of other people here don't either, so feel free to start a thread about him anytime. __________________ Pros should stop wasting money on coaches and doctors and just read the experts on this forum.