Blake playing Tallahassee Challenger

bluescreen

Hall of Fame
The writing is on the wall here.

Maybe he's just stubborn, but what is Blake expecting from his tennis in the coming months?

I'm a fan of Blake, but really, when it gets to this point I'd rather him go out with memories of his fiery '06 days firmly intact.
 
The writing is on the wall here.

Maybe he's just stubborn, but what is Blake expecting from his tennis in the coming months?

I'm a fan of Blake, but really, when it gets to this point I'd rather him go out with memories of his fiery '06 days firmly intact.

Will you change your mind at all if he wins these challengers and gets back in the top 100?
 

bluescreen

Hall of Fame
Honestly, no. Blake is getting older and I don't think a top 100 ranking is enough motivation to outweigh the grind of being on tour.

Now, if he DOESN'T win the challenger that's gonna raise some really big flags. I'd love to see him show some glimpses of his old form, but playing a challenger doesn't exactly suggest he's on that path.
 
Blake loses early in events, so people say he should go play some challengers to get his rank up.

Now he plays challengers and people say it's a bad sign. TW logic at its finest. :?
 

niff

Legend
I think many people were hoping he would take on a few challengers, get some wins and confidence... rather than continue crashing out on wild cards.
 

Fee

Legend
I love it. Where's that dumb woman on twitter who said he was too afraid to play Challengers last year, when he was home resting an injured knee. Wish I could remember her username.

Blake is doing what he should be doing to help his game, and if he's just going to retire at the end of the year, how about letting him run the end of his career the way he wants to. It's his life.
 

HunterST

Hall of Fame
Blake loses early in events, so people say he should go play some challengers to get his rank up.

Now he plays challengers and people say it's a bad sign. TW logic at its finest. :?

Yeah, plus aren't some pretty good players going to be in these challengers? I thought guys like Ryan Harrison and Robert Kendrick were playing in them too. It wouldn't be that much of a disaster if he didn't win.
 

hoosierbr

Hall of Fame
Playing a bunch of Challengers and getting ranking points and confidence was how Blake managed to come back after his neck injury and bout with shingles.

He's still showing signs, against Roddick at IW for example, that he can still play well but he needs more matches. Winning a match or two before playing a top seed isn't cutting it.

This is a good move on his part.
 

Bjorn99

Hall of Fame
Uhh, maybe he enjoys being in shape and being lean instead of getting fat from flying a desk. Lay RIGHT OFF the guy. Its his life. And get one of your own. Pathetic people.
 

loosegroove

Hall of Fame
I think it's awesome. He's just trying to get more matches and wins under his belt to get into a groove and gain points. And he still has a strong desire to play, and he has the talent to back it up. I don't see what's wrong with this? It's not like a boxer past his prime where defeat means getting concussed and knocked out. I wish the tournament in New Haven hadn't turned into a WTA only event this year, so I could have checked out James live, oh well....
 

Power Player

Bionic Poster
Blake is now at the point of spoiler and "pleasant surprise". I personally think this is good. He knows and everyone knows that he could retire right now and do the senior tour. So this removes a lot of pressure from him hopefully. If he can sneak into a slam as a wildcard, he could make some noise one more time before riding off into the sunset.
 

Devilito

Hall of Fame
Blake is now at the point of spoiler and "pleasant surprise". I personally think this is good. He knows and everyone knows that he could retire right now and do the senior tour. So this removes a lot of pressure from him hopefully. If he can sneak into a slam as a wildcard, he could make some noise one more time before riding off into the sunset.

Not being seeded he gets horrid draws. He has game to take out some random guys but no variety for the top guys. Every top player now feeds off pace. You need more variety to take your opponent out of their comfort zone now adays. I love watching him play though. Too bad "looking good playing" doesn't win you matches
 

big ted

Legend
i think alot of it has to do with the game in general has improved over the last few years and blake has too many holes in his game. people criticize roddick for working on his backhand and volleys the last few years but where would he be if he didnt? alot of the top players these days dont have many weaknesses. even the big guys are decent movers and the hard hitters are consistent..
 
i think alot of it has to do with the game in general has improved over the last few years and blake has too many holes in his game. people criticize roddick for working on his backhand and volleys the last few years but where would he be if he didnt? alot of the top players these days dont have many weaknesses. even the big guys are decent movers and the hard hitters are consistent..

...or the fact that Blake has had quite a few injuries the past few years. Father time has caught up to him, he's not nearly playing the same level as he was 05-08.
 

Mac_Attack

Rookie
He's doing exactly what he needs to do in order to work his way into decent form for the summer hard court season.

I'm guessing it is his primary goal for this season to have his game in shape for a run in the open. He probably just wants to be in the main draw in Flushing Meadow and maybe win a couple of matches then make that the last tournament of his career.
 

Dgpsx7

Professional
I don't think there is anything wrong with playing challengers. I think it's good he is doing it.

Not that this makes any difference whatsoever but I'm sure you all remember how agassi did it.
 

Bjorn99

Hall of Fame
Most guys as soon as they quit the game put on huge amounts of weight. He may JUST be doing it to remain in phenomenal shape. Only he and his closest friends and family know if he has any money left.
 

Moose Malloy

G.O.A.T.
The original story/source for the interview, Doug Robson at USA Today...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tenni...w-doping_N.htm

thanks. that was even more comical than what I first read. he should have just not said anything at all, he now looks even worse, if possible.

Odesnik and his lawyer declined to explain how or why Odesnik came into possession of HGH.

"How he got it, where he got it, where he paid for it, whether it was a doctor's prescription or over the Internet — all that stuff — we are not going to be able to discuss that," Lyons said

On being denied a wild card this year in Houston, where he reached the semifinals or better from 2008-10 but ; he missed the cutoff for qualifying this year:

"I was a little surprised ... based on my (prior) results. I have no control over that but it is a little bit of a slap in the face."
 

Fee

Legend
thanks. that was even more comical than what I first read. he should have just not said anything at all, he now looks even worse, if possible.

Yeah, his not understanding why he didn't get a wildcard into Houston stupefied me along with a few other things in the interview(and I trust Doug Robson to report that interview accurately). He is in a lot of denial.

I think there is a rule against getting wildcards when you come back from a suspension, but even if there isn't, um no, you do not deserve a wildcard under the circumstances.
 

bjk

Hall of Fame
Young defeats Blake, 6-1,1-6,6-3. Good win for Young, even if Blake isn't where he was.
 

RyanRF

Professional
Young defeats Blake, 6-1,1-6,6-3. Good win for Young, even if Blake isn't where he was.

Lol, Young defeating Blake is like ____ (insert WTA player here) defeating ____ (insert other WTA player here).
 

Fifth Set

Professional
If you think He'll pull an Agassi, think again.

Why does it matter? Blake is an awesome guy who contributed a ton to the fans' enjoyment of the game.

There is no need to cheer for his retirement. If he wants to play challengers until he's 50, I say great. I would pay to see him.
 

pjonesy

Professional
I don't think there is anything wrong with playing challengers. I think it's good he is doing it.

Not that this makes any difference whatsoever but I'm sure you all remember how agassi did it.

Agassi was certainly a higher level of player. So the logic could be that if Agassi was willing to play in challenger events, then blake certainly should be willing to try it in order to reset his tennis game. Agassi's success can still be an inspiration to players that are not as talented as he was.
 

SirGounder

Hall of Fame
I think it's cool to see Blake in the challengers. Obviously he still has the drive to play. Maybe he just loves the game or maybe he wants to get back into form. Either I say have at it.
 

35ft6

Legend
So much of tennis is a confidence game, he's just trying to swing some wins together to feel better about things.

Just Blake's game was so predicated on a violent forehand and blazing speed, not sure what confidence might do. Maybe he's going to the Challengers to fine tune a new way of playing.
 

HunterST

Hall of Fame
James Blake wins the tournament. I think he gets around 80 points for the win. I'm not sure how his ranking will be affected.
 
I think he gets 90 points which should shoot him up to around 118 give or take. Great win for Blake, Im sure its a confidence boost for him. 2 Challenger events played and he's made a semi showing (losing to eventual winner) and a champions trophy now. I think it shows that Blakes level is still well above these guys at the challenger level. I think as long as he feels healthy enough he could still compete and be a factor in bigger tournaments. He's always had pro level strokes, but sometimes a club level head. Hopefully these challengers will give him the confidence he needs to go out and make one more push at a slam. Gosh it would be awesome to see him win one, not at all likely but for those of us who enjoy storybook career endings like Sampras and Ivanisevic's, it would be very cool.
 

forthegame

Hall of Fame
James Blake wins the tournament. I think he gets around 80 points for the win. I'm not sure how his ranking will be affected.

I think he gets 90 points which should shoot him up to around 118 give or take. Great win for Blake, Im sure its a confidence boost for him. 2 Challenger events played and he's made a semi showing (losing to eventual winner) and a champions trophy now. I think it shows that Blakes level is still well above these guys at the challenger level. I think as long as he feels healthy enough he could still compete and be a factor in bigger tournaments. He's always had pro level strokes, but sometimes a club level head. Hopefully these challengers will give him the confidence he needs to go out and make one more push at a slam. Gosh it would be awesome to see him win one, not at all likely but for those of us who enjoy storybook career endings like Sampras and Ivanisevic's, it would be very cool.

$10,800 and 90 points.
 
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