James Blake: What's Next?

[jamesblakefan#1]

Alright, this is sort of my self-intervention, so to speak. After watching James Blake this year in several big moments, I have come to a few painful conclusions
1. James definetly has a top 10 game
2. He isn't mentally strong enough in the big moments
Now this may not be news to most, but it has become painfully obvious to me from his performances in big moments (05 US, 06 Wimby, 06 US, 07 AO, 07 Wimby, 07 US) and his numerous losses this year to inferior player (see: Andreas Seppi) that while James' physical game is in the top 10, his mental game may not even be in the top 100. So I ask: what can he do to improve his mentality? Is a coaching change needed? New philosophy? New gameplan? Or is he just not good enough? I know he'll never be Fed, but how can he compete and make it to more Semis, Finals of big tournaments?

 

[iradical18]

It's really hard to say, because we really don't know what's going on inside the guys head. I hope he does make some changes so we can see him get deeper into big tournys, I really enjoy watching him play. Maybe the Davis Cup win will give him the confidence to realize that he can actually win something and not choke in big moments.

 

[Forehand Forever]

Winning the Davis cup surely put some confidence into Blake's head. He's gotta stay confident though which anyone who's played a tennis match knows it's not an easy thing to do, to stay positive the entire match.

 

[jamesblakefan#1]

Yeah, just like the Agassi match gave him confidence, 1st 5 set win gave him confidence, 06 US vs Fed gave him "confidence". I'm a Blake fan, but how much "confidence" does one man need before he's just naturally "confidence-deficient" Maybe its CDD-Confidience Deficit Disorder.

 

[lordmanji]

imo, blake still hasn't won a big time match yet. you can argue the davis cup match was it, but i'd argue that while it's a big deal, it's not as big of a deal to him compared to a grand slam. the media made it a point that roddick and the bryan bros dreamed about winning the cup, while blake seemed to be more along for the ride. so going into next year, while the win has certainly upped his confidence, it remains to be seen whether he can perform at the majors.

certainly he has the forehand and footspeed to do it. his backhand has also come along nicely. i am worried,though, that in the recent matches of james ive noticed a slow down in his court speed. this may be due to aging or i might be just imagining things. either way, blake needs to stop with the confidence collecting and just produce the result. anything less than a quarterfinal at the non clay majors is a disappointment in my eyes.

 

[RoddickistheMan]

At least getting to a final of a grand slam. With Fed taking all the titles thats quite an accomplishment for a pro player these days.
________
Drug testing kit

 

[Heavy Metal Tennis Star]

hes had his best year, 2006, its all over, he cant win a slam or even a dang masters when he was top 10, how can he win now...

 

[MEAC_ALLAMERICAN]

Baby steps, win a few more 5 setters, a TMS and make it to the semifinals of a slam.

 

[icazares]

I like him a lot but I'm afraid he won't come back to the top 10.

 

[federerfanatic]

Alright, this is sort of my self-intervention, so to speak. After watching James Blake this year in several big moments, I have come to a few painful conclusions
1. James definetly has a top 10 game
2. He isn't mentally strong enough in the big moments
Now this may not be news to most, but it has become painfully obvious to me from his performances in big moments (05 US, 06 Wimby, 06 US, 07 AO, 07 Wimby, 07 US) and his numerous losses this year to inferior player (see: Andreas Seppi) that while James' physical game is in the top 10, his mental game may not even be in the top 100. So I ask: what can he do to improve his mentality? Is a coaching change needed? New philosophy? New gameplan? Or is he just not good enough? I know he'll never be Fed, but how can he compete and make it to more Semis, Finals of big tournaments?

Some of your choices are odd:

2006 U.S Open- cruised into the quarters, including a straight set win over Berdych, and lost a competitive 4 setter to Federer who owns him. Also go back and analyze how the match played out and it was in fact Roger who choked a couple times in the match to even keep James in it, not the other way around. Roger choked away leads and opportunities in the 1st, 3rd, and 4th set and still won in 4. Blake on the other hand fought hard to make it as close as it was.

2007 Australian Open- lost to Gonzalez who was crushing everyone until the final, also crushed Nadal in the next round. I dont see how you can fault him for losing to Gonzalez the way he was playing there.

 

[psp2]

15-Jan-07 Australian Open Australia R16 150
8-Jan-07 Sydney Australia W 175
28-Jan-07 Delray Beach FL, U.S.A. F 120

He's got a whopping 448 pts. to defend in the month of January!! I see him slipping further down the ranking.

 

[mctennis]

I think that 2007 will be his best year from here on out. He's pretty much done all he is capable of doing with his talents. I like him but I'm not sure he has anything left.

 

[leonidas1982]

think happy thoughts, Blake.

 

[jamesblakefan#1]

James Blake:2007 vs.

Houston, TX, U.S.A.
International Series, 9-Apr-07, O, Clay , Draw: 32
S Zabaleta, Mariano (ARG) rank:156 5-7 6-7(7)

ATP Masters Series Miami, FL, U.S.A.
ATP Masters Series, 19-Mar-07, O, Hard , Draw: 96
R64 Serra, Florent (FRA) rank:64 6-7(10) 6-2 3-6

ATP Masters Series Indian Wells, CA, U.S.A.
ATP Masters Series, 5-Mar-07, O, Hard , Draw: 96
R32 Benneteau, Julien (FRA) rank:46 2-6 6-7(1)

Las Vegas, NV, U.S.A.
International Series, 26-Feb-07, O, Hard , Draw: 32
RR Korolev, Evgeny (RUS) rank:99 2-6 4-6

These are guys that a top 10, toop 20 player should not be losing to, particularly on their favorite surface. I watched all of these matches, save the Serra one. In every single one, he got down early, got down on himself, and seemed to give up mentally. So I ask again: what can he do to change his mentality? Is a coaching change needed?

 

[Supernatural_Serve]

He needs to develop a better plan B than hit the ball as hard as possible when he's feeling pressured or fighting to get back into a match.

Otherwise, he's in a great place after an excellent year.

 

[rightytopspin79]

I think I'll pass on JB when it comes to holding out any hopes of him winning a slam. He's been so content to make quarterfinals, semi's of slams and in the post match he just gives us this bs about he has happy how he played his game even though he loses close matches time and time again. He's dropped out of the Top 10 and I don't see him getting back anytime soon.

 

[AM28143]

Some of your choices are odd:
2007 Australian Open- lost to Gonzalez who was crushing everyone until the final, also crushed Nadal in the next round. I dont see how you can fault him for losing to Gonzalez the way he was playing there.

Didn't Blake serve for the first set in that match? If I remember correctly, Gonzo struggled early in the match , but Blake failed to capitalize. So, I agree Blake shouldn't be faulted for losing the match (Gonzo was incredible), but I think he can be faulted for losing in straight sets.

 

[jamesblakefan#1]

Yeah, I agree, in most of these matches, it wasn't the fact that he lost, like in the Fed match, but how he loses.

"He sort of looks like his dog died"
-Stan Smith, on Blake vs. Stepanek in LA

 

[superman1]

He's not a smart player. He's not a good tactician.

On the other hand, outside of that, he doesn't really have any weaknesses. He hits the hell out of the ball and he runs like the wind. So he's a guy that you want to look out for to make a few runs here and there.

 

[jamesblakefan#1]

OK, everybody's talkin ab what he is. We know he hits the hell out of the ball. But if it were just that simple, he'd already have a GS and Safin'd have 10. My point is, what doesn't he have? Is it all mental? Yes or No? And if it is mental, should he get rid of Brian Barker? Or pull a Roddick and bring in a new voice-maybe Johnny Mac? Or am I just dreaming?

 

[edmondsm]

Oh yes, coaching change is definatly needed. But he never will do that. Blake's real problem IMO is he just doesn't have it competitively. If he did, he would be able to dig deep in those tough moments on court, and when things weren't working he would go searching for outside opinions. He doesn't do either of those things. When times are tough he lowers his head and mopes around out there. And then goes and cries on Brian Barker's shoulder afterword.

 

[Tempest344]

well James is considered an "veteran" now that he is almost 28
in tennis ages

he is not that versatile........he can only compete on hard courts.....Tommy Haas comes to mind to as a "hard-courter" but his game is more adaptable

there's not a lot he can do.......he has improved his backhand compared to 3+ years ago
I think he just struggles against many of the top 10-20 players

 

[Tshooter]

I don't think he has a top ten game and I think he peaked when he cracked the top ten. I don't think he'll be back. Then again I didn't see Roddick staying in the top 5 this long either so what do I know.

 

[mica]

Blake will always be streaky both over matches and over seasons. I think he's at his best when he's relaxed and just swinging (not exactly a revelation), but he seems to have more than just tennis on his mind in general. This is a good thing everywhere except on the court, and I don't think he will ever change. That said, it means that you can never depend on him to remain at top form, but it also means that you can never depend on him being completely out of it either. It's impossible to know whether he will or will not climb back up into the top ten.

He did say that he felt that the Davis Cup win was one of if not the biggest win of his career. Since we cant know what's really going on in his head, I suppose all we can do is take his word for it.

In terms of what he "needs" to do, I think a sports psych might help him to maintain focus on winning during those high pressure moments. I think increased focus will also help him change gears when things are not going well rather than shut down mentally and go on auto-pilot physically, which is what he seems to do. Who knows though? Maybe James is just enjoying the ride, and there's nothing wrong with that, is there? I agree that his only "weakness" is in his head, but maybe it just comes from not living and dying by his win/loss ratio. If that's true, and he was still able to do as well as he's done over the past two years, I don't think it's a bad thing.

 

[CrocodileRock]

I hope he makes it back to the top 10 next year. Maybe he has the mental strength now.