James Blake with new coach

ahile02

ahile02

Rookie
It was just announced on Tennis Channel that James Blake has a new coach, and that his old coach Brian Barker is nowhere to be seen around the tourney he's currently playing in. James Blake's been working with him ever since he was 12. Wow. Should we see start to see some improvement?
 
ahile02 said:
It was just announced on Tennis Channel that James Blake has a new coach, and that his old coach Brian Barker is nowhere to be seen around the tourney he's currently playing in. James Blake's been working with him ever since he was 12. Wow. Should we see start to see some improvement?
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5 years too late...
 
It's unclear if James Blake, in the throes of a tough slide out of the top-20, has split with long-time friend, confidante and coach Brian Barker, but he's in Beijing for the $3.3 million tournament there and working with another long-time friend, Kelly Jones.

I don't have any immediate full information on the Blake coaching situation, but my best guess is that Barker, who has coached Blake since J.B. was 12 years old, is sitting this next week out with some personal issue. Blake and Barker are so close it's hard to imagine a mid-season split.

Jones, 45, of Tampa, was a highly accomplished doubles player who could be instrumental in improving Blake's transition game and volleying. Jones briefly reached doubles No. 1 in the world in early October of 1992, his greatest season in which he and Rick Leach were finalists at both the Australian and U.S. Opens.

Jones has previously coached top players Xavier Malisse and Mardy Fish.

Blake has not had a bad season, but he has had a disappointing season. He's 21-17 overall and, again, has not fulfilled his potential at Grand Slam events. He began the year at No. 10 and is now at No. 24.

http://www.tennisnews.com/exclusive.php?pID=29560

I'd be surprised if he officially split w/ Barker for good. I think he's just looking for a new voice, something different after so many years, anything to make the most of the last few yrs of his career now.
 
ahile02 said:
Uh oh. Did I miss something?
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No thanks for the info.

But he has gone to tournaments in the past w/o Brian as his coach, and had his brother as the substitute coach. But him using Jones may not be something new, seeing as how James trains down at Saddlebrook, as Fish does too. So maybe he just picked Jones up from there for the Euro swing to give Brian a break.
 
Delete post, not even worth it. ;)

Hopefully Blake finds his game and regains form. In either case it's premature to say a guy who's made 2 finals this year, to say this guy's career is over.
 
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i'm with grafseles on this one, personally I don't think anyone in the top 20 sees blake as a threat, everyone has the general consensus hit to his backhand, return his forehand WHEN and IF it goes in and he'll start trying to crack everything usually ending up in a big FAIL.
 
As people have said many times before Blake falls into trouble become he's too hell bent on being purely offensive. His style, as he has said, is hit hard, hope it goes in. Also, Blake apparently is the fastest player on tour in terms of 200m time. If he used that speed for defense I think he could come back. I hope he makes some slam quarters at least next year. He's definitely one of my favorite players.
 
Chelsea_Kiwi said:
Yeah but you did that to intentionally start something with JBF. It wasn't needed and plus you say similar things about Federer so your opinion is hardly "truth" is it?
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No I dont say similar things about Federer. I dont think he is the GOAT, let alone a male Steffi Graf undisputed GOAT of his gender, and for that I am attacked endlessly by the Federer army. However I have never implied his career is over. Unfortunately I expect him to be near the top and contending for slams for another 3 years atleast.

Your presumption is incorrect. My comment had nothing to do with my annoying stalker JBF. My comment was an honest opinion regarding James Blake which I chose to post, nothing more than that.
 
why should he get a serve/volley specialist as a coach when he,unlike Andy Roddick or Novak Djokovic or Juan Martin del Potro does have a transitional game in place already?
he knows how to transition and he knows how to hit volleys

problem with Blake and it has been for years is

1-his lack of a stable serve
2-he doesn't have patience
3-he doesn't play conservative when he ought to,to keep errors down
4-he,despite all the variety in his game doesn't have a backup plan that will bail him out when he is struggling
5-no spin in his game
6-he simply doesn't have the mental fortitude and he never had to really struggle because he simply isn't a factor off hard courts and a real threat to the players in big moments because he never goes far either in Paris or Wimbledon or in Australia(1 Quarters due to Grosjean choking a 2 set lead)
7-biggest problem is his aversion for anything that isn't a hard court while most of the tournaments are played on clay despite his speed and his footwork in Paris(3th round best finish) and despite being good at the net he has yet to go past the THIRD round at Wimbledon

the 21st century players like Federer,Nadal,Djokovic and even Murray despite one calling clay his worse surface has still made ALL the MS series finals and has made 4 FO finals before winning it to seal his ALL surface title
Nadal has won Wimbledon and won the Aussie and 2 straight USO semis with his 4 FO wins
Djokovic with his Aussie Open win still has made the semis at the other 3 slams or better(USO finals)
Murray made the Quarters in Paris and even hired a "specialist" to get better on clay and he has improved to go along his USO finals of last year and the semis at Wimbledon this year

what's Blake record off the hard courts?pretty poor!
 
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Chelsea_Kiwi said:
You are such a troll. Why don't you stick to womens tennis in the future?
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Bullsh*t. grafselesfan is correct...unless you are going to go on record and predict Blake will win a slam before he fades away? If he cannot do that, he's just wasting space, or showing up in the big tournaments to act as a practice session for the best in the men's game.
 
I can only hope he split with his coach and is trying something new. At least if he fails at the end of the day, he can say he tried everything. Roddick is a guy who's tried everything and it has paid some dividends over the years. Blake will always be accused of never changing his coach or changing up his shots unless he pulls the change trigger NOW!
 
THUNDERVOLLEY said:
Bullsh*t. grafselesfan is correct...unless you are going to go on record and predict Blake will win a slam before he fades away? If he cannot do that, he's just wasting space, or showing up in the big tournaments to act as a practice session for the best in the men's game.
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There are things like the thrill of competition, the love for the game. If Blake still has that, no reason people should be forcing him into the retirement home. As bad as his year's been he's still top 30 in the world, most guys go their whole career without reaching that level. Again, I won't write him off just yet. He's had injury issues this season, which is to be expected with age, but he's still got good tennis left in him. Hopefully he wins tomorrow and shuts some haters up. :D

This is eerily similar to last year in Beijing. People were saying he was done, he should quit, etc....and then he beats Roger Federer. Could we see the same happen again in Beijing, this time with Nadal? I hope so....;)
 
jamesblakefan#1 said:
There are things like the thrill of competition, the love for the game. If Blake still has that, no reason people should be forcing him into the retirement home. As bad as his year's been he's still top 30 in the world, most guys go their whole career without reaching that level. Again, I won't write him off just yet. He's had injury issues this season, which is to be expected with age, but he's still got good tennis left in him. Hopefully he wins tomorrow and shuts some haters up. :D

This is eerily similar to last year in Beijing. People were saying he was done, he should quit, etc....and then he beats Roger Federer. Could we see the same happen again in Beijing, this time with Nadal? I hope so....;)
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that "Win" against Federer was a FLUKE.Federer whooped your boy in straight sets in Madrid
 
bojsag said:
Are you saying that Blake is talentless, his career is in the sewer, and dumping Baker at this point is way too little too late?
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Nobody here is saying he is "talentless." And ,of course, he can (and should!) still make money in pro-tennis.

He simply will never be a true threat in the men's top 5 no matter what he does or who his coach is.

EOM
 
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troytennisbum said:
Nobody here is saying he is "talentless." And ,of course, he can (and should!) still make money in pro-tennis.

He simply will never be a true threat in the men's top 5 no matter what he does or who his coach is.

EOM
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Do you think Blake could be a threat in the top 50 with the new coach? That would be a great accomplishment for this player Blake.
 
Blakes Last Stand

troytennisbum said:
Nobody here is saying he is "talentless." And ,of course, he can (and should!) still make money in pro-tennis.

He simply will never be a true threat in the men's top 5 no matter what he does or who his coach is.

EOM
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2 Players Roddick and Blake

Roddick has always had fantastic coaches.
Blake has Barker.... (first name??)

Blake has not reached his potential yet. His performance in 2006 final 8 showed that clearly to me when he beat everyone but Roger in the top 8.
IF Blake comes back he has to assemble a team like Agassi had in his 30's to do it. I KNOW he can dent the top 7 if he has this combo.
 
wyutani said:
lol blake changed coach. who cares.
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Thats why you opened the thread. You obviously cared enough to see the criticism of the coaching change. Jim Blake is a thoroughbred in this game. Hes not going away. Blake has that ability to create chaos in tournaments by beating higher seeds. Espcially true on grass now. A resurgence in Blakes grass game is now evident.
 
longst said:
2 Players Roddick and Blake

Roddick has always had fantastic coaches.
Blake has Barker.... (first name??)

Blake has not reached his potential yet. His performance in 2006 final 8 showed that clearly to me when he beat everyone but Roger in the top 8.
IF Blake comes back he has to assemble a team like Agassi had in his 30's to do it. I KNOW he can dent the top 7 if he has this combo.
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Roddick hasn't always had great coaches. Goldfine flat out ruined his game after Gilbert and his brother as coach was iffy at best.

Gilbert, Connors, and even Benhabiles were good for Roddick, but the period from when he fired Gilbert up until he hired Connors, he really went into a tailspin.
 
Conquistador said:
Thats why you opened the thread. You obviously cared enough to see the criticism of the coaching change. Jim Blake is a thoroughbred in this game. Hes not going away. Blake has that ability to create chaos in tournaments by beating higher seeds. Espcially true on grass now. A resurgence in Blakes grass game is now evident.
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Come on even I have to laugh at this one after he loses to pusher Seppi 1st round Wimby this year. Couldn't even break Seppi who's one of the weakest servers in the men's game right now.
 
longst said:
You're his #1 Fan??? Who needs enemies? :-?
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I'm a fan but a realist as well. Some people on here who are fans of players have problems with distinguishing fantasy from reality. I'm not one of those.

He had a great run at Queens, and I really think he could've beaten Roddick had that match played out (I know, laugh). But to lose to Seppi after having a good chance at making a run to the 2nd week at Wimbledon really was a disappointment. To say he's any threat to the top tier of GC players at Wimbledon is a stretch.
 
jamesblakefan#1 said:
There are things like the thrill of competition, the love for the game. If Blake still has that, no reason people should be forcing him into the retirement home. As bad as his year's been he's still top 30 in the world, most guys go their whole career without reaching that level. Again, I won't write him off just yet. He's had injury issues this season, which is to be expected with age, but he's still got good tennis left in him. Hopefully he wins tomorrow and shuts some haters up. :D

This is eerily similar to last year in Beijing. People were saying he was done, he should quit, etc....and then he beats Roger Federer. Could we see the same happen again in Beijing, this time with Nadal? I hope so....;)
Click to expand...



Wait wait wait... hold on now. Before I completely and utterly call you out for the hypocrite you are, let me just say that I like James Blake and hope he does well. You on the other hand, with the way you have been acting recently, totally deserve the smashing you are about to receive :


jamesblakefan#1 said:
Here's my problem w/Safin,and I posted this in the Wimbledon seed thread...

It's nothing personal, really. But it seems to me that the guy gets a lot of sympathy and support for a guy who, at least to me, has never really been fully dedicated mentally to being as good as he possibly could be. In any other sport, guys who don't live up to expectation, don't reach potential, are looked down upon. Even in this sport, you have a guy right now in Berdych, very talented player, doesn't get nearly the support and admiration of Safin. Given, he doesn't have 2 slams either.

My point is, I don't see why so many have so much belief in Marat, if he never has that much belief in himself mentally. There's always excuses for Safin-he wasn't strong mentally, he choked, he was hurt, etc. But no one ever holds Safin accountable, seriously accountable, for not living up to full potential, the way people seem to do so w/ Nalbandian (call him fat, say he's never in shape) No injury excuses for Nalbandian, yet Safin gets the free pass b/c he's funny and good w/ the press. That's the only problem I have.
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Wait, doesn't Blake have a complete game, with immense power, physical ability, and tons of talent? At least Safin managed to win 2 slams while partying and boozing. Blake has alot of potential if he would just got a better coach earlier in his career. The game was there, but tactically and mentally he was weak (even weaker than Safin). Should have gotten more QFs on hardcourts, and did better at the Master Series on hardcourts, but failed to live up to expectations obviously.



jamesblakefan#1 said:
He's one of the weakest players mentally of all time. That's a major shortcoming. Inconsistensy, lack of true dedication, these are the shorcomings I speak of.
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Hey, sounds like that James Blake dude. Safin even with all of that still manages to win 2 slams. Holy crap. James Blake manages only 3 QFs his whole career. Safin manages to go to the SF of all four slams despite not giving a crap about tennis.


jamesblakefan#1 said:
Blake's not a whiny underachiever like Safin either.

All these people crying over Marat's retirement. I say good riddance. If you don't want to play, then stop playing and taking a spot from someone who actually wants to. No one's forcing him to play. You act as if playing tennis is some big labor. There's plenty of people in life that would gladly trade places w/ Marat and don't need to hear him complain about how hard it is to play tennis. Blah. Cry me a freaking river, build a bridge, and get over it Marat.
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Wait, isn't this basically you wanting Safin to retire, despite the fact that he wanted to basically have a farewell run for the fans? Yeah, ok. Blake definitely is an underachiever based on his physical and athletic talents. Should have posted way better results on hardcourts, but he didn't, as he consistently lost to a bunch of no name guys and struggled with Donald Youngs and Santoros.



jamesblakefan#1 said:
He's a whiner. All you hear of him now is complaning about how hard it is to play and be on tour, and while it may be true, people don't like to hear guys that get payed millions of dollars to play a game complain about how hard it is.

This and the fact that it often seems he's not interested out there on court, not giving his all to be successful. He's basically checked out mentally, just playing out the string.
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Wait, what? A whiner? Fine, I guess so, considering the media ASKED him about it. However, Blake whines, mopes around, and seems to be mentally checked out half the time on the court for most of his career. I guess he should retire too right?





Let me end this total and complete demolition of your credibility with this :


You-Are-Owned.jpg
 
NamRanger said:
Wait wait wait... hold on now. Before I completely and utterly call you out for the hypocrite you are, let me just say that I like James Blake and hope he does well. You on the other hand, with the way you have been acting recently, totally deserve the smashing you are about to receive :

Wait, doesn't Blake have a complete game, with immense power, physical ability, and tons of talent? At least Safin managed to win 2 slams while partying and boozing. Blake has alot of potential if he would just got a better coach earlier in his career. The game was there, but tactically and mentally he was weak (even weaker than Safin). Should have gotten more QFs on hardcourts, and did better at the Master Series on hardcourts, but failed to live up to expectations obviously.

Hey, sounds like that James Blake dude. Safin even with all of that still manages to win 2 slams. Holy crap. James Blake manages only 3 QFs his whole career. Safin manages to go to the SF of all four slams despite not giving a crap about tennis.

Wait, isn't this basically you wanting Safin to retire, despite the fact that he wanted to basically have a farewell run for the fans? Yeah, ok. Blake definitely is an underachiever based on his physical and athletic talents. Should have posted way better results on hardcourts, but he didn't, as he consistently lost to a bunch of no name guys and struggled with Donald Youngs and Santoros.

Wait, what? A whiner? Fine, I guess so, considering the media ASKED him about it. However, Blake whines, mopes around, and seems to be mentally checked out half the time on the court for most of his career. I guess he should retire too right?

Let me end this total and complete demolition of your credibility with this :
You-Are-Owned.jpg
Click to expand...

Blake is nowhere near the talent Safin is. Thus, comparing the two and their (percieved) lack of reaching potential is subjective.

I do think Blake reached as far as he could go. His game by nature is inconsistent, b/c he plays with so little margin for error. But even considering that, he probably would have a couple of MS titles and maybe a slam SF or final if it weren't for running into Federer in some of those big matches.

I guess we disagree about Blake's potential. Could he have done more? Of course, you can say that for nearly every tennis player, including Federer. But has he made the most of his abilities? It's debatable. I say that he has.

Blake wasn't some prodigy who came up in the tennis academies, high priced coaches, etc. So from that perspective it's been great for him to make it on the pro tour, where that sort of thing is usually looked at as necessary.

2006 was probably Blake at his best. Could he have kept that level for 2-3 more years? Possibly, but who knows. It's all subjective.

I'm not sure how to address all the points you've brought up, but the main point I want to make is this - comparing Blake to Safin is not fair, Safin IMO is far more talented than Blake, and as such had a higher level or expectations placed on him than Blake ever had. Safin is a bigger disappointment in the grand scheme of things than Blake, who some consider an overachiever.
 
So you like to waste people time and you have your screen name as a opposite to how you really feel about Blake. Ok, got it.
 
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