James Riley Blake is an American retired professional tennis player. Blake was known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. During his career, Blake amassed 24 singles finals appearances , while his career-high singles ranking was World No. 4. Career highlights included reaching the final of the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup, the semifinals of the Beijing Olympics, the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and US Open , as well as two titles at the Hopman Cup and being the No. 1 ranked American singles player. Blake was a key performer for the United States 2007 Davis Cup championship team, going 2–0 in the championship tie vs. Russia at second singles.
In 2005, Blake was presented with the Comeback Player of the Year award for his remarkable return to the tour. Later, in 2008, Blake was awarded another honor by the ATP, where he was named the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year. On July 3, 2007, Blake's autobiography, Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life, which discussed his comeback after his unlucky 2004 season, was released and debuted at No. 22 on the New York Times Best Seller list. He co-wrote this book with Andrew Friedman.
Blake announced that he would retire from tennis after competing at the 2013 US Open, where he suffered a first round loss in five sets against Ivo Karlovic. Blake's career ended on August 29, 2013, after a 6–2, 2–6, 2–6 doubles loss in the 2013 US Open.
Wikipedia
“He was over at my house every day between fifth grade and eighth grade.”
On his childhood relationship with John Mayer
From Outtakes with James Blake, June 23, 2003 issue of ESPN Magazine http://espn.go.com/talent/danpatrick/s/2003/0609/1565617.html
