Mens Tennis Forums banner

James News!

26K views 278 replies 53 participants last post by  KarlyM 
#1 ·
We needed a thread for this :cool:

From the Providence newspaper.......
---------
On the Courts by Mike Szostak: Blake tries to regain elite status

NEWPORT -- Finally fit after a year of a scary injury and illness, James Blake has begun the long haul to rejoin the tennis elite.

You remember James Blake, the one-time New England Wonder Boy who started hitting tennis balls in Harlem as a kid; moved with his family to Fairfield, Conn.; followed his All-American brother Thomas to Harvard, where he became an All-American; bid farewell to the Crimson in 1999 after his sophomore season and a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships; won his first ATP Tour title in 2002; earned his highest ranking, No. 22, in 2003, and broke his neck while crashing into a net post in Rome in 2004.

Well, Blake, now 25, is back on the ATP Tour, determined to improve his ranking, eager to do well on clay and grass in Europe and excited to return to Newport for the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis championships in July.

Blake was in town Tuesday to mingle and have lunch with tournament sponsors and box holders, smile for photographs, sign autographs and answer questions from his fans during a relaxed Q&A session led by WHJJ's Steve McDonald.

Always gracious, and always grateful to Hall of Fame boss Mark Stenning for giving him a break when he was a collegiate star and a struggling young pro, Blake was great. He charmed everyone with his personality and impressed all with his thoughtful responses. He earned a round of sympathetic applause after describing his father's influence on him before he died of cancer last July.

Blake has committed to the Hall of Fame tournament July 4-10. This will be his seventh consecutive appearance at the Newport Casino.

"Why would anyone not want to come back? This is a beautiful place, and it's so much fun," he said.

When Blake returns with his pals Robby Ginepri, Jeff Morrison and Mardy Fish -- Jurgen Melzer, Justin Gimelstob and Vince Spadea also have entered -- he hopes his ATP entry ranking is higher than his current No. 189. His ranking tumbled last year while he recovered from a broken vertebra in his neck, suffered when he tumbled into a net post while practicing in Rome in March, and from zoster, an inflammatory nerve disease than can affect hearing and vision.

After his neck injury, he played only Newport, Washington, D.C., and Delray Beach, Fla. He missed Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Having recovered from zoster, he started working on his conditioning and was ready for the start of the 2005 campaign in January. He played a tournament in Aukland, New Zealand, and lost to Fernando Gonzalez of Chile in the first round. He fell to Lleyton Hewitt in the second round of the Australian Open.

Back home, he lost first-round matches in Delray Beach and San Jose and a second-round match in Memphis. Playing in the desert, he reached the third round at Indian Wells and the quarterfinals at Scottsdale in February. He reached the quarterfinals again this month at the U.S. Clay Court Championships in Houston.

"I feel I'm back on the level I want to be in terms of fitness," he said. "In terms of tennis, I feel I'm hitting the ball great, but I've lost three '6-in-the-third' matches. I know that's a matter of not playing. I don't feel comfortable on the big points. I feel that when I win one, they'll start coming in bunches."

Blake's tough three-set losses occurred to Nicolas Lapentti in the quarterfinals at Houston, 7-6 (3); to Fish in the first round at Memphis, 7-6 (7), and to Carlos Moya in the second round at Key Biscayne, Fla., 7-6 (6).

Blake plans to play Challenger tournaments in Robinsville, Miss., and Forest Hills, N.Y., to boost his ranking and then head to France for the French Open qualifier in mid-May.

"I haven't had to play the qualies since 2001, so this will be a new experience," he said.

Then it will be on to England for the brief grass-court season. He is counting on his dual citizenship -- his mother is British -- to help earn a wild card or two. After Wimbledon, he will return to Newport, his "home" turf on the pro tour.
 
See less See more
#55 ·
:yeah:

Finding a sunny day

Professional tennis star James Blake, who returned to tennis almost a year after a spinal injury, stops in Hampton Roads to promote a charity exhibition and conduct a youth clinic.

BY DAVE FAIRBANK
247-4637
November 11, 2005

NEWPORT NEWS -- When James Blake stepped on the tennis court last January, he had no idea what lay ahead. Would he build upon the world-class talent he exhibited a year earlier, or would injury and illness cut short a promising career?

Eleven months and many trials later, Blake again is near the upper echelon of men's tennis. He had the most successful year of his career, fueled in part, oddly enough, by a loss.

Most important to Blake, he is in a position now to help others, which gives his tennis meaning and which brought him to Virginia on Thursday.

"To oversimplify it," Blake explained, "the old cliché is: You can't enjoy the sunshine without some rain, and last year there was a lot of rain."

On a sunny and unseasonably warm November day, Blake made three stops in the state, all of which dovetailed nicely with his causes and passions.

He was in Norfolk, where he promoted the AnthemLIVE! charity tennis match and concert Dec. 1 at the Constant Center.

He then came to Newport News, where he conducted a youth clinic and volleyed with kids at the Achievable Dream Tennis Academy.

He later traveled to Richmond, where he was present for the donation and dedication of personal items that belonged to his idol, Arthur Ashe, to the Virginia Historical Society.

"When we're fortunate enough to have these guys and gals that have done so well with their lives, it's extremely motivating," Achievable Dream chairman and founder Walter Segaloff said.

"Amazing," said Heritage High sophomore Tonique Merrell after hitting balls with Blake. "He's kind of a role model, how he never gives up in matches."

The Dec. 1 date at the Constant Center is an unusual event featuring an exhibition tennis match between Blake and compadre and mega-star Andy Roddick, as well as concert performances by John Mayer, Blake's childhood friend, and Gavin DeGraw.

"I feel like I'm worthy of being on this lineup," Blake joked Thursday morning during a press conference at the Constant Center. "When I did this at the beginning of the year, people probably were excited to see Andy Roddick and John Mayer, and now I feel like I at least belong on the billing.":hug:

Proceeds will go to cancer research, a crusade near to Blake's heart after his father died in July 2004 at age 57 following a year-long struggle with the disease.

"I probably will have to warn some of my friends that I'm going to be bugging them to come around and help out in causes like this," Blake said. "Hopefully, if it can ease the pain and suffering of someone like my father or keep them alive longer for their kids and their families, it's definitely worth calling in a few favors and having some of my friends and other entertainers help out."

Blake's professional cachet is on the rise after winning two tournaments last summer. His most notable performance, however, was his run to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open, where he defeated second-seeded Rafael Nadal and lost an epic, five-set match to Andre Agassi that went past 1 a.m. and drained the capacity crowd at the USTA National Tennis Center.

"It wasn't anything where either of us should be hanging our head. I can say that because I'm the one that should be hanging my head," Blake deadpanned. "But I'm really not that displeased with it. If you're going to lose, it's better to lose when you're playing well and against a legend and an icon like Andre Agassi than to go out making a lot of errors."

Success in Grand Slam events was the last thing on Blake's mind when 2005 began. He suffered a broken vertebra in a freak accident in May 2004 when he slipped while practicing and rammed his shoulder into a net post.

"If I had hit on the top of my head, we wouldn't be talking about playing again," he said. "We probably wouldn't be talking about walking ever again, so I'm extremely lucky."

The injury sidelined him for two months, coincidentally sending him home for the final six weeks of his father's life. Thomas Blake was a medical salesman for 3M Company for 30 years and helped introduce James and his older brother, Thomas, to tennis.

After his father died, James Blake came down with Zoster - commonly known as shingles - in his face and head. The nerve disorder affected his vision, hearing and balance. His recovery was frustratingly incremental.

"It was a time when maybe my body was telling me I needed to be home with my family and friends, anyway," said Blake, who already had overcome a bout with scoliosis at age 13 to become one of the nation's best junior tennis players.

Blake attended Harvard for two years before turning professional in 1999. One of the sport's fastest and most gracious players, he slowly ascended the world rankings before his setbacks last year.

When he returned to competitive tennis this year, he said, "At the beginning, it was very inconsistent. I would play a match that was really good - top-20 tennis or top-50 tennis - and then I'd play a match that looked like I learned how to play the day before. I really didn't know if that was going to continue, but it took a lot of matches to get me back to where I was consistent."

Blake advanced to the final in August in Washington, D.C., where he lost to Roddick. He won events in New Haven, Conn., and Stockholm, sandwiched around his U.S. Open performance.

"The other matches we play are kind of for selfish reasons," Blake said after the clinic at Achievable Dream. "They give us the opportunity to do these kinds of things. You win matches, you make a name for yourself so you can have an effect on these kids. If I had never won a tennis match, these kids wouldn't want to listen to a word I had to say about achieving a dream, so I'm happy I had a chance to do this."
 
#58 ·
Tale of two seasons for James Blake

By Bonnie DeSimone
Special to ESPN.com


http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/columns/story?id=2224612

HERSHEY, Pa. -- If you think James Blake's comeback season was defined by a gallant loss, think again.

Blake's epic five-set, wee-hours U.S. Open quarterfinal tussle with Andre Agassi was certainly memorable, one of those it-was-an-honor-to-be-there events. But a few weeks later, under far less ballyhooed circumstances, Blake notched his first-ever European tournament win at the Stockholm Open.

It was his second ATP title of the year, along with a win in New Haven, and added an exclamation point to his climb back from a tumultuous 2004 season in which he fractured vertebrae in his neck in a freak accident during practice, suffered a case of shingles that left his face temporarily paralyzed, and lost his father, Thomas, to stomach cancer.

Blake, 25, currently has a ranking to go with his age -- a jump of more than 50 places from his 2004 year-end ranking. He's looking forward to a brief offseason crowded with exhibitions and charity events, including his own inaugural cancer benefit on Dec. 1 in Norfolk, Va. Last week, before playing a World Team Tennis fund-raiser for Elton John's AIDS Foundation, the Fairfield, Conn., native took time to reflect on his season.

Question from Bonnie DeSimone: What exactly did it mean to win in Stockholm?

Answer from James Blake:: I'd never even been in the semis of a tournament in Europe. To go through and win one made a big difference to me, [especially] the way I did it. I was down a set and a break at one point in the second round. So I very easily could have made it another European trip where I don't have a whole lot of success and I come home and say, 'Oh, I'll get it back in the States or in Australia or whatever.' But I didn't have any thought of getting down on myself or being a little burned out because it's near the end of the year. I just kept playing my game and doing my best and that's something I'm proud of. Being a little older makes it easier to have that kind of perspective.

Q: Seems a little unfortunate that so many people saw you lose at the U.S. Open, while Stockholm didn't get nearly as much attention.

A: It started in D.C. [where Blake lost to Andy Roddick in the finals], then I did well in New Haven and then the U.S. Open, all close to where I grew up, and so I had friends there, people cheering for me. Going to Europe, a lot of people would then kind of nosedive. But I proved to myself that I can do it without all the friends and family around. Winning a tournament in Stockholm, where I really just had my coach out there with me, was pretty exciting for me, to know it's me doing it, all the hard work I've put in.

Q: Sometimes it's harder to stay back than to come back. Do you think you'll be able to keep the momentum of this season going?

A: I don't think the memory of 2004 will ever leave me. I know that things can end in a hurry. I'm going to try to keep that adrenaline rush going, and try to continue having the same perspective of just being happy to be out there and making the best of it. … This is something I think a lot of people go through the first time they have success. I had it as well when I jumped up to 20-something in the world, then dropped back down to 30 or 40 the next year. You're dealing with expectations, more time concerns, more people gunning for you. Now I feel a little more ready for that. I was coming back to that point when I got hurt originally. Now I know how to manage my time better and how to succeed and continue to improve.

Q: Any plans to return to Harvard to finish your degree?

A: I have two years left. I'd like to go back when I'm done playing. I think it might help with my transition. A lot of guys don't know when to stop or what they're going to do when they stop and I have a feeling I won't know. It'll give me a reason so I don't hang on too long … but as long as my body holds up and I'm playing as well as I am and enjoying it and feeling like I'm getting better, I'm going to keep playing. Andre's an inspiration to all of us.

Q: The word comeback doesn't really apply to losing a parent, does it?

A: It's really tough to describe to anyone who hasn't been through it. [My father] taught me everything I know about being a man. His last lesson in death was putting things in perspective and letting you know what's important. I was so lucky I was home his last few weeks [while recovering from injury] to be around him and hear him say, face to face, that he was proud of me. I think it's going to get me through the rest of my life to know that everything I've done made him proud. Hopefully I'll continue to live that way. The only thing I can do is teach my future children and anyone who's willing to listen all the lessons he taught me, about being kind and respectful to people … I want to start a scholarship at my high school because that's something my dad always took pride in. He always made sure my brother and I were scholars first and athletes second.

Blake's "AnthemLIVE" event on Dec. 1 at Old Dominion University's Ted Constant Center in Norfolk, Va., will feature an exhibition match between Blake and Roddick and musical performances by Gavin DeGraw and Blake's childhood friend John Mayer. Proceeds will benefit the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where Blake's father was treated, and several other organizations. For information, go to www.constantcenter.com.
 
#61 ·
James took part in the Swingtime event this weekend in Florida.. here are a few articles :)
================
Blake, Morariu both know about adversity, how to overcome it

By ANDY KENT, ankent@naplesnews.com
November 20, 2005

As lonely a sport as tennis appears to be, it might be a bit surprising to some how tight the ranks close on both the men's and women's circuit when one of their own is hurting.

James Blake and Corina Morariu discovered this closeness separately on their own, then again when they first met each other in person. And in the process, they discovered another link that drives them to help others, which is one of the reasons why both are in Naples this weekend as part of the Swingtime tennis exhibition benefiting the Tim & Tom Gullikson Foundation.

Morariu, who has rebounded from a fight with acute leukemia that nearly ended her life in 2001, was coached by Tim Gullikson when she was an 11-year-old living in Boca Raton. Gullikson died of brain cancer at the age of 44 in 1996, and one of his doctors was Morariu's father, a neurologist.

"Tim coached me when I was 11-years-old and he was like a second father to me, so I would do anything for him," said the 27-year-old Morariu, who teamed up with Mardy Fish in a mixed doubles exhibition against Xavier Malisse and Jenny Hopkins on Saturday afternoon at the Players Club & Spa at Lely Resort.

Blake, 25, lost his father, Thomas Blake Sr., to stomach cancer in July of 2004. Two months earlier, Blake fractured a vertebrae when he crashed into a metal net post during a practice session with Robert Ginepri on a wet clay court in Rome. He was almost paralyzed, and then after his father passed away, he came down with shingles.

Overcoming physical adversity was nothing new to Blake. He had scoliosis as a child and stood just 5-feet tall when he started high school. Now 6-1 and no longer affected by the disfiguring condition, Blake still never forgot the important lesson his experience taught him.

"If you're appreciating everything that's going on in your life from a day-to-day basis you're going to be happy just because you can appreciate the little things," Blake said. "I appreciate being able to get up and smile in the morning, or just a nice day, a beautiful setting right here or a football game."

But Blake also didn't realize how many people he inspired even before his incredible comeback this past summer that culminated with a thrilling five-set loss to Andre Agassi in the semifinals of the U.S. Open.

He first caught Morariu's attention in the 2001 U.S. Open when he lost a hard-fought match to Lleyton Hewitt that was marred a little by a controversial remark made by Hewitt about an African-American linesman. Blake handled the matter in the post match press conference very well, and at the time Morariu was in the hospital receiving chemotherapy treatments.

"I remember thinking he just handled himself with such class," Morariu said. "He started doing well when I was sick and in the hospital. So I started playing again and I played against his team in a team tennis match and I remember him just pulling me aside and saying, 'I think it's so great what you've done, you're such an inspiration.' I just remember thinking for a young guy to pull me aside and say something like that, I just remember thinking that was really incredible."

When Blake found out how much of an impact he had on Morariu while she was fighting her cancer, he was taken aback.

But the two developed a friendship after that and an equal passion for helping other people with life-threatening illnesses. He said they both have been given a newfound perspective on life and realize how lucky they are to be able to still be playing tennis and to have the means to help with causes like the one supported by the Gullikson's foundation.

Morariu, who described her cancer experience as "visiting hell on earth," looks at Blake as the type of person Tim Gullikson would have had the utmost respect for and as a great ambassador for the game. Blake feels the same away about her.

"She's incredible," he said. "Everyone seems to make a big deal about everything I've done or gone through last year, but there needs to be more of a big deal made about how much she's endured and the fact that she's still smiling, still healthy, still playing the sport she loves.

"She really appreciates being at events like this and she supports causes like this, which is great, and she is an inspiration to so many kids that it's very exciting to be a part of it with her."

Tom Gullikson, Tim's twin brother, can't say enough about both players. He pointed out that Blake is a board member of the foundation and referred to Morariu as "simply one of the finest young ladies on the tour today."

Blake had to pull out of his scheduled exhibition with Taylor Dent on Saturday due to an injury.

Gullikson also hopes that Blake, Morariu and the other men's and women's players who continue to participate in events like Swingtime — Dent, Fish, Xavier Malisse and Jenny Hopkins — receive the recognition that they deserve.

"The players are often portrayed as aloof and inaccessible and greedy," Gullikson said. "And these players that are here this weekend refute all of those points, they really do a great job."

============================================
============================================
============================================
============================================

Players entertain fans at charity event at Lely
Tournament provides pros with practice at same time

By Jl Watson
jlwatson@news-press.com
Originally posted on November 20, 2005

They traded backhands for barbs, top spins for trash talk.

The players at Swingtime — a Pro-Celebrity, Pro-Am Tennis and Golf Tournament held Saturday at Lely Resort in Naples — entertained fans while getting in a little extra practice time on the courts. Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) star and all-around nice guy James Blake had to sit this one out, but signed autographs and talked to fans.

"I sprained a ligament in my foot," Blake said. "I hurt it Wednesday on a treadmill while I was running."


It was one of his first workouts after coming off a short layoff. Blake said he thought the injury was minor but found out on his way to Naples that the ligaments needed rest.

"My foot is supposed to be better in a week," he said. "I'll get back to training, hopefully without hurting myself again."

With 2005 singles titles at the Stockholm Open and Pilot Pen tournaments, Blake has had a great year, considering that in 2004 he battled huge obstacles: a broken vertebrae that threatened his life, never mind his career; the death of his father; and a virus that kept him off the tour for eight months. Perhaps his greatest match this year was in the U.S. Open quarterfinals, where he took on Andre Agassi. Agassi won in a grueling, five-set marathon that sapped the energy from both players.

"We both have a ton of respect for each other," Blake said. "He's an incredible person. We both played our best. If you're going to lose a match, you want it to be one like that, where you're playing well."

If he didn't walk away with the win, Blake at least won the congeniality category. His friends and fans, the "J-Block," are avid followers and are a vocal presence at most of his matches.

"I'm so lucky to have people like that," Blake said. "I've had people ask me, 'Do you really know all those people?' I can tell you the personal lives of all of them. They're friends, coaches, people I grew up with, friends' parents. I'm so happy to see them out there."

Blake left the J-Block at home for Swingtime, but spent time cheering on his doubles partner Mardy Fish, who is rehabilitating a left wrist injury. Both players said they will be ready to play in warmup tournaments Down Under while gearing up for the Australian Open in January. ...
 
#62 ·
:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:


Blake To Appear On 60 Minutes On Sunday
By Tennis Week
11/23/2005


James Blake made one of the most inspirational comebacks in tennis this year. On Sunday, Mike Wallace brings Blake's story to the nation in a profile that will air on CBS' "60 Minutes" starting at 7 p.m. Eastern time. Wallace interviewed Blake and teammate Andy Roddick in Belgium during the United States' Davis Cup World Group Playoff tie against host Belgium.

Three years ago, Blake was a hot property both on and off the court where his rise up the rankings after claiming his first career title in Washington, D.C. was accompanied by an IMG modeling contract and another title — People Magazine named Blake "The World's Sexiest Athlete".

A year ago, Blake's life took a tragic turn: pursuing a drop shot in a May, 2004 practice session with Robby Ginepri on the red clay of Rome, Blake burst forward full speed when his foot caught on the clay and he slammed head first into the net post with such force his neck snapped back before his body crumpled to the court like a marionette whose strings were suddenly snapped. As he lay immobile on the court with a broke neck, pain, panic and fear flooded Blake's body. The sight of his friend flattened on the court provoked the terrifying prospect of paralysis in the mind of Blake's coach and mentor, Brian Barker.

"I feel like I am generally a pretty calm laid-back person, but at that time I was very, very scared," said Blake. "The way I hit that pole, the first thing my coach said he was thinking the way I hit it for sure it I’d be in a wheelchair the rest of my life and was just hoping I was going to be able to walk someday, so he was just as scared as I was apparently."

The pain deepened considerably a few weeks later when Blake's father, Thomas Blake, passed away after a bout with cancer. Then Blake found himself battling a virus called Zoster, which paralyzed half his face and diminished his sense of sight and smell. But Blake battled back from the personal and professional pain to post the best season of his career this year.

The 24th-ranked Blake captured tournament titles in New Haven and Stockholm and played a classic five-set final with Andre Agassi in the U.S. Open quarterfinals that will be remembered as one of the best matches in recent years. Blake¹s triumph over tragedy, his reckless abandon on the court, and his resilient attitude off it, have attracted legions of fans, but the question remains: Just how good can he get? Mike Wallace examines Blake's story this Sunday.
 
#63 ·
Thanks...:)



http://www.bonitanews.com/news/2005..._both_know_about_adversity_how_overco/?sports

Blake, Morariu both know about adversity, how to overcome it

By Andy Kent

Sunday, November 20, 2005

As lonely a sport as tennis appears to be, it might be a bit surprising to some how tight the ranks close on both the men's and women's circuit when one of their own is hurting.

James Blake and Corina Morariu discovered this closeness separately on their own, then again when they first met each other in person. And in the process, they discovered another link that drives them to help others, which is one of the reasons why both are in Naples this weekend as part of the Swingtime tennis exhibition benefiting the Tim & Tom Gullikson Foundation.

Morariu, who has rebounded from a fight with acute leukemia that nearly ended her life in 2001, was coached by Tim Gullikson when she was an 11-year-old living in Boca Raton. Gullikson died of brain cancer at the age of 44 in 1996, and one of his doctors was Morariu's father, a neurologist.

"Tim coached me when I was 11-years-old and he was like a second father to me, so I would do anything for him," said the 27-year-old Morariu, who teamed up with Mardy Fish in a mixed doubles exhibition against Xavier Malisse and Jenny Hopkins on Saturday afternoon at the Players Club & Spa at Lely Resort.

Blake, 25, lost his father, Thomas Blake Sr., to stomach cancer in July of 2004. Two months earlier, Blake fractured a vertebrae when he crashed into a metal net post during a practice session with Robert Ginepri on a wet clay court in Rome. He was almost paralyzed, and then after his father passed away, he came down with shingles.

Overcoming physical adversity was nothing new to Blake. He had scoliosis as a child and stood just 5-feet tall when he started high school. Now 6-1 and no longer affected by the disfiguring condition, Blake still never forgot the important lesson his experience taught him.

"If you're appreciating everything that's going on in your life from a day-to-day basis you're going to be happy just because you can appreciate the little things," Blake said. "I appreciate being able to get up and smile in the morning, or just a nice day, a beautiful setting right here or a football game."

But Blake also didn't realize how many people he inspired even before his incredible comeback this past summer that culminated with a thrilling five-set loss to Andre Agassi in the semifinals of the U.S. Open.

He first caught Morariu's attention in the 2001 U.S. Open when he lost a hard-fought match to Lleyton Hewitt that was marred a little by a controversial remark made by Hewitt about an African-American linesman. Blake handled the matter in the post match press conference very well, and at the time Morariu was in the hospital receiving chemotherapy treatments.

"I remember thinking he just handled himself with such class," Morariu said. "He started doing well when I was sick and in the hospital. So I started playing again and I played against his team in a team tennis match and I remember him just pulling me aside and saying, 'I think it's so great what you've done, you're such an inspiration.' I just remember thinking for a young guy to pull me aside and say something like that, I just remember thinking that was really incredible."

When Blake found out how much of an impact he had on Morariu while she was fighting her cancer, he was taken aback.

But the two developed a friendship after that and an equal passion for helping other people with life-threatening illnesses. He said they both have been given a newfound perspective on life and realize how lucky they are to be able to still be playing tennis and to have the means to help with causes like the one supported by the Gullikson's foundation.

Morariu, who described her cancer experience as "visiting hell on earth," looks at Blake as the type of person Tim Gullikson would have had the utmost respect for and as a great ambassador for the game. Blake feels the same away about her.

"She's incredible," he said. "Everyone seems to make a big deal about everything I've done or gone through last year, but there needs to be more of a big deal made about how much she's endured and the fact that she's still smiling, still healthy, still playing the sport she loves.

"She really appreciates being at events like this and she supports causes like this, which is great, and she is an inspiration to so many kids that it's very exciting to be a part of it with her."

Tom Gullikson, Tim's twin brother, can't say enough about both players. He pointed out that Blake is a board member of the foundation and referred to Morariu as "simply one of the finest young ladies on the tour today."

Blake had to pull out of his scheduled exhibition with Taylor Dent on Saturday due to an injury.:confused:

Gullikson also hopes that Blake, Morariu and the other men's and women's players who continue to participate in events like Swingtime — Dent, Fish, Xavier Malisse and Jenny Hopkins — receive the recognition that they deserve.

"The players are often portrayed as aloof and inaccessible and greedy," Gullikson said. "And these players that are here this weekend refute all of those points, they really do a great job."
 
#64 ·
#66 ·
:lol: That's ok, I'll forgive you :p :kiss:
 
#67 ·
Somebody slap me please( ok only a few folks here are allowed:lol:) but I was asked about some of my favs playing tennis and I only answered about the 2 doubles teams and I forgot James!!! Big sigh.....
And Deb I will say it again- thanks for posting this stuff.:)
 
#68 ·
:)

Comeback Kid James Blake
cbs.com
Nov. 23, 2005

(CBS) Rising tennis star James Blake, who came back from a broken neck and made the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open this year, credits his deceased father with inspiring him to get past difficult times in big matches.

60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallace profiles Blake this Sunday, Nov. 27, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

In his quarterfinal match with Andre Agassi during the U.S. Open this year, his father, Tom, who died of stomach cancer, was with him in spirit. If the fans wondered what Blake was doing when he looked up and mouthed some words during the fifth-set tiebreaker, Blake’s mother, Betty, knew immediately. “He looked up and he said, ‘Dad, I love you,’ ” she tells Wallace.

Blake explains his look-up-and-play moment to Wallace. “I was thinking how much (his dad) would have enjoyed being there. I think he would have been proud of the way I played,” he says. “And that’s actually what I was thinking about at that time.” He lost to the older, legendary Agassi in what will be remembered as one of the all-time great U.S. Open matches.

The neck injury he suffered when he ran into a net post on court early last year was “the best thing that ever happened to him,” says Blake. It kept him out of pro tennis long enough to spend time with his father during his last agonizing days waiting for the cancer to take him.

Now he draws inspiration from his father’s ordeal when he misses an opponent’s shot or fails to score on one of his own. “If I think of my dad, I realize it’s not that big a deal. And it puts it into better perspective, thinking what he went through — without complaining,” says Blake. “I shouldn’t be complaining about one bad point, one … shot and missed opportunity,” he tells Wallace.

 
#71 ·
James was awesome on 60 Minutes :D
 
#74 ·
I'm sure that was a great accurate representation of what happened in thse 11 minutes or so;)
 
#75 ·
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top