Tennis Legend James Blake - Busy And "Lucky" In Retirement - Returns To Triad To Play Again

Tennis legend James Blake was once a former world top-five player, and one of the most exciting professionals on the tennis circuit to watch.

He was what they call a “shot maker,” a high-risk player with a crushing forehand stroke–one of the most powerful ever–who ran down balls that viewers and sometimes even his opponents had already written off as winners.

This weekend in the Triad, Blake will join Andy Roddick, Jim Courier and Mark Philippoussis in an exhibition doubles match. The Powershares Legends event kicks off the Winston-Salem Open, an event I've come to know well.

The last time I saw James Blake play a professional tour event was during the 2012 Winston-Salem Open, and even though he was then in the twilight of his career, the crowd was pumped.

James Blake: I played Andy [Roddick] there at the Winston-Salem Open, but I think it was about four or five years ago now, and it was a good match. I think it was six and six [6-7, 6-7–a tight contest] and I remember him saying at the net 'I hope this isn't the last time we play.'  And it was, on the main tour, and now we get a chance to rekindle that a little bit on the Powershares series, and have some fun, and I'm excited about it, actually. 

Blake retired in 2013, and I asked him about that transition away from the daily grind of the tour.

JB: Oh, man I actually feel extremely lucky because I've heard of so many athletes that have issues with, when they retire, not having anything to do, not knowing what to do, getting depressed, getting horribly out of shape and so many other things going on. So, for me, I was not depressed at all. I think I stepped away at the perfect time. I had one daughter and another on the way and I think most parents will tell you that two little kids will keep you pretty busy. So they kept me busy and excited about every single day you get up and they're learning something new.

Besides being a hands-on dad, driving his kids to lessons and practice, and helping his wife in the kitchen, Blake's charitable foundation supports the early detection of cancers, and he's co-founded a new business: CrampsAway, a product that gets rid of muscle cramping—the bane of many players, including Blake for most of his career.

You'd expect a thoughtful guy like James Blake to land on his feet. Unlike most professional tennis players, he went to college–Harvard, no less–majored in economics, and seriously considered a career in sports management before leaving school to turn pro after his sophomore year. On tour, in the early 2000s, Blake quickly made a name for himself both on court as a player and off the court, appearing in People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" issue.

That all changed in the spring of 2004, when he suffered a series of tragedies: a broken neck during practice, then shingles that paralyzed half his face, and  the death of his father to cancer later that summer.

But Blake overcame that adversity the following year, rising from 210 in the ATP world rankings to the top ten, and being voted Comeback Player of the Year.

A few years later, Blake was also named the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year.During the first year on the tour, I had a chance to witness the kind of character Blake possessed that lead to that award.

At the 2001 US Open, my father and I watched a young James Blake fight to a fifth set against eventual world number one, Lleyton Hewitt. During the match, an African-American line judge called Hewitt for a foot fault. Hewitt screamed at the chair umpire: "Look at him [the linesman] and tell me what the similarity is [beckoning towards James Blake who is also African-American]". Those brutal words were picked up by the courtside microphones and we heard it in the stands. I was amazed by what came next.

Blake forgave Hewitt. I wondered what was going through his mind at the time, and how he came to the decision.

As he was being whisked away to a press conference after the match, Blake says his dad told him he would support him, however he ultimately approached the matter.

JB: I just thought about it and I thought you know I haven't had a chance to talk with Lleyton, and I was aware that anything I said at the press conference was going to be inflammatory because every question they asked was sort of baiting me to kind of throw him under the bus, and make it an even bigger deal than it was. And I didn't want to go that route of starting what would amount to being a war of words, and so I saw Lleyton in the locker room the next day and I said 'We're going to go outside and we're going to talk about this.' And we handled it there.

You know, my parents always taught me that you can be hated, but it's a lot tougher sometimes to show your appreciation. But in the end, it usually works out better instead of showing hatred. So I wanted to show that I could be fair, and I could be okay with someone who may have shown his worst side on the tennis court. So I tried to appeal to him when we were in the locker room when we could talk about it calmly, and then, you know, we got past it.

James Blake will take Stadium Court during the Winston-Salem Open's Powershares Legends event this Sunday night at 7:00pm.