It's been a rough couple of years for American men's tennis, but that didn't matter today, as James Blake advanced to the Olympic semifinals after defeating Roger Federer in straight sets.
Blake has shown promise over his career and is currently ranked #7 in the world, but he has never advanced beyond the quarterfinals in a major. He's only 28, so there is still hope that he can continue to improve and become the face of American tennis, taking that title away from a slumping Andy Roddick.
Federer has had a bad year so far, losing in the French Open to Rafa Nadal (again) and losing in his bid for a 6th straight Wimbledon title, also to Nadal. It has been clear this year that Federer is human, but it wasn't clear that anyone except Nadal could beat him. James Blake had faced Federer 8 times previously and only won a single set total. His win against Federer should vault him into the discussion of the top men's players in the world, along with Federer, Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
August 14, 2008
James Blake Upsets Federer
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The idea that Blake should be considered as one of the best in men's tennis because he beat Federer is ill-conceived. If everyone who beat Federer this year should be mentioned amongst the top men in tennis, then that list would have to include Mardy Fish, Andy Murray, Andy Roddick, Radek Stepanek, Gilles Simon, and Ivo Karlovic. While these are all great players, they (like James Blake) cannot be said to be at the top with Nadal and Djokovic. Blake will have to do a lot more before he can be said to be truly amongst the best.
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