After turning pro in 1999, James Blake was considered a favorite to bring American men's tennis back to its feet. The Yonkers-born star and former No. 4 went through plenty of highs and plenty of lows throughout his career. Largely defined by his spirit and willingness to overcome, Blake's career ended on Wednesday after a loss in the quarterfinals to Ivo Karlovic.
Blake had previously announced that the US Open would be the final tournament of his career. Suffering from back pain for years after a freak accident caused a broken vertebrae in his neck. Blake was hoping to make the run in the tournament a long one, but instead was calling it a career after five sets.
"I don't know when it's gonna hit me. I don't think I'll be sleeping much tonight. Thanks for staying, for everyone, I can look at the clock, it's after midnight, and I still got a lot of people here supporting me. It's hitting me now that I'm never going to have this again in my life, and I need to appreciate every single one of you for being here," Blake said, via ESPN.com.
After announcing his upcoming retirement, Blake noted that he gave tennis everything he had. He made the best out of every situation and he was content with the way things were ending.
"I've always been a big fan of James," said Roger Federer. "I think [his forehand] ranked one of the greatest shots out there because his take back is extremely quick. You cannot see where he hits it. He can also hit it moving backwards or forwards. He can pull the trigger. So you're never quite safe when you go to that side. It doesn't matter if it's pulled out to the forehand or inside out forehand."
With all the promise surrounding him, tennis fans had high hopes for Blake. But much like Andy Roddick, he will likely be viewed as a player that never reached his potential. He reached a career high No. 4 ranking in 2006, but never made it past a semifinal in a Grand Slam tournament.
Blake will have one more appearance at the US Open. He is set to play doubles with Jack Sock on Thursday. The two will face the No. 2-seeded team, Anexander Peya and Bruno Soares.