AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 16, 2006

James Blake

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

JAMES BLAKE: It did almost get away from me. But I like to think that it's through a little bit better mental perspective out there that I didn't let it get away. Down 4-2 in the fourth, he's a player that has come back from two sets to love before. He did it to Andy at the French. I knew that. I knew even in the third set he was playing to win. I mean, any match that's that close can hinge on two or three points. I had a breakpoint in the third set to go up 5-4, serving for the match. He played an unbelievable point, then served an ace. You know, if I just win one of those two points, I could have been done and already showered and home, eating dinner. He played well to stay in there. It wasn't all my doing. A lot of it was his doing. My serve went away a little in the fourth. He capitalized on that to get up a break. After that, yeah, it definitely could have gotten away. I didn't want to let it. I wanted to make sure I was still around. I think that helps having the confidence of last week, being in these situations now a little more than I had been three years ago when I was up two sets to love and ended up losing maybe a match I shouldn't have. Now, I don't feel I'm going to be the reason to let it get away. If he's going to earn it and beat me three straight sets, what can I do but tip my hat and say "Too good." I worked hard to get into that tiebreaker. In the tiebreaker he gave me a couple freebies, which he hadn't been doing all set. I had really been earning points to get to that tiebreaker. He double-faulted once, made a bad error pretty early on. That was uncharacteristic. I was pretty happy to see it happen in that situation. That's what I think working hard and getting into a tiebreaker will do, put a little pressure on the other person and make them come up with the goods to beat me. Luckily he didn't do that in that tiebreaker. But I also felt good about my chances in the fifth set. I felt like my serve was coming back a little. I was playing well enough to win I thought still in the fifth set. I didn't want to put too much pressure on that fourth set tiebreaker. Maybe that's why I was a little looser than he was and he made those errors and I didn't.

JAMES BLAKE: No, I didn't talk to Andy about that. I figured that's a memory that he wants to keep a distant memory and not bring it up any chance I get. I mean, that was on clay. Jose I think is a slightly different player on clay, a little more effective with his groundstrokes, is able to stand further back and have more time and can really dictate a little more from way back there, as opposed to on this surface, it's a little easier to take time away from him. I didn't talk to Andy too much about that. I've played Jose before twice. I played him once on clay and once on these courts actually three years ago, I think. I knew how he played. It was more of a conversation with my coach about what I needed to do. It was also he reminded me. He's come back from two sets to love down. We saw him do it against Andy. He's been up two sets to love and lost. He did that last year here I think against Fernando González. He's someone that goes ready to play, but don't get too caught up in the ups and downs because there's probably going to be ups and downs. Just don't worry too much about that. Just keep trying to win more points than he wins. That's what I was trying to do.