PILOT PEN TENNIS

August 27, 2005

James Blake

JAMES BLAKE: I feel great. Amazing how good you feel after you win. I might have been tired if I had lost right at the beginning of that third set, I think I was a little down, I don't know if it was as much physically tired as much as I wanted to end that match in two sets; then I was a little down. Then I got the break with him making six first serves, that was pretty exciting to me and it was helped by the crowd being still on my side. After I lost that second set, and just figured I had to come up with a new strategy, hadn't broken him in so long, had to come up with some way to break him. That was going to be actually I thought more about it attacking his second serve and he didn't give me a chance to look at one, I was just trying to get his first serve back. I did luckily. He made a couple of errors. I went after a few balls and played a couple of good points. Then I definitely wasn't tired or down at all after that.

JAMES BLAKE: Yeah, it helped having the crowd but also in the back of my mind just letting that set slip away. Towards the end of the break I had to just think you know what, let's start all over, I got a break pretty early in the first set, let's try and do that again. Try to keep taking care of my serve. I had held, you know, all throughout the second set and he had been putting little more pressure on my serve. I had been missing a few more first serves. I said let's get back to focusing on that serve and focusing on holding. Like I said, was going to change my strategy a little bit going after his serve, his second serve a little more; especially in the third to take my chances, I wanted to have that confidence in my serve that I can keep holding. Luckily it paid off right away.

JAMES BLAKE: Yeah, I mean, that was partially me letting him hang on; partially him playing pretty good points. I did play a pretty loose game to get broken; made a few mistakes I really shouldn't have made. That's bound to happen at one point or another. I am just glad it happened when I was able to recover and still win the set. I think that's something again six months ago or maybe a few years ago, I wouldn't have had the maturity to do. I would have thought about that too long and I wouldn't have had the same focus in that tiebreak to continue playing my game; might have tried to change something and been angry about the break. But I got through it and I think I am -- I know I am pretty proud of myself for doing that.

JAMES BLAKE: Like I said I was going to try to go after his second set more. That was a conscious effort to do that. I think possibly his legs -- he still was making a ton of first serves but when I was getting them back he didn't quite have the same real pop on his second balls. He wasn't stepping up to them even when it was in middle of the court he wasn't getting around it like he had been before so maybe he was feeling his legs a little bit or maybe he was just a little unnerved about how many I was putting back in the court because he was getting a lot of free points in that second set. Sometimes if you don't have a rhythm from getting so many free points it can actually work to your disadvantage because then when you start getting a lot coming back you are not ready for it. I think possibly a combination of those things, I just kept taking it to him, when I got second serves, I was trying to attack him. That paid off.

JAMES BLAKE: During the delays all I was thinking about was that next point because I know how hard it is once you have a delay like that. It seems like most of them were on my serve when I was coming back seemed like I have got to make a first serve and I have got to try to put pressure on him; most of them I did. I felt like I won those first points except for the one in the tiebreak, but I just knew it's just as tough for him, he's coming out, he's trying to make a return and put some pressure on me so I have got to put the pressure right back on him. He's thinking I might come out with a weak first serve because I haven't hit a serve in a little while or I might be cold, but I wanted to just go out and not get hurt but I wanted to go up after it and really make a first serve.

JAMES BLAKE: That's a very tough spot especially since I was up 30-Love when it started to drizzle; then kept playing, he came up with a great backhand down the line to make it 30-40. That's pretty frustrating to end on -- you want to keep playing after that. That was frustrating but again proud of myself for coming back. I hit a serve that I probably wouldn't have hit a few years ago. I just went hard into his body as opposed to trying to go for the ace. Ended up working out for me. I won the point with a pretty good forehand.

JAMES BLAKE: Sometimes luck comes into it. Those are shots when you guess right and you are just feeling good, you go after them and those are shots I am sure up in the booth anyone watching if I missed them by a little bit they are going to say what in the world he was thinking. For me a lot of times on those instinct plays I just go with the first thing that comes into my mind because if I were to the try and change my mind and go for the safe shot, I think I'd miss that more often than I'd miss the shot that's just my instinct. So I am going to go after those for ever whether I am criticized or not, and if it happens to be a bad day, I am playing bad, people I am sure will say that's the reason, but as you can see now, when I am playing well that's sure as heck the reason why I lost. I would just chalk those up to a bad day. That's my percentage play to go with my instinct.

JAMES BLAKE: Unbelievable. Amazing feeling to be -- at the beginning of this week, I couldn't have dreamed it up any better to have some close matches, have a lot of fun in front of these fans and to me it is just -- it's really the best feeling I get all week or all -- after these matches it's such a good feeling when you go up, you hit an ace, got an overhead, something on matchpoint, you win that, but to come off the -- off and when you get into the locker room your coach or whoever isn't there but just to see my agent, see my coach, see my friends and see how happy they are, that's what really makes the difference makes me realize how much it means to me to have people to share these kind of moments with because if I came into an empty locker room and didn't have fans, didn't have friends to share it with, it really wouldn't feel this good. But I am so lucky that, it's just amazing feeling.

JAMES BLAKE: No one said anything to me. I haven't been embarrassed yet. I have seen a whole lot worse in Davis Cup before. I think it goes over the line if it ever is during a point. I think it goes over the line if it's ever personal to a player. And I think -- I didn't hear anything. Unfortunately actually I don't hear a lot of things -- my friends always ask me, I will get home tonight, did you hear when I said this, did you hear when we said that. I have to disappoint them very often, no, I didn't notice that. I didn't hear that one. Usually I will pick out one or two things that I have heard all match then I will go home, I heard that one, that's the one and that person will be happy that it was the one I heard. I really don't hear too much. I didn't hear anything get personal tonight and I mean, mostly I am hearing go JB, fire it up one time, that kind of stuff. I never think that's going over the line. That's just them getting excited for me.

JAMES BLAKE: Well, probably, you know, keeping the eyes on the road making sure I am getting here all right.

JAMES BLAKE: Yeah. I will probably coming up with a couple of my friends, so I will just be doing the same thing I have been doing these last few days coming up talking shooting the breeze most likely not about tennis and just listen to some music, enjoying the ride. Nothing to serious until I actually get here.

JAMES BLAKE: It's a great feeling. Like I said, I have said a few times I felt this way for a little while now since I came off the grass and I felt like my game is there. It was just a matter if I can get a run to show other people to let make them believe that my game is back. This is more affirmation that it is. I feel good about beating top players, Hanescu had a great run this, Haas, in my mind is a Top-10 talent. Chela has been playing great. He played even better than I would have expected him to. These wins are not easy, and it's a sign that I feel like I am playing a level of tennis higher than where my ranking is. I feel pretty good about that.

JAMES BLAKE: Well, it always tricky first time you play someone but I need to think that it is going to be tricky for him as well. I'd like to think my game is going to cause problems for him. I know his game can cause problems for a lot of people big lefty save, that's dangerous to anyone, no matter how talented or how good a returner, you don't see that as often. I am lucky that I played a lefty earlier this week so I have seen a pretty big lefty server already. But Feliciano is really one of the best in the world so I am going to have to really take care of my serve to counteract that and hopefully get him tight into spots where he's serving at 4-5 or serving at 5-6 or 5-All to make it him think about it a little more. Then really take my chances go after him hopefully.

JAMES BLAKE: Made it through tonight hopefully I will do the same tomorrow if we get a little rain, just same for him as it is for me. I have got -- if it does rain and it causes a long delay I have got a ton of confidence in my coach it's not -- I hope it's not going to be advantage for him get -- to regroup, talk to your coach. I feel like I have become better and better as I have gotten older. I don't see a problem. I will deal with it. I think the tournament will be a little bit more upset than I would.

JAMES BLAKE: Yes, was a little difficult. That was the first time where we stayed on the court every single time and then right back so quickly. But like I said before, I am just going to worry about getting that first serve in and then from there on in, get back into the rhythm of the match and feel pretty good about it.

JAMES BLAKE: As big as they have been so far, maybe even more. They are going to be so excited for a final because they will know how excited I am for being in a final and possibly winning in my home state it would just be unbelievable. First one was so special to me with my family there, few of my friends to travel there in DC, but to do it in front of a hundred of my close friends here and my mom and some really other close friends it would just be amazing. I really couldn't have dreamed it to be any better at the beginning of this week.

JAMES BLAKE: No, if my legs start going at all, the crowd will be my legs for a little while, I think I am not worried about that just like I am not worried about being tired for the Open. I know I will have enough adrenaline, enough energy when I go out into the U.S. Open and tomorrow with the kind of fans I have here.

JAMES BLAKE: I think he always knows I wouldn't mind being a part of the Davis Cup, but I think Robby and I are making his decision a tough one, but a fun situation for him. It's tougher when you don't have anyone that's playing that well to fill that No. 2 but spot right now he has got two guys that are back to playing pretty darn good tennis myself and Ginepri. We are both proud of each other every time Ginepri won a match in Indianapolis and Cincinnati I was texting him or calling him and saying good job. Every time this week he's been saying keep it rolling. I even called him for a scouting report. We are both supportive of each other, whichever one goes, we know we've earned it. If I go to Davis Cup, I know I've earned it. If Robby goes, I will be cheering from the sidelines and I will know that he's earned it.