	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

WESTERN & SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS

August 18, 2007

James Blake

CINCINNATI, OHIO

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. He served 79% and you broke him five times. Were you feeling it out there? Seeing it really well?
JAMES BLAKE: Yeah, I was seeing feeling pretty early on. I think hew changed his strategy a little bit. He started trying to get that high percentage in and not give my looks at second serves. Because I think early on I was taking advantage of second serve.
Once he did that I was tried to make adjustment and still be able to put a lot of them back and deep in the court and get the point started and then take my chances and go after my forehand when I got the. It was working. Yeah, things just kept going well as I got more and more confidence.

Q. You were really, really animated after that one point, especially after he missed that volley. Can you talk about what that was moment was like.
JAMES BLAKE: Well, you know, that was the game -- I think he was up 30-Love in that game, and to kind of fight back and get the breakpoint and take advantage of that first one where I actually made a couple of gets that I really think he might have thought were winners.
Then to go after that shot, that was kind of my only hope. I was way behind the baseline, he was coming forward, and my only chance was to really go for it and try to make something happen on that and I did and it paid off.
It was a great feeling to get a break because the way things had been going the first set was -- there was no real rhythm. It was he got up then I got on a little streak, and so to hopefully get the early break, and then I felt like I was starting to serve a lot better.
It was a feeling of, Okay, now I can hopefully keep this going in my favor. It did keep going in my favor. Gave me a chance to keep swinging even more, and then I played well the rest of the way. That was probably the start of it.

Q. What's the balance like for you right now between the excitement from tonight and the anticipation about tomorrow?
JAMES BLAKE: Well, right now I'm going to try to concentrate on how well I played this match. Once I get up tomorrow I'll probably start thinking about what I need to do tomorrow. I know Roger's game. We've all watched him many, many times in many finals, so I know what he's going to do and how impressive he can be.
But I feel like I'm playing as well as I have in a long time, and this court seems to suit me. I was here early getting ready for it and I feel good and my stomach is feeling healthy and I'm going to go out there and take my chances.
You never know what's can happen against him. He's a guy you can play well against and lose, and he's definitely not a guy you can play poorly against and win. I want to give myself the best chance to play well and see what happens at the end.

Q. Watching you and Nikolay have some of those rallies, you both hit very hit hard and flat and you both are really quick off the ground. Would you say that the biggest difference is that you're physically stronger out there?
JAMES BLAKE: I don't know. It may look that way physically, but on the court it doesn't seem that way because he can kind of overpower people even though he's a little bit smaller stature. He can still hurt guys with his backhand and he can still rip that forehand.
I think the biggest thing is we both take time away from the opponents. Both of us kind of stand on the baseline and kind of hurt guys by moving forward and taking away their time. Somehow in all the matches I've played with him I've kind of just been able to step it up a little bit more and get on top of him and take a little bit more of his time away and make him more uncomfortable.
I don't know exactly what the reasoning is, I've just happened to play some of my best tennis against him. I don't know if it's just being physically stronger. I think it's a little bit of the confidence I've gotten from winning so many matches against him, and hopefully it'll continue.
But I always seem to get confidence and have confidence when I play him.

Q. Have you watched Roger at all this week?
JAMES BLAKE: Yeah. I saw his match today. I watched -- I didn't see any of the Almagro match, but I've seen him play, yeah, a little bit this week.

Q. He's been taking to three sets a couple times, and didn't look all that good in the final last week. How do you think his game has been?
JAMES BLAKE: It's he's still No. 1 in the world so he's still doing something right. I didn't see any of the final last week against Djokovic, but I know how talented Djokovic is and how great he can play. I'm assuming he played a great match. I don't know how Roger would characterize it, but he did make it to the finals. He did beat some pretty talented players to get there.
I know it may look easy what he does, but I know from experience that it's not easy to beat these type of players the way he has been doing. He maybe looked vulnerable the way he's been taken to three sets, but that just shows how dominate he's been. That that's the standard he's set. That just getting taking to three sets makes it look like he's not playing well.
But I know he's, you know, he's No. 1 in the world for a reason. Hard courts are what he plays better on than clay, so I know it's going to be tough. He's had unbelievable result in finals and I know it's not going to be easy, but I've got take my chances.
If he looks vulnerable then maybe I'll find a way to take advantage of that this week, but you never know.

Q. How much do you have to balance going for your shots against him and making errors, because he rarely beats himself?
JAMES BLAKE: Yeah, it's tough. It's a fine line I everyone looks for in every single match. For me I generally try to err on the aggressive side because that's when I'm playing my best. It may seem like it's lower percentage tennis, but I feel like in the long run it's higher percentage tennis because I'm going to win more matches that way, I'm going to go deeper in draws that way, and I'm going to beat players that are of that level more of often when I'm going for my shots than trying to just keep balls in.
Because if just keep balls in then I'm going to lose to him every single time. He's not going to beat himself, and he's going to take it to me and force the action on me. If I take it to him then I know I actually have a chance at least.
If my shots are going in and if I'm playing that confidently and moving forward all the time then I know I have a chance. If he just comes up with shot after shot after shot to counter punch that or can find a way to still dictate play when I'm going for my shots, then the only thing I can do is tip my cap and say, Too good.
I'd rather take my chances and go down swinging that way.

Q. You mentioned earlier trying to attack his second serve. You played him a few times. How easy is it to read the second serve of Federer?
JAMES BLAKE: Not very. There aren't many of his shots that are very easy to read, which is part of what makes him so dangerous. He seems to be able to hit -- kind of prepare the same way as Sampras prepares for his serve. Seems to prepare the same way and be able to hit any shot off his forehand as well.
It seems like he can just create pace out of nowhere. It looks like he's going to just roll the ball in and before you know it it's by you, and that's part of the reason he makes it so difficult. He can create so much spin and so much pace without making it look like it. Similar to a Mariano Rivera when he throws a pitch and it's on you before you know it. It's an amazing talent that and it's part of the reason he's the best in the world.

Q. Second straight night of really exciting match point. Talk about your emotion going through that.
JAMES BLAKE: Yeah. That was very exciting. A little crazy. I've done that a bunch on the practice court where I'm completely stretched out and there's really not much you can do but you get a continental grip and kind of slap. That was my only chance.
He's got a great overhead, so I couldn't even get over there to throw up a lob. It wouldn't be have been effective. Just went over there and slapped and went for it and was riding high on the emotions of the moment and the crowd and the fact that it was match point and got a little lucky and just clipped the net and went in.
I guess, I don't know, something's been exciting about these last couple match points. I hope tomorrow is no different and ends in the same way.

Q. You haven't had a chance to play Roger this year or Rafa or Djokovic or Roddick, any of the top four or five guys. Does that make tomorrow even more exciting for you since it's been a while?
JAMES BLAKE: Well, I haven't actually even thought about that. It'll be a good feeling because I haven't had a chance to measure my game against those guys yet. Because I feel like I am playing well, especially right now I'm playing great. So it'll be, yeah, exciting.
But luckily I have played all them before, except Djokovic. I practiced with him and played him in exhibitions before, but never in an actual tournament. I know how great those guys can play, but I also know they're human.
I've had wins over Nadal; I've had wins over Davydenko and Roddick. Federer is the only one I haven't quite cracked the code, so maybe tomorrow will be the first.

Q. How big has this week been for you? Ready to add an epilogue to the book yet?
JAMES BLAKE: Not quite yet, but it's been really exciting though. It was one that I didn't know how it was going to go and I know my coach and I talked about it in Montreal when I was deciding whether or not I was going to be able to play against Lleyton. He said, You know what, we need to be really careful. If we're in Cincinnati and you still can't play we're going to know you made the right decision. And if you can play we're going to be happy that you're healthy and getting ready for the US Open and playing in the States and actually giving yourself a chance to do well when you are healthy.
That's what I did. I gave myself a chance and that's what happens when you give yourself a chance. It's really exciting, and I'm thrilled to be back in a final. It's only my second one in a Masters Series, and I'd love to get one of those shields. I don't know if it'll be worthy of an epilogue yet, but as witnessed in my book it's more about how everything else has been going in my life, and that's all great too. So maybe an epilogue about that.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297