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XXIX OLYMPIC GAMES

August 16, 2008

James Blake

BEIJING, CHINA

N. DJOKOVIC/J. Blake
6-3, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. The match started a little slow, but got going. Was there some fatigue based on last night?
JAMES BLAKE: No, no physical fatigue. We're in good enough shape for that not to be a factor. But I think it's just tough mentally 'cause for us we're kind of conditioned to play, play, play until we lose, and then it's onto the next week. It's not play another match tomorrow.
So for me, that was the toughest part, just turning around and being prepared after a loss. I'm sure it was the same for Novak. We both didn't start our best. And then we definitely got into it at the end. The tiebreaker was pretty high level. We had some good points towards the end of that set.
So I'm actually taking something from it that I played well at the end and really can feel confident about the way I'm playing going into the Open. I'm going to take a lot of positives from this experience, the whole team atmosphere, being a part of Team USA, being a part of the tennis team with great other competitors. There's a lot of positives.
But the match, it was tough to really get into. You want to be your best for your team. And I think we both showed that we have a lot of emotion. Novak showing a little bit of emotion out there. Myself, I try to be a little more reserved, but sometimes I let the temper fly a little, too. It's tough when you're playing for your country, because you want to come over here and get a medal. Even if your goal coming into the tournament was to get a gold, once you're in this situation, you've got to change your goals. You've got to set the goals for today to come out on top. I didn't do that today, but I've just got to tip my cap to Novak.

Q. You've spoken through the week on how much you've enjoyed this experience. If somebody asked you to pinpoint one thing that's really stood out for you, what would that be?
JAMES BLAKE: What stood out for me this week probably has been the congratulations I got after defeating Roger in the quarterfinals 'cause it was from so many other American athletes, so many people that I'm sure didn't know my name or face beforehand, or if they did, they knew me as someone on TV, not someone sitting next to them in the dining hall.
To get it from Team Bermuda that was staying next door to me, to get it from a Swiss player saying that's not nice to beat up on Roger like that, to get it from Spanish team members, from everyone. And to see just people being happy for you. Obviously they're sad for Roger. You know, their condolences I'm sure went to him.
But you just get that Olympic spirit where people are all trying to enjoy the experience together. You come from so many different worlds, so many different cultures. You have one thing in common: you've sacrificed to get here, to get to your goal. When someone's doing that, doing their best, and for me having a first-time thing of beating Roger, beating a current No. 1 in the world, they recognize that.
I think that's a great notion for the Olympics, a great sign for the sporting world.

Q. How do you balance out the thrill of the victory over Roger with the disappointment you're experiencing right now?
JAMES BLAKE: Well, to be honest, I got to try to put both. Them behind me pretty quickly. We've got the US Open coming up pretty soon. As long as I'm still here in Beijing, I'm going to feel like a member of Team USA. Once I get off the plane back in America, I'm going to have to start shifting my focus towards the US Open.
And one of the constants in my career, especially since I've come back in '04 and '05, is not to get too high and not to get too low because there's so many ups and downs in this sport. There's so many times I'm going to have good wins, there's so many times I'm going to have bad losses. If I let those affect me and taking me on the emotional rollercoaster that this tour could be, I'm not going to make it. I'm not going to make it as long as I should. I'm not going to be able to succeed as much as I should.
So I got to put those behind me. It's one thing I learned from one of the greats of the game, Pete Sampras. He told me when I was very young that he could see how temperamental I was, how much I wanted to win every single match, every single practice. Just have a short memory. It's tough when you're still a competitor. He was the best at it.
Roger's unbelievable at it. You've got to put it behind you, move on to the next one and try to find a way to do better.
That's one of the reasons today was tough, because you want to get back out there and practice after a loss. To get right back out there and get on a match court is tough. But now I got a week to practice and be ready for the US Open.

Q. I'm interested about your opinion about the game of Rafael Nadal. He will be No. 1 on Monday. Do you believe his reign will be long?
JAMES BLAKE: I think Rafael's incredible. Getting to No. 1 in the world, as he will on Monday, is something I have to commend every single person that's got there. Because there is no easy way to get there. There's no fluke winning one slam, winning one tournament to get to No. 1. You have to prove yourself as the best in the world. With our ranking system, it's over a one-year rolling calendar. So for the last year, on Monday, he's been the best player in the world. And that's just a phenomenal feat.
So I got to commend him. I'm happy for him. It's been just about everyone's goal, is to get to No. 1 in the world. Everyone's dream. I hope it's all he's dreamed of. I hope he stays for as long as he deserves it.
It's tough to say how long it will be 'cause it seemed like when Roger was in the middle of his, it would never end. But everyone's human. Everyone's bound to have some bad times, some ups and downs. You never know. There's so many things that could happen: injuries, illness, lack of confidence, or he could continue improving.
The rate he's improved in the last year, two years, is incredible. If he keeps that up, then, yeah, his reign can be very long.
I'm proud of him and really happy for him to be No. 1 in the world. He's deserved it over the last year.

Q. What is your take on Roger's performance? Is he going to be in his peak form for the US Open? Do you think you can actually beat him again at the US Open?
JAMES BLAKE: Well, I don't know what kind of form he'll be in. I have a feeling he knows how to peak for the Grand Slams. He's won 12 of them already. He's proven he can win. He's one of the few guys on tour right now that knows that feeling, that knows how to really gear up and peak for a slam and come out on top at the end.
I think he'll be at his best. But I can't know that for sure. I have no idea what's going on in his mind right now. If I believe I can beat him again? I absolutely have to. If I don't believe I can beat someone, I have to step off this and retire and just stop, because I go into every match thinking I can win. Now probably even more so.
I've said it before. It was a quote from Todd Martin. If you win one set, you can win two. I believe that from the beginning when I won one set off Roger. If you win two sets, you can win three. If I win two sets, maybe there's a chance I can win three at the US Open. I've got to believe that. We'll see what happens if we meet there.
But I feel good about the way I'm playing and I'm gonna take positives into the US Open.

Q. Now that you've gone through this Olympic thing, can you reflect about it? The Olympic tournament, particularly on the men's singles side, is always kind of whacky. The women have had some greats. Andre Agassi is probably the only name non-tennis fans would recognize as a medalist. Can you reflect on how you see it? Is it different than the slams?
JAMES BLAKE: Well, I think for one thing men's tennis is realm where anyone can beat anyone. You take a medalist by Marc Rosset. I wouldn't want to face him right now the way he could serve then. If his serve was getting hot then, it's similar to an Ivo Karlovic, the way he can get hot with his serve. There's not much you can do but kind of cling on for dear life.
We have two great prayers in Nadal and GonzÃ¡lez that are worthy of being in a final, that have both had success at the Grand Slam, Fernando making a final, Nadal winning five of them. So we've got great players in it now. I think it's just a testament to how deep men's tennis is, that players that can get inspired, that can play great for one week, like Nicolas Massu, Mardy Fish, Marc Rosset, even Leander Paes making a run to get the bronze medal way back when.
But it's also a little different from tournaments because a lot of guys are staying in the village. The scheduling here was a little late. People aren't accustomed to this whole surrounding, the dining hall mentality, getting on a bus to get to a practice and stuff. It's just a little different. So some people react differently to different situations.
I think it's a lot of fun. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience, maybe twice for tennis players. I'm really proud and happy I got to be a part of it once.

Q. Getting back to this evening's match. How long will this result sit with you and the disappointment? How are you actually feeling right now?
JAMES BLAKE: You know, hopefully until I get off the plane in New York. Like I said, I'm a competitor, so it hurts to lose. But I'm trying to do better and better every time about having a short memory. I let myself kind of pout and moan and all that kind of stuff for a couple of hours, and then tonight I'll have to just get over it, maybe get some McDonald's in the village or something, set my mind at ease. Get on a plane tomorrow and wake up hopefully in New York a little happier, a little bit more prepared to be at the US Open.
No matter what, that first time I walk on Arthur Ashe stadium, I'm always ready. I'm always prepared and I've always got the adrenaline going.

Q. Yesterday you made a profound and interesting statement after your match.
JAMES BLAKE: That's a shock (laughter).

Q. You showed a genuine honesty of what you had to say. From talking to people, they felt you brought some perspective to what the Olympics mean. It wasn't a whine or complaint, there was something more there. Having 24 hours and that match behind you, are you glad you said it and got it out, what it meant?
JAMES BLAKE: Yeah, I've always tried to be honest in my press conferences. I'm honest with my praise. I'm honest with the way I feel about my competitors. You know, I feel like it needed to be said. It was just what I was thinking at the time.
If you have a crowd of 20,000 and you have one crazy fan, you can't say the fans were bad. So that's the way I'm going to feel about the Olympic experience. I had a great time. I had a lot of positives. I had so many people that made me proud to be part of Team USA, proud to be part of this tennis event. I can't let one incident spoil all that.
That's why I still feel great about this experience. And I'm lucky enough to have been chosen for this. I feel like I did my best and represented my country and my family and our team as well as I could.

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