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SHANGHAI ATP MASTERS 1000

October 12, 2009

James Blake

SHANGHAI, CHINA

J. BLAKE/I. Karlovic
3-6, 7-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Great win. When did you feel the momentum of the match really shifting?
JAMES BLAKE: Well, I didn't have a very good momentum at the start. I played, in my opinion, a pretty bad opening service game to sort of give away a break, and you can't do that against him.
I was in a couple of service games in the first set on his serve, so that gave me some confidence that maybe I could get a break later. And second set I just tried to put that first set completely out of my mind and start anew, and I thought I did a pretty good job of that, of just really focusing on my serve, and then in the tiebreaker taking care of every point on my serve.
I don't think he missed a first serve, but still getting my racquet on all of them and putting them back in the court and giving myself a chance once I did that in the second-set tiebreaker.
The third set, I liked the way, when I did get my racquet on it, how I was playing. So it was good when I had the opportunity.

Q. Do you feel as though you maybe towards, in the third set, you were maybe reading his serve a little better than the beginning?
JAMES BLAKE: I think he started missing a couple which helped me a lot, because in the beginning I think he was probably serving 75 or 80%. If he's serving 75, 80% first serves the way he hits them, as close to the lines as he hits them, it's tough, but then by the third set, yeah, I guessed a little more and he missed a couple more and just -- you know, you get a little bit here and there and get a little bit lucky on your guessing.
By that point you're starting to get used to seeing the pace and the trajectory, so you've got a little better look at it when you do feel like you guess right.

Q. Can you just talk about -- I mean, it's a new situation having Kelly here and everything. You've had Brian's voice almost your whole life, your career. How that's going and why Kelly? I know you were pretty close to him and he's in your area, but...
JAMES BLAKE: Yeah, it's new. Kelly is a great guy. I have a ton of respect for him, and I know he's going to help me.
Brian and I, you know, just made the mutual decision it's time to hear a new voice, and I've been asked the question many times throughout my career, If there was no Brian Barker, who would your coach be?
And the answer for me every time is Kelly Jones. As soon as Brian and I came to that decision, around the Open, my mind just went to Kelly Jones. I'm lucky that he dropped everything to start working with me. He has his own academy going in Tampa. I know that's taken a lot of work and a lot of time from him. For him to really drop that and start working with me says a lot about how much he wants to be here and how much -- and, you know, I appreciate the fact that he would do that, because it means a lot to me.
He's great, and he's helping me already. He was a great doubles player. He knows how to help me move forward, and I'm working with my volleys a little bit already. He's not going to change anything drastic, I'm sure, in the next couple of weeks, but when we have time to work together in the off-season, hopefully we'll have plenty of time to work on whatever he thinks needs to be addressed.
That's what I'm looking for is someone that might see something that maybe Brian didn't see; I don't know. But just maybe some new ideas, but I still have all the respect for Brian as one of if not "the" greatest coach in the world.

Q. I guess it hasn't been the best year for you.
JAMES BLAKE: Uh-huh.

Q. How do you put closure on it, coming to the end and looking forward to next year?
JAMES BLAKE: Well, it's a new challenge, getting better next year, getting that ranking back up there.
Yeah, this year has been really tricky. I feel like I'm healthy and then get a little injured, then I'm healthy and then get a little injured. I never really got, in my opinion, a flow going for the whole year where you feel like you're in a rhythm of three weeks and a week off, three weeks and a week off, you're training and you feel you're never going to get tired because you've working out so hard and you're in great shape, just that feeling of the year just kind of flowing through naturally.
This year with all the breaks with an ankle injury, a knee injury, a toe injury, a back being a little bothersome, so it's just been a little tricky. It hasn't been like 2004 where I just set my mind to where you're out for a long time.
Every time I want to be back as quickly as possible and maybe rushing back, not having enough court time and not being 100% on the court. So the end of this year I'll, you know, kind of hopefully erase it from my mind and just think about being healthy and getting back to the way I know can I play.

Q. You know that Marat Safin has announced his retirement, and he's close to be 30, so I ask you as a generation mate of him, how do you think about his decision, and in general, how do you think about tennis after 30s?
JAMES BLAKE: Well, Marat's case? I respect his decision. He just might not have it in him anymore. He doesn't have the desire. He's had a knee surgery. I feel his pain. It's tough.
All the travel, he's probably been doing this since before I was out on tour. He's been doing it for a little bit longer out on tour, all the travel. It definitely takes a toll on you. And he's won so many matches, played a ton of matches, that it just wears down your body and your mind.
I think he's one of the greatest guys out here on tour. We're going to miss him. He's a lot of fun. He's very intelligent, you know, as opposed to what a lot of people think about him just because of his outbursts on the court.
He's a very intelligent guy, and I know he'll have great success off the court when he's done if he wants to. I mean, he's earned the right with all of his success to not do anything if he wants to and to go out and play golf and relax and do whatever he'd like. I think he's still going to be working and he's still going to excel.
For me, playing tennis in my 30s is going to mean, you know, dealing with little nagging injuries, little tendinitis here and there, little stiffness, little soreness after a long plane ride. But like I said earlier, new challenges, ways of still competing with guys that are younger than you, guys that might be more eager to prove themselves. And I remember that time when I was 22, 23 and just wanted to prove myself and wanting to show that I belonged out here.
A lot of guys will do that to me, I'm sure. They'll try to prove themselves against an established veteran, and I want to make them earn it for the next few years while I'm still playing.

Q. To come back to this match with very little rhythm because of who you were playing, now you're going to go to a match with a lot of rhythm against Rafa, is that a tough change? How are you going to prepare for that?
JAMES BLAKE: Yeah, that's going to be a big difference, but luckily or unluckily -- I played Rafa last week, so I know -- I know how difficult it is to play him. I know how much he makes you run, how hard he makes you work, how great defense he plays.
I know what I'm in for, and I'll just prepare same way I did last week, just, you know, a little bit easier day tomorrow, just make sure my legs are fresh and then get ready, maybe warm up with a lefty tomorrow or the next day and be ready to face one of the best in the world.

End of FastScripts

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