It has recently come to my attention that James Blake is one of the biggest chokers in the history of tennis. To cement my fears, the American produced possibly the most unforgivable choke of all time in San Jose, where he was top seed. A set and a break up, he was up 30-0 serving for the match and he lost - to Karlovic! Ivo Karlovic! He also threw away 4 match points in the ensuing tie-break. I don't want to dwell too much on this match, but how in blazes do you not finish a player like Karlovic off from that position?

Of course, Blake has a wretched history of choking - he's never won a 5 set match, and has often snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. He's showed vague signs of conquering his demons in the past, before flopping miserably at the Slams, and this kind of defeat really does spell trouble for him. Now the reason I actually care is because I believe Blake to actually possess a modicum of talent. Ljubicic's choking at Slams doesn't bother me because it's clear that he's a waste of space, but Blake really should be doing better. Sadly, it's looking a certainty that he'll fade out of the game in a couple of years time with a couple of GS QFs to his name and tagged a horrendous choker.

Yes, James Blake's a nice guy, yes his dad died, yes he had a serious injury a while back, but it's time for all this tiresome 'It's just nice to see him still playing' and 'Give him time' nonsense to stop. This guy's a tennis player and he could do so much more for himself than be an object of our sympathy. Incredibly, despite being such a choker, he's managed to reach number 6 in the rankings, and his head-to-head against Nadal proves he's got the ability to do something special.

Will Blake ever cure his choking demons, or will he slip out of the game an object of ridicule / sympathy for never living upto his potential? It's looking increasingly sure to be the latter.

To be honest, before Blake broke his neck, I had followed him a bit, and thought he was a good player, a nice guy, etc., but I didn't think he had what it took to be among the very top. I thought he would likely hang around for a while as a top 20 player. I think he had one career title before his more recent success.

Less than two years ago, he was still playing challengers, struggling to make a comeback. Since then, he's won 8 ATP level titles, made a couple slam QFs and had a couple good showings in Masters Series events, too. I'm frankly quite impressed with how far up he's pulled himself.

Granted, there are some matches where I feel like he "choked", losing when he probably should have won, but to call him a "perennial loser" seems absurd.

Wise Analyst, in view of your assertion on another message board that you yourself could dispose of Roger Federer with relative ease, perhaps its time you take to the court and show James Blake how it should be done.

Also, you talk about this as if Karlovic is a push-over. He's inconsistent, but has beaten a number of quality players over the last couple year. (Roddick, Hewitt, Davydenko, Haas, etc.)

I have to say i disagree wise i think Blake has become better than most people ever imagined, me especially.I thought the best he would be is like top 20 so in my opinion he has done brilliantly and Ivo Karlovic is a good player and when he is on he is a match for anyone.

I mostly agree with Wise_Analyst about Blake. I like the guy. When he's on song he is great to watch, with superb groundstrokes, but he really needs to buy himself a spine. He needs to develop a killer instinct, otherwise he'll never do anything of note in the game. Being nice in the world of professional sports doesn't get you anywhere.

Well, I sort of agree with that. It's more the "perennial" part that I find a bit OTT. I mean, I really don't think anyone was expecting very much of Blake just a year and a half ago. Now that he's up in the Top 10, winning tournaments and beating some top-name players, he's a choker and a loser, because he doesn't win all the time. :unsure: Just seems like some people are looking for a reason to be critical.

I agree that he isn't a perennial loser. That's too harsh. My frustrations with him is that he has the talents and weapons at his disposal to go even further than he has done. He should be challenging for grand slams (well the hardcourt ones) IMO. His forehand is superb. His serve is pretty good. His backhand could maybe do with some improvement. He is one of the most athletic guys on the tour. Unfortunately it's his mental frailties that often let him down.

Wise post, and i think the stats speak for themselves. Choker is obviously a short hand, for a subtle loss of confidence or ability at crucial moments, and that's precisely what is visible in Blakes game, as you point out.
Can a leopard change it's spots? can't think of many examples of chokers overcoming they're demons and winning slams in the mens game. Novotna and Mauresmo spring to mind in the womens, but mauresmo had a hell of a lot of luck winnning the Australian, which then gave her a psychological boost at Wimbledon-but the dynamics of the women's game are subtly different to the mens, and i don't see blake bagging a big en in his career.
I'ld also tip Nalbandian and Ljubicic never to win a slams-Nalbandian failed to show up mentally when he played Hewitt at Wimbledon, that he made the final is extraordinary but like Rios hadn't the stomach to take a slam.

Karlovic is now a set and a break up against Fish.

He may be limited but he's not the push-over that some seem to assume.

I too wish Blake could do more.

Imagine James Blake's athleticism with David Nalbandian's strategic thinking on the court. That's what I want to see in Blake's game, some thought to what he's trying to achieve on the court.

It's odd though.. he's a bright boy, should be able to figure out the strategic stuff.

Maybe it's just an issue of mental resiliance, which wouldn't exactly be the most heinous crime in tennis, would it?? :shrug:

I don't really think being "bright" has that much to do with being a good thinker on the tennis court, really.

Well, maybe there's a difference between having a brain and a tennis brain then..??

I find it very difficult to imagine that he doesn't put a lot of thought into analysing his game, and figuring out how to do things differently.. maybe just doesn't implement it on court??

Ivo Karlovic isn't a walkover, but let's face it, we'd probably not have heard of him if it wasn't for his height. If Blake had lost 7-6, 7-6, it would still have been a poor loss, given Karlovic's recent obscurity (I'd heard nothing from him since he performed quite well on clay last season then bombed on grass), but more forgivable. However, he lost having been 2 points away from victory on his own serve - that's utterly woeful. Karlovic has one of the worst return games I've ever seen, to lose a match to him having been 30-0 up whilst serving for it is probably punishable by a lengthy jail sentence in some countries.

As laurie has suggested, Blake's main problem is a lack of a Plan B. Whenever he senses things aren't going his way, he's unable to think of a coherent gameplan to overcome his opponent because his mind freezes; another form of choking. I agree that he's already surpassed all expectations, but why on earth does that mean we shouldn't expect any more from him? He's clearly got one of the best games on the tour and it's not superior opponents who are stopping him becoming a real force, it's mental demons.

Blake has never won a 5 set match, we all know that, but furthermore he's never won a match having been match point down, yet he has lost 7 matches having had match point himself. And if we consider his losses at the Grand Slams recently, they've all showed signs of choking. In 2005 the highlight was of course that ridiculous choke against Agassi with a clear path to the US Open final gaping, but he also blew a 2 sets lead against Wawrinka at the French and lost two tight tiebreaks to Hernych at Wimbledon in a 4 set 2nd round defeat.

In 2006, he lost in straight sets at the 3rd round of the Australian to Robredo, a player with nowhere near the talent of Blake, then lost another 5 setter to the inferior Monfils at the French. He was 2 sets to 1 up against Mirnyi at Wimbledon, then collapsed and only won one more game. Even when he lost to Federer in the US Open QF, there was an abundance of choking.

If this continues, Blake will be known as a perennial loser because of this absymal record on the stage that matters most in tennis.

Hi Wise, Are you an American?

South American, but been living in England for a long time now ;)

Wise Analyst, don't you worry that your habit of wallowing in negativity might lead to a stomach ulcer or worse? I mean, not only is your every post here about how bad things are now compared to an idealised past, but you spend all the rest of your time using multiple aliases on other boards to drum home the same obsession in the most absurd fashion.

I pity your innards mate.

Stop watching tennis and do something positive! Life is too short to concentrate on what's bad.

No.

I always got the impression you were syntatically very competent - what's your profession? - so this baffles me. I'd also have thought the fact most of my 'aliases' have joined this board proved otherwise.

I wish I could! :( Still, it can't be long before Murray, Gasquet, Djoko and Berdych break into the top 10... let's hope the stomach ulcers stay away until then!

Looks like Blake will be moving out of the top ten as quickly as he came in. :D After his recent early stage loses.

As for Nic I wouldn't even bother, a bit of a wierdo if you ask me.

Can't see that happening in the next few months, probably not until after Wimbledon at the earliest.

I think Blake will survive as long as they keep going with Round Robin ;)2

James Blake is a "streak player", meaning that he tends to have a run of four or five tournaments where he can play absolutely superbly, but is also prone to similar spells when he looks very ordinary. Ljubicic is another. So I expect to see him pull himself out of his current trough before too long. Sadly, he brings out the best in Federer (as does Roddick) and I fear that some of the beatings he received from Roger will have left their mark.

What we shouldn't forget is just what an attractive a player he is when firing on all cylinders.

The other point to mention about Blake is that on a hardcourt when he is in form he can beat virtually anyone.....


except Federer roflmao

Blake in the top ten was always due to some silly joke luck was playing but thank goodness because he seems to have run out. In the space of 2 weeks Blaky boy has produced a couple of chokefest session and it looks like soon they will be in series. :D

I like James Blake and he is a great player to watch when he is firing on all cylinders, with a superb forehand and great athleticism, but no-one can deny that he is one of the biggest chokers in the game, who simply cannot deal with the slightest amount of expectation on his shoulders. He had a big chunk of ranking points to defend at Indian Wells from last year and simply failed to handle the pressure. Last year when he was the American no. 2 he was playing very well. Suddenly when he overtook Roddick in the rankings and became the country's no. 1 player, all the onus was suddenly on him and his performances took a huge turn for the worse.

Blake goes out in the 1st round again.
Mann this guy has to get a new coach or change something.

Blake is like Hewitt: consistent but does not possess weapons, and unfortunately consistency only lasts for so long...weapons are what make (and lengthen careers)
This is the fear for Murray-he's consistent, and a good counterpuncher...but to stay at the top, he needs to develop a weapon.

Anyway, Blake can say adieu to top 10 ranking...

Blake no doubt has a flashy game, huge footwork, great-flowing mover, but his game isnt structured enough, and its always been the problem. His footwork at times can just look so sloppy, and the impatients on his shot selection belies his top 10 ranking. Blake needs to try and do the basics better, because at the moment its all flash and no cash roflmao

I like blake, but he needs to start making strides again :)

roflmao I like that line dl - all flash and no cash

however, gutted to see Blake going out again... I had high hopes for him and its all going downhill at the moment.... maybe you are right, basics first, then the flashier stuff. But change something so it works, purlease!

I may have been a little harsh citing Blake as a perennial loser - he's currently performing superbly in the ACP Rankings:

1 J. Blake (USA) 7100
2 R. Gasquet (FRA) 6900
3 M. Safin (RUS) 3500
4 D. Nalbandian (ARG) 3200
5 R. Federer (SUI) 3000
6 F. Gonzalez (CHI) 2500
7 A. Murray (GBR) 2400
8 I. Ljubicic (CRO) 2300
9 N. Almagro (ESP) 2100
10 N. Davydenko (RUS) 2000

roflmao roflmao whers PHM though?

The French are indeed underrepresented here. No Monfils? No Seba perhaps?

btw Blake has done his ranking no good by him and Fish defeating Chela and Acasuso in the doubles, no doubt serving out a tense final set 'tie break' (or whatever they're trying to market it as these days :angry: )

Seriously, though, I agree that Blake has had a few serious let-downs, when it looked like he was on his way to winning a match, but I can't help supporting him. Just two years ago at this time, he was coming back from serious injury and playing challengers, just trying to make it back onto the main tour. Since then, he's won like seven or eight titles, plus had several runner-up finishes, including last years Masters Cup.

You gotta admit that's not too bad for the supposed ACP champion. :rolleyes:

And where's Nadal on your ranking, Wise? He can't even manage to beat the biggest choker of all time. ;)

Id be interested to know how these rankings are compiled? Is this based on a 12 month system or is it a cumalative career ranking? Also do players get awarded quality points for choking to exceptionally bad players? :P

Well, I'm not one to unduly engage in negativity :unsure: , but I did want to point out that Soderling is making strides up the rankings and should probably be in the Race Top 10, based on a couple of his last few outings.

Leading 7-5, 3-0 against Berdych in MC, he somehow manages to lose twelve games in a row and with them the match. You don't see such a tremendous collapse every day. Then against Djokovic yesterday, he is up a set and manages to keep himself in the second set by breaking the Serb as he was serving for it. But rather than use the lifeline he'd given himself, he throws in a poor service game at 4-5 and is meekly broken at 30-40 on a routine forehand that he inexplicably sails long. Nevertheless he gets off to a good start in the third, going up a break 2-0, but this too goes by the wayside as he lets Djokovic--who lifted his game somewhat but was still playing rather poorly and showing signs of fatigue--wins three games on the trot for 3-2. Despite numerous opportunities at love-40 and 15-40 on successive service games, Soderling just can't bring himself to capitalise and, getting down on himself for failing to do so rather than keep fighting, at 3-4 he simply folds like origami, being broken to love. Djokovic serves it out to 15. It could have been big scalp for the Swede.