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James Blake Bio
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- Full name is James Riley Blake
- Began playing tennis at age five with older brother, Thomas (born Dec. 29, 1976), a former All-American at Harvard University, and his father, Thomas, who passed away in July 2004 and mother, Betty, who was raised in England
- Also has three half-brothers and one-half sister
- At age 13, was diagnosed with severe scoliosis (curvature of spine), which forced him to wear a back brace 18 hours a day
- Attended Fairfield (Conn.) High School along with Grammy Award winner John Mayer and PGA Tour pro J.J. Henry
- The school renamed its tennis courts in Blake's honor in 2006
- Moved in 1999 to Tampa, Fla. where he trains at Saddlebrook Academy
- Lists Arthur Ashe as his role model
- Was inspired to pursue tennis after Ashe spoke to the Harlem Junior Tennis Program when he was a student in the program from ages 5-10
- Played two seasons at Harvard from 1998-99 before turning pro in June ‘99
- Finished as No. 1 collegiate player in country after his sophomore season despite losing in ‘99 NCAA singles final to Jeff Morrison of Florida
- Has a 15-9 career Davis Cup record (12-8 in singles) in 12 ties since 2001
- In 2005, appeared on Late Show with David Letterman, The Oprah Winfrey Show, 60 Minutes and Nightline while also being profiled in People, Esquire and Oprah magazines
- Signed with IMG Models in 2002
- Had 10-page pictorial in GQ in 2003
- Named 2005 ATP Comeback Player of Year
- Nominated for ESPN’s 2005 “ESPY” Award for Comeback Player of the Year
- In People Magazine’s 2006-2007 “Sexiest Man Alive” issue
- Voted to ATP Player Council in June 2006 and serves as Vice President
- In July 2007, released book co-authored by Andrew Friedman "Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life" and reached 15th on New York Times Best Seller list
- In support of the book, appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "The Late Show with David Letterman" as well as several US morning shows
- Holds an annual charity event, AnthemLIVE!, which since 2003 has raised more than $2.2 million for cancer research and past participants have included John Mayer and Boyd Tinsley of Dave Matthews Band
- Coached by long-time mentor Brian Barker (since age 12) and works on fitness training with former doubles partner Mark Merklein (11-5 career record together with two titles).
Biographical information from ATP. Unless noted otherwise all data as of year-end 2007.
Return to > Players > J > James Blake Profile (Biography) (Quotes) (Pictures)
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