James Blake certainly seemed to enjoy the support of the 23,000 screaming fans in Arthur Ashe stadium last night in his hotly-contested quarterfinal match against Roger Federer.  At times, there was so much noise that it almost seemed like a Davis Cup Final down in South America!  At each of the Slams, the locals receive strong support from the fans, but the “home court” advantage varies.  Down under, there seem to be several “home court” advantages since there are often vocal legions of fans supporting not just the Aussies, but also the Swedes, Greeks, etc.  At Roland Garros, the French players receive strong support, but it is not as raucous as it can be in NYC for a night match.  At Wimbledon, the fans are very knowledgeable and polite.  They’ve cheered loudly for Henman and Rusedski, and more recently for Andy Murray, but they never applaud errors or clap between a first and second serve.  During the Blake-Federer match, the fans were really excited.  At times, they even seemed to be clapping when Federer missed a first serve, etc.  In the end, you have to give credit to both Blake and Federer for handling the situation so well.  Blake performed admirably under the spotlight of the bright lights.  Not all players handle the expectations and support from their “hometown” fans so well.  Federer may have played “tightly” at times, but he never acted as if the crowd was getting to him nor complained about their behavior.  The hometown advantage can help, but it doesn’t guarantee victory.