Blake's Burden
By any standard, James Blake has had a fabulous season. He has won 5 tournaments, cracked the top ten, reached a career-high ranking, been the Number One ranked American and reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open where he lost a thriller to Roger Federer. Somehow it feels like it's not enough, and I'm sure James would like to accomplish a lot more, too. Blake is clearly not anywhere near "finished,” but will whatever he achieves ever be "enough"? American tennis fans want another superstar to follow in Pete Sampras' footsteps, and tennis fans all over the world have compared Blake to the legendary Arthur Ashe. Time will tell what James ultimately achieves on and off the tennis court, but in many ways he has already won. His comeback from injury, illness and the death of his father over the past couple years has been well-documented. In the midst of this remarkable comeback, Blake has greatly improved his game, especially his topspin backhand and serve. For all of that, James deserves more than a few accolades.
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