For Even Older News Click here

December 27, 2007 - Fairfield, CT - Hello everyone, and happy holidays to those of you celebrating. Sorry I've been out of touch recently with the latest and greatest JB info. I'm actually busy moving back to Atlanta, so it's been a little hectic of late in my life. James has been doing well though. After some time off with friends in Tampa, he spent Christmas with his family in Fairfield, and he'll be leaving on January 2nd for Australia. I believe Sydney will be his only action before the Aussie Open.

On December 22, James held his 3rd Annual benefit for the Harlem Junior Tennis program. See some images here.

December 15, 2007 - Tampa, FL - While James enjoys his time off from Tour level tennis (I've heard he's been taking bets and whipping the 5.0 players at Saddlebrook with his left hand of late), let's have a look at some of the electrifying shots from the Davis Cup a few weeks back. Head to the images section and go to the bottom of the page to see what I'm talking about.

For those of you in the NYC Metro area, James will be doing his annual visit to the Harlem Tennis Center. Read more about it here and see a video from last year's event here.

December 10, 2007 - Norfolk, VA - Hello folks! Good to be back writing, sorry I've been away for a while. Last week I had the pleasure to visit my home state of Virginia for all sorts of fun. First off, I'm happy to report that my Syracuse Orange went into Charlottesville to kick a little Wahoo arse on the hardwood. That was sweet, in fact doubly sweet because James scored me tickets amongst all the UVA alums who weren't too happy to have a loud Orangeman in their midst!

On Thursday it was Anthem LIVE! day in Norfolk. I got there in the late afternoon right as Serena and Tatiana Golovin were hitting a few balls. Then it was off to the player lounge where James dedicated a few of his books for fans like Onsaya, who happened to be in the audience! James also explained the intricacies of the IPhone to Tatiana. You can still get book dedications if you are interested, just email me. James went out first to square off for a set against Mardy Fish. James pulled it out 6-4. Then Serena and Tatiana played a set, with Serena winning by the same score. After a short performance by native Virginian Elliot Yamin, which mesmerized the players, James, Serena, Mardy and Tatiana all came out for a little mixed doubles fun. A good time for all, especially super fan Cristen Leaper, and plenty of money raised to help fight the battle against cancer. Afterwards, everyone convened in the restaurant/bar of the hotel, and Norfolk resident and perennial pro bowler Bruce Smith joined the group. It's fun hanging out with this crew!

December 1, 2007 - Portland, OR - After last year's season ending run at the Masters Cup, turns out 2007 had an even better gem waiting for JB at the end of the year.

For the first time in 12 years, the Davis Cup belongs to the United States! After singles wins by JB and Andy Roddick yesterday, Bob and Mike Bryan sealed the deal today, beating the Russian team of Igor Andreev and Nikolay Davydenko 7-6, 6-4, 6-2. Read more about today's match here.

So it's on to the exhibition season now. James heads to Norfolk, VA shortly for Anthem Live with Serena, Mardy and Golovin. I'll be there for a behind the scenes report this Thursday. So until then, savor the win! And send JB a congratulatory note here.

November 30, 2007 - Portland, OR - A very happy webmaster checking in from Portland! Hope everyone had a chance to at least see highlights from today's matches- a set of tremendous wins for James and Andy. If not, you can read about the day's action here. Listen to post match comments from all the players here. And see images here.

This has to rank right at the top of James' wins as a professional. It was an incredibly solid performance by him from start to finish, and Youzhny was a game opponent today; James had to earn everything out there. Discuss and read more about the win here.

So the Bryans can clinch the tie tomorrow. May the force be with them!

November 29, 2007 - Portland, OR - Both teams announced their lineups today for the tie. No surprises on the US side, but I found the Russian lineup interesting. Andy gets things underway tomorrow against Tursunov, then James plays Youzhny. Saturday's doubles encounter pits the Bryans against Davydenko and Andreev. Then reverse singles on Sunday.

November 28, 2007 - Portland, OR - The countdown is on, only a couple days until the first ball is struck in the 2007 Davis Cup final!

So the whole team is in Portland obviously, you can read what they've been up to via a Bryans blog on the ATP website. From what you can read, sounds like the guys are keeping it loose. I'll have to check with James to see exactly what his role was in the defacement of the Isner room. For a more straightfoward article on the preparations, read here. Read the U.S. press conference from yesterday here. And of course the Davis Cup site is chock full of stuff, including a link to send a good luck wish to the teams. Heck, why don't we do that! Send JB and the rest of team your thoughts about the upcoming tie right here: cdgriff@gmail.com. In fact, if you can come up with a worthy chant directed at the Russians and I really like it, I'll send you an autographed JB shirt.

So I'll be getting into Portland Friday, right as the first match starts. Apparently it's a three hour flight from San Diego, and departures prior to 8am just aren't in the cards for me, so I'll have to miss a few Roddick aces. I'll have the laptop and camera along with me so I'll do my best to get some same-day reporting going.

November 22, 2007 - Portland, OR - First off, a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating today. The kids and I are having that traditional Thanksgiving favorite, Penne alla Vodka. Kinda turkeyed out this year since that's all the kids have been eating in their sandwiches of late, so we'll be going with the aforementioned family favorite instead.

What? You're wondering why you're reading about my family's Thanksgiving plans when you came here to read about James Blake? Okay, on to the business at hand then. First off, James is celebrating with friends and family today in Connecticut. Didn't bother to ask what was on the menu there, so afraid I can't help you out on that info. I do know that he will be taking off for Portland in a few days now that the team announcement has been made official. Interesting to see that Marat Safin will not be on the squad, but after reading that he was attempting to scale some mountain lately, I guess it's not such a big surprise.

Ah yes, and I've been alerted to the fact that James has yet again made People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive list. This year they snuck him in the 'Sexy At Any Age' list. Can someone find this guy a date please!

November 14, 2007 - Portland, OR - James is off to Portland after Thanksgiving to get ready for the Davis Cup. He'll be bringing along his entire entourage, which now includes his own new personal chef.

I jest.

In other exciting news, James has signed an endorsement deal with TournaGrip! All you tennis playing afficianados of course know what I'm talking about, but for those of you who don't, it's the blue wrap that players use around their tennis racquet grips.

November 1, 2007 - Paris, France - The regular season wrapped up for James today in Paris. Richard Gasquet used a break in the first and a couple breaks in the second to take out James 4 and 4 in an hour and twenty three minutes. So no Shanghai heroics this season for James. Just as well, now he can focus on preparing for the Davis Cup final at the end of this month. (Although I'm sure he'll miss those fat year-end Masters Cup bonuses a little- at least I know I would).

So let's take a moment to focus on the Davis Cup and offseason for a moment. The Davis Cup final is against Russia, and it will be played in Portland, Oregon starting Friday November 30. For team-oriented pro tennis players, this is the equivalent of the Superbowl or a World Cup final; it's a big deal. Presumably the cast of American characters will be the same, Andy Roddick, James, and the Bryan brothers. Action will start at 1pm on that Friday with Andy taking on whomever the Russians elect as their number 1. Their cast of characters will include Davydenko, Safin, Tursunov, and Andreev among others.

As far as the exhibition season goes, James will return to Norfolk, Virginia the Thursday after the Davis Cup for Anthem Live, with Serena Williams, Mardy Fish and Tatiana Golovin. That is a fundraiser to help raise money to fight Cancer. James will also be participating in Andy Roddick's charity event in Boca Raton, Florida on December 8.

Provided all goes according to plan on my end, I'll be attending both the Davis Cup final and the Anthem Live event. SO plenty of pictures and blogging to come later on this month.

November 1, 2007 - Paris, France - James blew out a big sigh of relief after defeating Mahut last night. After a first set dominated by breaks of serve (4 total), things settled down a little in the second, and then James pulled away in the third. Scores were 6-7, 7-6, 6-1. James served progressively better throughout the night and hopefully that continues tomorrow vs. Gasquet, who will enjoy the home crowd's support. That match is up 4th on Court Central.

October 31, 2007 - Paris, France - James has late show duties tonight in Paris. He plays Mahut in the last match on Court Central, following the Federer - Karlovic match. Fed starts at 8:15, meaning James probably won't start playing until close to 10pm (4pm EST). I'll provide the post match report with a Halloween sugar high going. That's sure to be a fun one.

Here's a completely unscientific look at how James can qualify for Shanghai. He needs to go one round more than Haas and Robredo and equal to whatever Berdych, Murray or Gasquet do. Nuff said.

October 26, 2007 - Basel, Switzerland - Appears as though Ivo Karlovic is turning into one of those players that James most assuredly does not want to see in his section of any tennis draw. Ivo took out JB for the third time this year in Basel yesterday, winning 4-6, 7-6 , 6-4.

So the loss puts another dent in his chances to qualify for the year end Masters event. James currently rests 10th in the Champion's Race. Hopefully the ATP website will post all the qualifying scenarios for James by Monday when the final tournament of the year, the Paris TMS, starts.

October 24, 2007 - Basel, Switzerland - Hello everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates the past few days, but there was a pretty good reason! The kids and I got the 'ole 6am evacuation call on Monday morning for approaching fires here in the 4s Ranch neighborhood in San Diego. That's never a fun thing. So I grabbed the hard drive, the small safe, my autographed Michael Jordan 'Rare Air' book, my camera (oh yeah, and the kids) and got the hell out of dodge! In my haste I managed to leave the door unlocked and leave the air conditioning on. But I remembered that Michael Jordan book gosh darnit.

Fortunately my neighborhood was saved, but neighboring Rancho Bernardo didn't fare so well. I play my tennis out of the local park in RB, so hopefully I have a place to play this weekend. We'll see.

Speaking of tennis James continues his fall European tour. He finds himself in Basel this week and already has one win against Oscar Hernandez under his belt. (He also won in doubles yesterday). That means he has double duty tomorrow as you can see.

FYI- I'll be seeing James in Virginia for the Anthem Live exhibition in early December. I'm going to bring along five copies of James' book so that he can personalize them to fans. You know stuff like 'To Alice, My Future Wife' or 'To Tony, Keep Swinging' You get the idea! If you are interested in buying one of those dedicated books, email me at cdgriff@gmail.com! They will make a great holiday gift!

October 17, 2007 - Madrid, Spain - Not much positive news to report from Madrid . James lost in singles today to Ancic 3-6, 4-6, and yesterday he lost in doubles with partner Eric Butorac. So James has to put together his tourist itinerary for the rest of the week in Madrid- museums, shopping, restaurants, clubs, etc.

Next week James is scheduled to be in Basel, Switzerland.

October 13, 2007 - Stockholm, Sweden - James nearly reached 14 wins in a row in Stockholm, and a place in the finals tomorrow, but he wasn't able to capitalize on five match points today vs. Thomas Johansson. The final score was 6-3, 1-6, 6-7 (3). James had some of the match points in the 12th game of the third set, leading Johansson 0-40. I seem to recall James escaped out of the same hole earlier this season vs. Calleri, so I guess you could say he got a little taste of his own medecine. Probably tasted a lot like the penicillin they had when I was a kid before they started flavoring it. In other words, yucky.

So next up is the TMS Madrid, which starts Monday. Roddick pulled out so I would guess James will be the 8th seed when he draw comes out later today.

October 12, 2007 - Stockholm, Sweden - 13 proved to be a lucky number for James today- he's won that many matches in a row in Stockholm, and now finds himself in the semis. Today he defeated Jarkko Nieminen 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-2. Tomorrow he gets to go for a little revenge against Thomas Johansson, the second Swede he will have faced this week. As you'll recall, James lost to Johansson in a Davis Cup encounter a few weeks ago. With his win today, James gets to add to his ATP Champions Race point total, so I think he will make it back at least into the 8th spot (the top 8 qualify for Shanghai).

October 11, 2007 - Stockholm, Sweden - Another win in Sweden for JB- he's now 12-0 in Stockholm over the past couple years. Today he beat Canadian Frank Dancevic in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2. Next up JB squares off against his opponent from last year's final, Jarkko Nieminen.

October 10, 2007 - Stockholm, Sweden - It was the battle of JBs in Sweden- James Blake vs. Jonas Bjorkman. And much to the dismay of the fans on hand in Sweden, the American version of JB won the decisive third set and match (6-7, 7-5, 6-3). This was a marathon three setter, lasting 2 hours and 38 minutes. Here's a short write-up on the match.

October 9, 2007 - Stockholm, Sweden - James is in Sweden and ready to begin his quest to threepeat at the if Stockholm Open. He has to square off against a Swede in the first round, Jonas Bjorkman. That match is up later today. Follow the scores online at www.atptennis.com.

September 27, 2007 - Tampa, FL - James is back in the States and preparing for the homestretch of the ATP Tour schedule. Contrary to what the ATP website says, James will not be playing in Tokyo. His next event is Stockholm, where he's the 2-time defending champion. The only other bit of tennis news to pass along is the fact that the Davis Cup final will be contested in Portland, Oregon. If you are interested in attending in person, head here.

September 23, 2007 - Gothenburg, Sweden - After a tight Bryan brothers win yesterday, Mr. Roddick came through again for the Americans in Sweden today, catapulting the US squad into the Davis Cup finals against Russia. Importantly, with the Russian win over Germany, the final will be played here in the US at a site TBD (announcement Wednesday).

James played the dreaded dead rubber to close out the tie, beating Aspelin in straight sets. No doubt the Davis Cup final will be the big carrot dangling in front of James and his teammates throughout the fall season. My guess is that even the Masters Cup will be a secondary goal of all the team members.

Speaking of the Fall schedule, James takes a little time off before he returns to the ATP circuit, once again in Sweden, for the Stockholm Open where he is the two time defending champ.

September 21, 2007 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Tough to do much fair reporting on the matches earlier today without having seen them, so I'll stick to the basics. Andy Roddick got the US Davis Cup squad off to a positive start today, squeaking by Joachim Johansson 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-3. James then took on Thomas Johansson in the second rubber, but didn't fare as well as Adny, losing 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Read the AP report from today's action here and hear James' assessment of his match here.

So it's up to the Bryan brothers to move the US ahead of the Swedes tomorrow. They play Bjorkman and Aspelin in what should be a good match. Andy will start off Sunday's action against T. Johansson, and then James would have J. Johansson to finish off the tie if needed.

September 12, 2007 - Parts Unknown - Got a hold of James' remaining 2007 schedule today. Have a look here. More Anthem Live action in Norfolk, VA to report and an exhibition with Andy Roddick and Friends a few days later.

Meantime James is busy preparing for the upcoming Davis Cup semifinal tie with Sweden.

September 7, 2007 - Parts Unknown - I hope everyone's grieving period has ended. It's time to move on with your life folks. You just can't take James' losses so seriously. You need to get back to work, see your kids again, and try to force some food down your throats. I know it's hard. Start with a some pirate's booty- that stuff goes down all too easily I've come to learn.

So, we have a winner in our Dunlop Aerogel contest. Zackary from Johnson City in Tennessee takes the top prize. Great entry, plus he informed me he needed a new tennis racquet, and I feel bad for the fact he has to live in Johnson City, Tennessee. Just joking Zackary. See all my favorite captions with some additional awards HERE.

September 3, 2007 - New York City, NY - Today's match was yet another dicey proposition for any heart patients to watch. Come to think of it, I'm not a heart patient, and mine ain't exactly feelin' tippety top at the moment. James fell this afternoon to Tommy Haas in a 5th set tiebreak 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 0-6, 6-7 (4).

As indicated by the scores, the two players traded momentum swings throughout the match. James started off on fire, then Tommy came alive, then James took control, then Tommy wrested in back, and then it was even, and then Tommy won. The end. How's that for a concise summary?

Seriously, there was some great shotmaking going on throughout, but neither player had an opportunity to run away with this match at any point. So, in the end, I'd have to say the difference was that Haas produced the bigger serves on the absolutely critical points in the match. He staved off three match points at 4-5 in the 5th with three big serves, and he served better in the tiebreak. There's not a lot more to break down really. Both players played aggressively, came to net, played good defense, etc. This really came down to just those proverbial 'few points.'

So, a 4th round exit this year for James. Not sure exactly how much that will cause his ranking point total to drop, but that's probably not his concern right now. Up next is something he takes just as importantly, if not more importantly than the Grand Slams- the Davis Cup. The US team travels to Sweden for the September 21-23 tie, and JB will, barring the unforeseen, be a part of the team.

While we await that, I will be picking a winner for our Dunlop racquet caption contest. I'll announce that on the site on Friday. I'd also like to take a moment to thank all the visitors to the website; James appreciates your support, kind comments, and positive book reviews. I'm also flattered to have you along for the ride as well!

September 2, 2007 - New York City, NY - Tonight's match had the unmistakable feel of an NCAA tournament game. James was the high seed and Stefan Koubek was the mid-major looking for an upset. And it very nearly happened.

Both players came out firing in the first set after a long wait due to the women's match that opened the night session on Ashe. Koubek in particular looked sharp- on serve, on groundies and on defense. Santoro was running down some shots on Thursday, but Koubek was getting to some of James' shots that I've only seen Nadal get back.

Speaking of Nadal, Koubek is a lefty with a somewhat similar game. Plenty of looping forehands to James' backhand and nasty flat forehands up the line for winners. Coming to net is not in his repertoire. Jumping right back into the story of this match- one word can sum up the first three sets: break. There was more breaking going on in this match than the four House Party movies combined. The first set featured five breaks, the second three breaks, and the third six breaks. It got to be comical after a while.

So back to my NCAA tournament game analogy- this match did not go according to plan. The main problem James faced in the first three sets was an ineffective serve. His first serve was not in rhythm and his second serve took a beating more often than not. Fortunately, James put a pounding on Koubek's serve as well, hence all the breaks.

So let's pass along some scores here: James won the first set 6-4, Koubek took the second 6-3, and James won a decisive tiebreak in the third 7-6 (5).

That third breaker was like a backbreaking three pointer the higher seed hits late in a game that squashes the underdog's resolve. Koubek had nothing left in the fourth and James' superior game took over. He flattened the Austrian in the fourth 6-1.

So it was a 'survive and advance' match for James, and now he's on to the fourth round and German Tommy Haas. That match will happen on Monday, up third in Ashe Stadium.

August 31, 2007 - New York City, NY - Well, well, well. A BIG win for James tonight for any number of reasons. First off, it's on to Round 3. Next up, it was a five setter, and for those of you who don't know, James hasn't exactly had a stellar five set record in his career thus far. In fact, his five set career thus far has generated no stars; he was 0 for 9. But that is all gone now that he eeked out a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 win over Fabrice Santoro!

Where does one start in describing this match? Let's start with his opponent. Fabrice Santoro was doing his thing throughout the night- slicing and dicing, lobbing and robbing, you name it, the guy can do it. There were too many breaks of serve to remember, but James got the break that counted in the first set to eventually win 6-4. After a strong hold in the first game of the second, James' game went off on him, and things were looking a little shaky. By the end of the set he was back on form, but it was a little too late as he lost 3-6. He dominated the third and Santoro was looking a little tired, but after a 6-2 score, the Frenchman hopped back on his horse and rode to 6-4 4th set win.

So it came down to the 5th. You had to like James' chances considering Santoro was looking like he was close to tapping out. In fact he had to call over the trainer for any number of visits and delays in the 5th. However they both held serve until 4 all and it was Santoro who was about to produce the best chance to break. The 9th game was epic. Santoro was cramping and limping all around but was able to generate three break points with some incredible gets and some shaky play from JB. But just when it looked like this could have been one of James' most discouraging five set losses, he was able to fight off the breakers with a clutch backhand volley, a solid approach shot and a nice slice backhand to eventually hold for a 5-4 lead. Santoro went up 30-0 in the 10th game but then James hit some great returns and forced the action with some deep groundstrokes he was able toclaw his way back. At 30-40 James hit a backhand crosscourt passing shot to seal the deal. He dropped his racquet and the monkey went bounding off into the Flushing Meadows night. Hallelujah! (Here's the NYT's take on the match).

So it's Stefan Koubek on Saturday in the third round. James has only played him one other time and it was in Australia and that was a five set loss. Revenge time!

Some news for those of you in the NYC Metro area- James will be making an appearance at the Sports Authority in Manhattan (845 Third Avenue at 51st) at 5pm this Friday. James will also be doing a couple book signings on the US Open grounds this Friday for USTA Membership Appreciation Day and then Labor Day weekend for Evian.

August 28, 2007 - New York City, NY - I have to confess I didn't have the best feeling going in to today's match. (Because, as the webmaster for jamesblaketennis.com, these are the things I'm paid to think about). Not quite sure what it was, but I wasn't 100% confident that James would come out of this match unscathed. Well, he did get the win today over Michael Russell, but after watching it, you'd have to say James did come out of it a little scathed (is that a word?). The scores for this dogfight were 7-6(6), 6-3, 7-6 (4) in two hours and forty-one minutes.

This match was every bit as close as the score indicates. James only won 12 more total points than Russell, and Russell made him work for every single one of them. Also of note, Russell had some set points in the first set tie-break. Nevertheless, it's on through to round two, and a date with the magician Fabrice Santoro. Hopefully James has a few tricks of his own for the Frenchman. That match will be Thursday.

August 26, 2007 - New York City, NY - Greetings and salutations everyone! First off, for you picture afficionados out there, I just updated and uploaded the latest pictures to the image gallery. There are some good ones!

So it's that time of year again- the Open kicks off tomorrow with Aretha Franklin and the Williams sisters in what should be a great start to the event. James, the 6th seed, will play on Tuesday (night presumably). He faces American Michael Russell in the first round. In case you haven't seen the draw yet, here ya go.

August 25, 2007 - New Haven, CT - James finished off a successful run in New Haven by beating Mardy Fish in straight sets tonight 7-5, 6-4. Despite a few breaks against him, James was firmly in control of this match, dictating play with his groundstrokes and consistent serving. So title number 10 is in the bag.

So the J-Block can go home happy and rest up for the Open. We'll analyze the draw tomorrow!

August 25, 2007 - New Haven, CT - In what can only possibly be billed as the biggest encounter between two sporting luminaries since Andre the Giant met Hulk Hogan in Wrestlemania III (a Wrestlemania that will live on forever, most notably because Adrian Adonis had his hair sheared off by Roddy Piper ), JB and Mardy Fish will do battle tonight for the 2007 Pilot Pen Championship (of tennis). Unfortunately no belts will be handed out for this one, instead it will probably be another weak looking trophy (but hey, it's not professional wrestling).

Yes, JB won AGAIN last night, and I'm really getting tired of updating this website on a daily basis, but I guess that's what I signed on for. Last night Paul Henri Matthieu went down in a third set tiebreak. Read more about what was apparently a thrilling match here. I had to go to some lame chick flick last night, so I wasn't able to follow the match online. (I think I am going to be paying for a LONG time for taking her to see Superbad last week).

In any case, you might be wondering why tonight's match-up is worthy of such grand billing. Well, James and Mardy recently had yet another no-limit poker throwdown in the lockerroom after Mardy check-raised JB after the flop and then called James' bluff after the turn with a low pocket pair, taking the $10,000 pot. James was royally pissed (justifiably so). So they haven't been on speaking terms all tournament and the fireworks tonight are sure to dwarf the Calleri theatrics from the other night. The JBlock will be out looking for blood!

August 23, 2007 - New Haven, CT - An alltime comeback today for JB. He was down a set, 5-4 and it was 40-0 for Calleri. James staved off the next three match points and eventually rallied to take it to a tiebreak. He won that handily and then steamrolled an obviously flustered Calleri in the third 6-1. James tells me that's the first time he's ever fought back from 40-0, triple match point down, to win at any level.

In case you didn't know, that match was only an appetizer for the day. James had a few hours off before he had to take the court again for a quarterfinal match. Fernando Verdasco was the opponent this go around, and after only an hour James came away with a second W for the day 6-4, 6-2.

So it's on to the semis tomorrow against the winner of Matthieu-Simon. The semi will take place tomorrow night around 9pm when the J-Block will best resemble an English soccer crowd. Should be fun.

August 21, 2007 - New Haven. CT - No rest for the (presumably) weary...James took on Arnaud Clement this evening in New Haven. The hour and fifteen minute match resulted in a 4 and 2 win for JB, but based on the stats, this one didn't look too clean; lotsa service breaks by both parties. I read that the weather wasn't anything to write home about in CT today, so this may have been a battle with the elements as much as a tennis match. In any case, it's on to the third round for JB. He will have the winner of tomorrow's Ginepri - Calleri match.

August 19, 2007 - Cincinnati, OH - Well, let's blame this loss on CBS. James is like 10-0 on ESPN or ESPN2 this summer, but then the telecast switches over to CBS for the final, and things just go to pot for JB. Not much worked today vs. Mr. Federer; scores were 1-6, 4-6. It's tough to explain, but Federer just keeps James completely off balance in their matches, and he can really make James look uncomfortable playing (by making him hit two handed backhands, wrong footing him, forcing him to come in when he doesn't want to, etc. ). But I guess that's what makes Roger Roger. I'd say the biggest opportunity James did have today was to continue to serve as well as he's done all week. Unfortunately he only got in 51% of his first serves and won 63% of those points (vs. 83% for Fed). Pretty sure that in one game he had three or four double faults. Not much more to say about this one. Or, in case you would like to read more about the match, head over to the Cincy site.

Bottom line is James played his best tennis in a long time this week in Cincy and Roger Federer isn't entered in New Haven. Hallelujah! And so it's on to CT for a little Pilot Pen action starting this week. James is the 3rd seed and has a first round bye. He'll get the winner of Qualifier vs. Clement in the second round. Qualifier has been tearing it up this summer on the hardcourts, so look for him to advance.

August 19, 2007 - Cincinnati, OH - Another phenomenal performance for James last night in the Queen City. JB took out Nikolay Davydenko for the 6th straight time; the score was 6-4, 6-2. This was a highly entertaining match. James came out slow, going down 2-0 in the first set, but he didn't seem to be too upset about it; sure enough he won the next four games by pounding groundstrokes and bombing serves. He gave up his break and things were nodded at four, but James broke yet again and then held for the first set.

In the second, James dominated. Davydenko appeared flustered with the consistency of James' superb play, and with one final insane crosscourt passing shot on MP, it was all over. (Read more about the match here). James looked as excited as he did when he beat Robredo earlier this year in Davis Cup. Not the same sense of relief, but he was just completely ebullient (if you too would like to be ebulliant go see Superbad, for those of you over 17).

So with James playing the way he is, he's sure to take out this Federer cat today. Gametime is 4pm EST!

August 17, 2007 - Cincinnati, OH - After a lackluster first set, James shifted it up a few gears and dominated play tonight, beating Sam Querrey 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. Neither player was exactly tearing it up to start off the match; both hit a number of unforced errors, mostly forehands. Sam took the game that counted though, passing James for the break. Things turned around rapidly in the second set though; James tightened up the forehand, played some great D and broke out a low crosscourt slice backhand that Querrey was having a hard time with. James served well on both first and second serve, winning 92% of his first serves and 73% of his second serves.

The third set was a little more even, but James was still playing and serving well. He got the break to go up 4-3 (I believe) and then he held a couple times for the 6-4 final set score.

Tomorrow's match will also be in the 8pm EST timeslot. He will face Nikolay Davydenko.

August 16, 2007 - Cinicinnati, OH - As impressive a win over a quality opponent as I've seen in a long time from JB this evening. He was looking as 'on' as he did at the Master's Cup last year. He took out Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-1, 6-4 by dictating play with his return of serve and groundstrokes, and he also continued his outstanding play at net. On his returns, he seemed willing to chip a few more first serves back and he clearly benefitted from that tactic. Outside of the aforementioned Master's Cup play, I've only seen him start off a match like he did today on two other occasions- last year against Richard Gasquet at the TMS Canada event and against Roger Federer at last year's TMS Indian Wells event. He actually ended up losing both those sets (and matches) so it was interesting to see how he kept his focus and stayed in the zone today.

Up next is a rematch with Sam Querrey, who took out James in Indianapolis behind a barrage of aces. That'll be the primetime match at 8pm EST tomorrow.

August 15, 2007 - Cincinnati, OH - A fairly routine win today for James which was telecast on ESPN. He took out Nicolas Kiefer 6-4, 6-4 in an hour and fifteen. With a solid gameplan and some help from Kiefer, who made quite a few unforced errors, James turned it into a somewhat drama-less match.

The announcers noticed James holding his stomach a little in his penultimate service game, and it did appear to me that he might have been struggling a little, but afterwards he confided to on court reporter Darren Cahill that is was just a little case of indigestion. Uh huh. In any case, Juan Carlos Ferrero awaits tomorrow so James has his work cut out for him. These two have met three times, twice in Cincy in fact, and James hasn't walked off the court a winner yet. So hopefully that trend reverses itself tomorrow. I'm a homeer aren't I?

August 14, 2007 - Cincinnati, OH - James took care of business today in the summertime heat of Cincinnati. He beat Falla of Colombia 7-6, 6-1 in an hour and seven minutes. Despite only getting 47% of his first serves in, James still won 85% of his first serve points, an interesting stat. We'll see if he can up the percentage when he plays Nicolas Kiefer tomorrow afternoon.

August 8, 2007 - Montreal, Canada - The injury bug has bitten James in Montreal. After initially hurting himself during practice, James' abdominal muscle continued to get worse against Melzer yesterday, and he had to pull out of his match against Hewitt today. Fortunately it's just a strain, and he 's hopeful that some treatment and rest will have him ready for Cincinnati. WIsh him luck.

August 7, 2007 - Montreal, Canada - An early day at work for JB in Montreal aujourd'hui. And by early, I mean for a tennis player. Yes the dreaded 11am start time, which is akin to a 7am start to your average person's work day, or that horrible 8:30am class for you college students. Nevertheless, James came out of his 7-5, 7-6 (4) encounter with Jurgen Melzer unscathed, facing no break points and winning 53% of the points (a good percentage). Next up? Mssr. Lleyton Hewitt, who beat Juan Carlos Ferrero yesterday. Should be one of the featured matches I would think tomorrow evening.

August 6, 2007 - Montreal, Canada - The Tennis Masters Series hits Canada this week and James is the 9th seed in the singles draw. He's also playing some doubles this week, well, make that was playing some doubles this week. He and Jamie Murray lost today to Gonzalez and Ljubicic. James will be playing his match against Jurgen Melzer tomorrow.

July 31, 2007 - New York City, NY - All sorts of media appearances yesterday in the big city for James. And fortunately, through the power of this thing called the internet, you can experience a couple. First up, James hit the set of Good Morning America. See his appearance here. Sad news to report however, as I read this morning that the interviewer, Robin Roberts, announced today she has cancer. My best to her in fighting that battle. You can also hear James' appearance on the Leonard Lopate radio show by downloading this MP3 file.

It's also time to get a little contest action going in the coming days, so check back later this week for a chance to win some Dunlop gear (racquets, bag, balls, etc.)!

No tennis for James until next week in Montreal.

July 28, 2007 - Indianapolis, IN - Don't know that I've seen a score and stats quite like the ones from this morning in Indy. After a rainout last night, JB came out on the short end to American Sam Querrey 6-7, 7-6, 6-7 with exactly one break played for the whole match. Querrey had 34 aces to James' 10. I wouldn't know if the match was tenson filled or grew more comical as the games (and presumably easy holds) went on. I guess the tiebreaks must have had some tension.

In any case, that's it for tournament play until Montreal (TMS Canada) on August 6th. All sorts of media appearances for James on Monday the 30th though. He starts off on Good Morning America, then does interviews with The Jim Rome Radio Show, The Leonard Lopate Radio Show (huge literary program on WNYC - New York Public Radio), 790 The Zone (Atlanta radio station), and GMA Radio (XM station), and finishes off the day with Conan O'Brien.

July 26, 2007 - Indianapolis, IN - Another straight set win tonight for James in Indianapolis, this one a little less close than Tuesday. JB took out Brazilian Ricardo Mello 4 and 2, without facing any break points against, and winning 57% of the points played.

So James advances on to the quarterfinals tomorrow against young American, and California native, Sam Querrey. Sam got a great win today over Ivo Karlovic, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6, saving two match points in the process.

July 24, 2007 - Indianapolis, IN - James notched a nice win tonight in Indianapolis after Sunday's finals match in Los Angeles. He took out the Swedish veteran (and former Australian Open champ) Thomas Johansson 7-5, 7-6 (9) in an hour and forty minutes. This match also marked the debut of James' new Dunlop Aerogel 200 frame. So I'm sure he made the Dunlop folks happy with the win.

James has a decent looking draw as the second seed, but you never know how things will go when you play so many matches over a short period of time. He has Ricardo Mello in the next round, and, judging from the Order of Play, it looks like the tournament organizers have given him the day off tomorrow. So I'll talk to you guys again Wednesday night!

July 22, 2007 - Los Angeles, CA - Hello, hello! Good to be back home in San Diego after an exciting three days in Los Angeles. I departed early Friday morning for James' quarterfinal against Vince Spadea, a match billed by ESPN as the 'Battle of the Authors'. I was expecting there might be some on-court fireworks for this one, but it was a clean and well played encounter. James got the better of Vince this go-around, winning 7-6, 6-4. I saw a lot of tennis this weekend, but I do recall that JB did a great job getting into net and closing out points against Mr. Spadea.

It was a great day for me as well, since I got to see the Mets play (and win) at Dodger Stadium that evening. JB had an 8am wake-up call for his 11:30am appointment with Hyung-Taik Lee on Saturday. This was a great match; both players showed off great defense and ground strokes. It went three sets, and James came out on top 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

If you guys had a chance to watch some of this match on ESPN you probably noticed the J-Block kickin' it West Coast style courtside. After learning the requisite hand symbols, getting a tat, and donning the right colors, I got to join the group and make some noize! Now, I'll have you know that what happens in the J-Block STAYS in the J-Block, but I can reveal a few post-match party details. In the player's lounge we celebrated with Kevin Garnett, a few Peroni's, then went off for a little beach action in Venice, and topped off the day with a gnarly feast of shrimp and grits (thanks Jen!), vino, and a potent beverage known as kava, which comes in the following sizes: low tide, high tide, and tsunami. Fortunately none of us had to work or play any tennis the following day.

The finals got underway today at 2pm and the place was packed. One ominous sign though- Stepanek got the night off last night when Kiefer withdrew, so I was hoping this one didn't go three. Unfortunately it did. It was nip and tuck in the first set, with Radek taking it in a tiebreak. James had three set points I believe, but wasn't able to capitalize. James came alive late in the second, and won it 7-5. It seemed to me like James didn't quite have his best stuff in the third and Stepanek continued to hit some great shots, all of which translated to a 6-2 final set score in favor of Radek.

See pictures from the matches in the Images section.

All in all, a nice week's work for JB in LA. He will be off to Indy tomorrow, and will play Thomas Johansson on Tuesday night.

July 20, 2007 - Los Angeles, CA - Whew! Things got a little scary around 9pm local time last night. After winning the first set 6-0, James found himself down match point to Paul Goldstein at 4-5 in the third. James battled through and held serve, then broke Goldstein the next game, and held for 6-0, 1-6, 7-5 win. A loss would have COMPLETELY ruined my weekend plans! I'm heading up to LA now to see what's being billed as the 'Smackdown with Spadea' (okay, maybe that's just what I'm billing it as). That match gets underway at 1:30 PST. Read more from last night's match here.

No updates from me until I get back from LA. That will hopefully be late Sunday and I'll be able to report on an LA title!

July 17, 2007 - Los Angeles, CA - A nice win tonight in Los Angeles for JB. He took out Peya 7-5, 6-4 by serving solidly and breaking at crucial points in both sets. He only had one break point against him for the entire match (to start the second set), and judging by the scoring on the internet, he didn't face many problems on serve.

Next up is Paul Goldstein, who got a tight three set win this evening over Garcia. That match will take place Thursday night.

July 15, 2007 - Los Angeles, CA - Well, well, well. Great time yesterday in L.A. It's not everyday that you get to hit the Tonight Show backstage, hear uncensored ESPY party stories, AND eat an In and Out burger! Without further ado, my report from yesterday's visit to Los Angeles to tag along with James on his book publicity tour.

And, some more positive book news to pass along. 3 1/2 stars out of 4 from People magazine!!! Get your copy!!!

Oh yeah, tennis news to pass along as well. The LA draw was announced and James plays Peya Tuesday night in the first round as the second seed.

July 10, 2007 - New York City - Just read the first review of James' new book and it's beyond positive! Darren Rovell of CNBC called it the 'best athlete book I've ever read.' Hmmm...to the best of my knowledge no money exchanged hands on this, so I would encourage you to buy away! I have yet to get my copy, but that should be happening shortly. Speaking of which, we'll have James sign some copies and give them away periodically.

July 7, 2007 - Fairfield, CT - James' book 'Breaking Back' will be out this Tuesday! In conjunction with the release, James will be doing a number of book signings, and here is the schedule:

*New Haven, CT*
7/9/07: Barnes & Noble/Yale, 7:30 PM, Book Signing

*New York, NY*
7/10/07: Barnes & Noble/Upper West Side, Noon, Book Signing
7/10/07: Virgin/Union Square, 7:30 PM, Book Signing

*Los Angeles, CA*
7/14/07: Borders - Torrance, CA, 4:00 PM, Book Signing
7/16/07: Time, TBD, On-site Tournament Book Signing

*Indianapolis, IN*
7/23/07: Time, TBD, On-site Tournament Book Signing

*Montreal, Canada*
8/7/07: Time, TBD, On-site Tournament Book Signing

*Cincinnati, OH*
8/13/07: Time, TBD, On-site Tournament Book Signing

*New Haven, CT*
8/20/07: Time, TBD, On-site Tournament Book Signing

James is also doing the Jim Rome radio show and the Tonight Show next Friday. I plan on being along for the ride on those engagements, so hopefully we'll have a nice update for you next week!

June 29, 2007 - Wimbledon, England - Things didn't quite go according to plan today on Court Number 1 for JB. After looking very solid in the first set and posting a 6-3 result in his favor, James' game (mostly his serve) went off on him in the second and third sets, and JC Ferrero asserted himself on the ground and with his serve, winning 3 and 3. In the fourth James started to play some better ball, but he couldn't come up with the needed shots in the tiebreak. Mr. Drew Lilley of Wimbledon.org had his own take on the match, but I'm pretty sure he also had Ferrero winning. You might want to read his article to make sure though.

Here's James' post match press conference. But if you are running behind today, I can save you some time and just print the first question and answer:

Q. So? What would you say happened?

JAMES BLAKE: I lost.

June 28, 2007 - Wimbledon, England - Another straight set win for James today at Wimbledon. He took out Andrei Pavel 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. Since I forgot to set my recorder for this match (it was on at 5am PST) you have to rely on the superior reportorial skills of Henry Wancke of Wimbledon.com. So this marks the second year in a row that James has been to the third round of Wimbleodon in the singles draw. He has the Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero up next who got a four set win today over Gilles Muller.

A few images from the match will be up later in the Image gallery. Here's James' post match press conference after the match.

June 26, 2007 - Wimbledon, England - James got a surprisingly easy win today in England. He took out Igor Andreev in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. I had a chance to watch the match and the first thing you noticed is that James was having some fun out there. He was really laying into his shots, both forehands and backhands, and he served very well. You can read about the encounter on the Wimbledon.com website, here.

Judging from the stats, looks as though James was playing some solid tennis. A nice percentageof first serves and and not many unforced errors or winners. Next up is Andrei Pavel tomorrow up third on Court 2. Plenty of images from today's match up in the gallery. And you can read James' post match intereview here.

June 25, 2007 - Wimbledon, England - Depsite being scheduled for today, James' first round match vs. Igor Andreev was pushed back until tomorrow due to rain. He's scheduled as the first match on Court 1.

June 18, 2007 - Halle, Germany - Sorry everyone. I wrote an update for the site last week and apparently never bothered to publish it. That would certainly fall into the 'My Bad' category. James lost his quarterfinal match to Kohlschreiber in slick conditions in Germany and that was it for the Halle event. How's that for a recap?

Truth be told my girlfriend has turned me into a babbling buffoon and I'm not entirely surprised I forgot to publish the update last week. You women and your mystical powers!

While we have some time off before Wimbledon, head over to the Dunlop mini-site and vote for which racquet you think James

June 12, 2007 - Halle, Germany - A hearty good day from sunny Southern California to everyone in internet land. Here to pass along the news of the day- James took out his second teenaged opponent in three days, beating Evgeny Korolev of Russia 7-5, 6-1. Judging for the stats, the serve must have been working today because JB had the number 16 in the aces column. He advances to face Kohlschreiber in tomorrow's quarterfinal match. Read more about today's match here.

And in case you were wondering, James and Michael Russell bowed out of the doubles draw yesterday losing 7-5, 7-5 to Pavel and Kiefer.

 June 11, 2007 - Halle, Germany - James got his grasscourt campaign underway with a three set win today in Halle, Germany. After dropping the first set 6-4, James came back to take the second and third sets 6-4, 6-3. The second set was filled with service breaks, with James earning three to Querrey's two, and then James got the sole break in the third set, where he also won 30 of the 47 points played.

He plays some doubles tomorrow with Michael Russell against Kiefer and Pavel, and then he'll have his second round match Wednesday against the Russian Korolev.

So, back to JB's match...it was actually going fairly well at the beginning. James took the first set 6-4 after an early break, and was playing neck and neck through the second. But James lost serve at 4-5 and things got really shaky from that point on. It looked as though he was struggling with his shot selection, game tactics, confidence, you name it. Nevertheless, the match was still on serve in the third until 5-6, when JB was broken again to go down 2 sets to 1. It was more of the same in the fourth set, and at 5-6 James was broken again to put an end to the day (and the clay). Not a whole lot more to say.

On a more positive note- some big news to report regarding James' racquet of choice; he is back playing with Dunlop. Read the official press release here, and we'll have more details soon... There will also be an upcoming promotion where you can vote on his racquet of choice...

May 27, 2007 - Paris, France - The draw is out for the French, and James, the 8th seed, has Croatian Ivo Karlovic in the first round. Quite obviously when it comes to the red clay there's no telling what could happen (especially when it involves Americans), but I guess it's fair to say the draw certainly could have been worse. James will be playing on Tuesday.

Today the opponents are the Argentines, and James has just taken care of Calleri in a three setter 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. The Bryans won again, giving the US its first team win since 2005.

May 17, 2007 - Hamburg, Germany - James lost a three setter to Carlos Moya today in Hamburg, 6-1, 3-6, 3-6. In the decisive third set Moya saved 7 of 8 break point chances while capitalizing on 3 of 5 against James. So I guess the proverbial 'He played the big points better' applies in this situation. Or not. Who knows. I 'm just going off some match stats that could really be 100% deceiving. So, if you saw the match, and I'm completely off base on this one, feel free to email me at cdgriff@gmail.com to set the record straight!

James and MArdy did pull off an upset of sorts against Knowles and Nestor and find themselves in the quarters against Erlich and Ram. That match is scheduled fourth on the court known as M1. Beats me.

May 16, 2007 - Hamburg, Germany - Judging from the internet scoring today, it was a convincing win over Clement in Hamburg. 6-2, 6-3 was the score and James jumped all over the Frenchman from the get-go. He won 87% of his first serve points, 50% of his second serve points, had four breaks, and saved all four break points against. Not bad for a day's work.

The challenge will be a little more stern tomorrow at 1pm local time when James plays Moya in the third round. James will hit the court once again tomorrow with Mardy Fish to face Knowles and Nestor (James and Mardy won their first round dubs match yesterday). So a good start to the Hamburg campaign this year.

May 14, 2007 - Hamburg, Germany - James moved up a notch in the seedings (to number 8 because Andy Roddick isn't playing) and gets a first round bye in singles this week in Hamburg. So the only action he will see tomorrow is doubles with Mardy Fish against the esteemed Stan Wawrinka and some guy named Federer.

James will have Arnaud Clement on Wednesday in the second round of singles.

May 11, 2007 - Roma, Italia - You may have noticed that James and Mardy didn't play their doubles match yesterday against Damm and Paes. That's because Mardy experiencing 'flu like symptoms'; more specifically he was tasting his orrechiette and bistecca alla fiorentina for a second time.

So it's on to Hamburg now for the Masters Series event there next week. Draw will be out on Saturday.

May 9, 2007 - Roma, Italia - A very close loss today to Nicolas Massu for James. You had to figure this was going to be a tight match and that's exactly how it turned out. 7-6 (3), 7-5 was the score, and Massu won a grand total of four more points than James for the entire match. Both players had three breaks in the first set and Massu got the decisive break in the second to take the match.

James and Mardy did notch a nice win over Acasuso and Chela later on in the evening, so he'll be sticking around Roma for a few more days.

May 8, 2007 - Roma, Italia - A convincing win today for James over Gael Monfils. I only have the stats to go by, but they look good- scoreline was 7-6 (4), 6-3 and James had only one break against in the match. He won a nice percentage of his second serves (58%) and overall won 55% of the total points played.

Of course you might recall that this is the tournament where James was injured a few years back. He was asked about it in the post match press conference:

" It's something I think about very often, and I continue to think about it much more so here in Rome. It's just a constant reminder of how lucky I am. How lucky I am to be healthy and walking, because an inch further over and I wouldn't ever be able to walk again... It's a great reminder to keep things in perspective to be back here."

James and Mardy were rained out yesterday, and it doesn't appear they got their match in today either, so they will be playing tomorrow. James' second round match will be against Chile's Nicolas Massu. It's the third match tomorrow on the Stadio Pietrangeli court.

May 6, 2007 Roma, Italia - James actually hits the court tomorrow for some doubles, with partner Mardy Fish. They have Gasquet and Benneteau. So that means James will have his singles match on Tuesday.

Some interesting reading today in regards to the proposed changes to the 2009 ATP Tour calendar. James factors in the discussion.

May 5, 2007 - Roma, Italia - James is the 9th seed in Rome this year and he has an intrguing first round matchup. Frenchman Gael Monfils awaits in the first round. You might remember the two played twice last year, with Monfils winning in 5 sets at the French, and then James getting him back later in Queens. The match will either be Monday or Tuesday.

May 3, 2006 - Fairfield , CT - For what it's worth, here the transcript form yesterday's chat. It's a little tough to follow...

May 2, 2007 - Fairfield , CT - At 5pm EST today (10pm GMT) James wll be doing an online chat at tennismonth.com. I'm not familiar with the site, but it looks like it might be affiliated with the USTA based on the graphics. Here's the URL: http://www.tennismonth.com/

Get those questions ready!

April 25, 2007 - Tampa, FL - Hey there folks- sorry for the paucity of updates, but not a whlole lot to report on at the moment. I spoke with James yesterday and he's busy training in Tampa, getting ready for the claycourt season. He will spend a few days up in Connecticut before taking off for Rome.

He did reveal to me that he was very pleased Sanjaya had been eliminated from American Idol and that Brittany Spears was planning a comeback. Okay, maybe not. I must not use my journalistic powers to mislead the masses. I must not use my journalistic powers to mislead the masses. I must not use my journalistic powers to mislead the masses.

April 15, 2007 - Houston, TX - James' stay in Texas is over for this year. He bowed out to Mariano Zabaleta in two close sets last night, 5-7, 6-7 (7). Read another excellent writeup from Dale Robertson of the Houston Chronicle here.

Alrighty, fresh off the presses- here's what the spring and summer schedule looks like: Rome, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Roland Garros, Halle, Wimbledon, L.A., Indianapolis, Montreal, Cincinnati, New Haven and the U.S. Open.

Also, I just updated the Images section, so you guys can have a look at all the better shots of James over the past couple months. Unfortunately quite a few of them came from the losses he had while he was in his mini-slump, so there are plenty of 'D'oh!' 'Aaarggh' and 'Mother*&^%$er!' pictures.

April 14, 2007 - Houston, TX - James dominated a third set tiebreak yesterday against Juan Monaco (winning 7-0), and finds himself in the semis in Houston for the first time ever. It was a tight match throughout, with the first set also going to a tiebreak. Read a nice piece from the Chronicle on the match and on James here. And another nice writeup from his previous match here.

Who is tonight's opponent you ask? Mariano Zabaleta. James holds a 2-1 record against him. Matchtime tonight is 8pm EST and the action can be seen on the Tennis Channel.

April 13, 2007 - Houston, TX - James got win number two this year over young American Alex Kuznetsov (6 and 1), and, more importantly, win number two in Houston. He takes the court again this evening (7pm Central) in the quarters against Juan Monaco of Argentina.

Not a whole lot else to report at the moment. I am waiting to get James' spring and summer schedules right now. I do know that he will be playing LA this summer, which is a slight change from years past.

April 11, 2007- Houston, TX - James is still riding his Davis Cup wave apparently; he laid waste to Davide Sanguinetti last night in Houston, 6-3, 6-0. At one point Sanguinetti bowed down to hail the mighty Blake forehand. Read more about the match here.

Next up is the winner of Kuznetsov and Burgsmuller. James will take the court for that match tomorrow.

April 7, 2007 - Winston-Salem, NC - Mission accomplished today in the Davis Cup. A singles sweep on Day 1 set the Bryan brothers up for the clincher today, and they delivered with a four set battle over the game duo of Lopez and Verdasco. As Dickie V. would say, it was all jubilation and joy in North Carolina! BTW- he should have made the Hall of Fame imho.

A little follow-up from yesterday- you can read James' post-match press conference over here. Also, James told me today that he would be playing singles tomorrow (along with a Bryan brother TBD by a special version of ping pong that is typically played on college campuses across the nation and involves a beverage consisting of barley and wheat among other ingredients).

Next up for James are the Claycourt Championships in Houston. Speaking of which, the draw is out and James has a qualifier in the first round. Action gets underway this week. I also see that this will be the last time the tournament is held in Houston, so we'll see what the ATP comes up with as a replacement next year (Atlanta?).

April 6, 2007 - Winston-Salem, NC - Well, well, well. A VERY positive result to pass along from Noth Carolinah today- in just under two hours James took out Tommy Robredo in straight sets 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. And, turns out, DirecTV has the Versus network so I got to watch the match! Nice, very nice.

James was pumped up for this one from the start, as was the sold out crowd. It was tight at the outset, but then Mr. Robredo buckled at 4-5 in the first set, with JB earning three set points. James played solid tennis for the rest of the match, (although he wasn't able to close it out on his first service opportunity), but nonetheless, this was easily the best match I've seen him play in a month or two. And James was clearly thrilled at the outcome. He dropped his racquet, fell to his knees, and had a look on his face equal parts exhilaration and relief. It was sweet. Here's what James had to say after the match.

Andy is doing his job right now, so hopefully the Bryans can wrap the tie up tomorrow.

April 5, 2007 - Winston-Salem, NC - First things first, I guess you guys are catching on with this whole April Fool's Day joke thing. Not nearly as many entries this year as in the past. Or perhaps I'm just losing my touch? Nevertheless, James most certainly will not be playing for your team this year. He's going to be sticking with the Davis Cup Team for now.

About that Davis Cup team, it appears that the US squad will be at full strength when things get underway tomorrow. Andy Roddick has been practicing all week, and James and the Bryans are ready to roll as well. Get all your Davis Cup info from the excellent Davis Cup website www.daviscup.com. Hopefully I'll get a chance to sneak over to my neighbor's house to see some of the action on the Tennis Channel tomorrow.

And speaking of Winston-Salem, I saw a great piece on 60 Minutes that I'd highly encourage all of you to check out. Head here and click on the 'A Criminal in the Family' link.

April 1, 2007 - Winston-Salem, NC - James and I have been trying to come up with a great promotion for the website that rewards all you true tennis fans out there. With the Davis Cup team in action next weekend, we came up with an idea that embraces the team concept and rewards those of you out there who truly excel at playing the sport.

With that in mind, JamesBlakeTennis.com is beginning a contest asking those of you who play tennis on a team (USTA, ALTA, your local park or club, etc.) at a 4.0 level or better to write in and tell us why James should PLAY ON YOUR TEAM FOR ONE MATCH! We've looked this up with the USTA, and since James doesn't actually have a rating, he is eligible to play on your team whatever the level. We thought he might look a little out of place on any team that plays in a 3.5 league, but if you're particularly creative, maybe we could make that work too. Just imagine- you and JB as the number one doubles team...or perhaps you insert James into the lineup at the number one singles spot so he can wipe out that cocky loudmouth jerk you've lost to for the past 6 years! Oooh, I know I'd like that.

James' schedule is only somewhat flexible, so please include in your email exactly when it would be best to have James join your team. EMAIL me at cdgriff@gmail.com with your entry!