Thursday, August 09, 2001
Harlem native in tennis spotlight today
Rising talent faces Rafter
By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MASON — From Harlem to Harvard. From long winters on Connecticut indoor courts to a nationally televised match today. In James Blake, Tennis Masters Series Cincinnati has its American dream.
James Blake
(AP photo)
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There is no bigger surprise than seeing this 21-year-old African American in the round of 16, where he'll face Patrick Rafter at 1 p.m. on Stadium Court (ESPN).
“I'm grateful for this opportunity,” he said Wednesday, after upsetting 10th seed Arnaud Clement 7-5, 6-4 in the second round. “I'm really hoping this is my breakthrough.”
This is Blake's biggest tournament, one for which he needed a wild-card invitation into the qualifier and reached the main draw only when Richard Krajicek pulled out with injury. He hadn't gone past the second round of a tour event until last month. He's not even listed in the ATP's media guide.
And he's black. Which remains a rarity on the men's tour.
“I think it's unfortunate that you don't see more blacks out on the tour, or young black juniors,” ESPN commentator MaliVai Washington said.
Washington was the sport's most successful African American in the 1990s, making the top 20 and reaching the Wimbledon finals in 1996. Another African American, Bryan Shelton, cracked the top 100 in the early 1990s and won two smaller tournaments (Newport, R.I., twice). In the 1980s, Yannick Noah of France was a top-10 fixture, counting the 1993 French Open among his 23 titles.
But aside from those names, plus a few fringe players, one has to mostly look back to the legendary Arthur Ashe to find a prominent black player in tennis.
“I would imagine a lot of black kids are exposed to football, basketball (and) baseball a lot earlier than they're exposed to a tennis racket,” Washington said. “That's going to influence where the interest lies. So in tennis, the number of blacks excelling to the pro level is going to be sparse.”
Blake blows at a ball as if to force it out of bounds.
(Ernest Coleman photo)
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But here comes Blake. Two years ago, ranked No.1 in college tennis at the end of his sophomore season, he left Harvard to join the ATP Tour. He was ranked 212th at the end of last year, is up to No.120, and should rank in the top 100 next week even if he loses today.
It's a long way from the Harlem Junior Tennis Program, where the Yonkers, N.Y., native got free lessons as a child. He then kept up the sport as a teen in Fairfield, Conn., despite having to play indoors seven months of the year — rising at 5:30a.m. to play before school.
“I wish there were more programs like Harlem and other grassroots programs,” Blake said. “Even if they don't produce another player like myself, it made for great camaraderie — something to do on the weekends instead of going out and getting into trouble on the streets of New York.”
Brian Barker, who has coached Blake since the player was 10, knew former world No.1 Mats Wilander, who had settled in Connecticut. When Blake moved there, Barker arranged to have Wilander hit with the teen prodigy so Blake could get a glimpse of that level of tennis.
“At first he was beating me badly,” Blake said. “As I got better, and he was get ting a little older, I started being pretty even with him. And a couple times I beat him; I couldn't believe it. So that gave me confidence going into (juniors) tournaments because I say, if I can hang on the same court with Mats Wilander, I'm not as afraid of the No. 1 player from Kalamazoo or something.”
Blake is just the 12th-highest-ranking American, and he remains intent on returning to Harvard after his tennis career. But that's starting to look like a long time from now.
“I kept working hard and improving, and got to the point where I felt that this (a tennis career) was a possibility,” he said. “It's been a great ride so far.”
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Harlem native in tennis spotlight today
