US OPEN

August 28, 2001

James Blake

JAMES BLAKE: Hopefully more wins. Extremely excited. This is a dream come true. I mean, I've always wanted to play in the US Open. Two years ago when I got the chance, I was in the main draw, I wasn't ready, I wasn't playing at the level of these guys. I got beaten pretty badly. Now I came back and I really feel like I belong here. I got a wildcard again, but I also have proven kind of with my ranking being up in the Top 100 hopefully I do belong here. Winning today really makes me feel great about being here and being on tour and being a legitimate Top 100 player. Felt great.

JAMES BLAKE: I really hope so. I mean, those guys are unbelievably talented. They've played great. They've proven themselves over Jan-Michael maybe for a couple more years than Andy, but I'm sure Andy is going to be there for years. I'm just trying to do my best. I mean, if I'm in there, it would be amazing and I'd try to do as much as I can to really stay there and to help out as much as I can the younger kids to get up to that level because, I mean, right now being Top 100, you can't do as much with your name or anything as, say, Andy Roddick or a Jan-Michael to give back. I'd really love to get there and play Davis Cup, just be a legitimate top player. It would be an incredible thrill for me.

JAMES BLAKE: Yeah, that helped a lot. I think it was more the two matches before that that helped -- that really helped me get to the point where I was playing that well against Pat. I just went into those two matches, they were both really hot days, just trying to concentrate on attacking and getting in and playing my game, not really thinking about anything else, not wasting any energy. Just happened that I played great on both of those days. That proved to me that I can beat top players. I think Boutter was around 50 or 60 in the world. Clement, when I beat him, 11 or 12 in the world. To get a win like that, it really made me feel great. That was the first time I'd beaten someone ranked that high. It made me feel like I could play with anyone. Definitely a year ago, like my dad said, I wasn't mature enough to do that. I wasn't ready. My game wasn't ready. A year ago I actually remember talking to Patrick Rafter about it. He joked that I could beat him. I laughed it off and said, "There's really no way, I can't do it." I didn't believe in myself as much as I do now. After that match, he was so nice to stand with me at the net for a minute and just say, "Do you believe now that you can beat me?" I came so close to taking one set. If you take one set, you never know, you can take two. It really helped me to have a veteran like that, someone that has accomplished so much, to take time out and really help me. That helped my confidence. Hopefully it showed today. Hopefully it will continue to show. Right now I'm just having fun. I mean, I've struggled a little bit getting adjusted to this level of tennis from college. It's a huge jump, biggest jump any player can make going to the pro level. It's just taken me a while to get adjusted. It feels great to finally feel like I'm playing my game and I'm on tour consistently, getting some opportunities. It feels great.

JAMES BLAKE: Yeah, I think so. I mean, there are so many great athletes out here. I mean, obviously Sampras, Agassi, those guys are unbelievable athletes. But there are also great athletes that are 200 in the world. The difference is just playing better on big points, playing smarter on big points, and just believing in yourself, being in great shape for every opportunity you can get, really not letting anything get by you, making sure to put pressure on the other guys. Those guys are so good at that. They have so much confidence on big points. They know they can play their game. If you get out of your game for a big point, it puts you with the smaller opportunity -- with less of a chance to win those points. If you give yourself a smaller chance, guys out here are too good.

JAMES BLAKE: Well, being American, I obviously associate more so with the Americans. The American guys have helped me. Todd Martin, Alex O'Brien, Jim Courier has helped me a lot. Those guys spend time. They really care about how you're doing. Todd has come out and watched me playing at qualifying matches, same with O'Brien. Courier is always interested in how I'm doing. It means a lot to me. Just going to dinner the other night with Courier and Martin, a big group of Americans, listening to those guys tell stories, I think it makes you a better player, listening to what they went through, how they dealt with certain situations, it's great. I appreciate everything they've done for me. It's two different kind of perspectives with Todd and Jim. It's great to hear both sides on how you can be successful just being an individual and what works best for you.

JAMES BLAKE: Gee, I don't really know. Probably not a tennis-related one. I mean, just in what they went through, grinding out matches, Jim telling about hitting forehands at 2:30 in the morning, when it's raining, going out and hitting, after matches getting on a bike for hours. He was known obviously for his unbelievable work ethic. Mardy Fish was there, who is coached by Brad Stein, Jim's old coach. Mardy couldn't believe these stories telling about Jim, "He didn't really work that hard." Mardy wanted to ask Jim for real, "Did you really do all those things that Brad said?" "Ask me specifically." "Did you hit forehands at 2:30 at night?" "Yeah." "Did you hit forehands every day for years?" "Yup." It's just incredible how hard he worked. Makes you realize how hard it is to get to the top. He really enjoyed the fact that he got there and he worked hard. I think that's one of the greatest feelings there is, to make sacrifices and then get to the top and realize your dreams.

JAMES BLAKE: No, he didn't. Mardy just wanted to confirm whether or not he was doing it.

JAMES BLAKE: Yeah. It's a great feeling. I mean, it's amazing to me. I went back to my hotel last night, and there was an African American person working there. He ran up to me and said, "Hey, did you just come from the tennis? " I thought I dropped my wallet. "How did Serena do?" "She won, it's great." Just to see the fact that I don't think he'd be interested in tennis at all if it wasn't for Serena and Venus. Hopefully to have so many African Americans in the crowd cheering for me, getting them interested in tennis, I think it's great. For me it's given me so much in my life, opened so many doors. I've had so much fun playing tennis. I'd love to see more African Americans, actually anyone playing tennis. To have that effect on a wide group of people, a group of people that might not be interested in tennis, is amazing to me. I really cherish that opportunity that I have.

JAMES BLAKE: Play about as well as I can. I'm really just going to go out there and have fun. I won't have any pressure on me, obviously. He's a great player. I think he's 4 or 5 in the world. He's playing great tennis. Possibly one of the favorites to go to the finals, maybe even win this. When you go into a match like that, I mean, I've heard from all the other coaches and veterans, when you play those guys, it's actually better to play them early in the tournament because, you know, they might be a little more vulnerable. I'm just going to go out there and have fun. He's a great player. I played him in Juniors a couple times. So I know he's not invincible. I played him before he became this unbelievable superstar. I think that will help me mentally going in, that I do have a chance. I think the fact that I've learned so much over the last couple years, anyone's beatable. You can go out and play your game. That's going to give you the best chance to win. If you go out, play your game, play as well as you can, fight hard, you lose, so be it. As long as you know you went for your shots, you didn't get tentative, didn't lose to just someone's name, you actually lost to the player. I'll come in here and say he played better than me.

JAMES BLAKE: Played him in Montreal just before the Junior US Open. Actually I think the only international tournament I played in Juniors. I wasn't extremely good in Juniors. I was kind of a late-bloomer. I only played one international tournament before the Junior US Open. I didn't know any of the guys there. I didn't know who he was. I didn't know to be afraid of him.

JAMES BLAKE: '97 maybe. A few years ago. I think it was only seven or eight months before he won his first title actually.

JAMES BLAKE: Yeah.

JAMES BLAKE: That's very exciting. Just walking out on Arthur Ashe Stadium for the Kids Day was unbelievable for me. To walk out there and actually have the fans coming to watch me play serious tennis, it's amazing to me. I don't know how I'll feel out there. It's going to be fun. Just walking on the court is going to be a lot of fun. Then I'm just going to give it my best and hopefully put on a good show.

JAMES BLAKE: I was a little bit in awe, first of all, at how big it is. Second of all, just the legend, Arthur Ashe himself. It made me think a little bit more about him. I mean, I hope it's a big enough tribute to him because he deserves every bit of praise that I think he's gotten. I think even more so. It's a thrill to be in that stadium and to have that stadium named after than idol of mine. It's great.