Having won three of his six career titles this year, James Blake is riding high. Heenters the Legg Mason Tennis Classic as the top seed and hopes to repeat his past success in Washington.
“[Washington] was my first title,” said Blake, the 2002 champion. “So it would be nice to be the have my first multiple title; to be the first title I can say I’ve won more than once.”
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But Blake, who is ranked a career-best No. 5 in the world, acknowledges the road to the finals will be a tough one in a field that contains three former top-ranked players. Not to mention the possibility of last year’s final between Blake and Andy Roddick.
Many in the tennis world hope Blake vs. Roddick becomes the next great, American tennis rivalry. But it has yet to materialize. Roddick dominated their early matches, winning all six meetings prior to 2006.
Injuries have plagued Roddick this year, including a back injury that forced him to withdraw from the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles last week and calls into question whether he will play this week in Washington.
Talk of a rivalry between was renewed by James’ two wins this year against Roddick, most recently in the RCA Championships final in Indianapolis on July 23.
Blake denies the presence of a rivalry, claiming he needs more wins against Roddick, to justify one. Blake said the two remain close friends but battle it out every time they face each.
“There’s definitely no animosity, no bad blood between us or anything like that,” Blake said. “We just go out there, have a good time and hopefully at the end of the match, one of us will be holding a trophy.”
