Lopez Up Close in L.A.
Although fans who watched James Blake lose a tight three set match to Spain’s Feliciano Lopez 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4 might have been disappointed at the result, especially on match point when Blake hit a backhand passing shot that just barely missed the line, Blake himself afterwards chose to dwell on the positive and put to rest any thoughts that his retirement was imminent.
But in listening to each talk about the match, it struck me how both men continually have to deal with being in the shadows to both former and current champions from their respective countries.
In his press conference, Blake looked upbeat and expressed renewed desire for not only the rest of the summer but the rest of the year as well. “I’m playing fine but I just have to play more matches and be more aggressive to win. Just have more confidence to do it in the big occasions after not having done anything in the last three or four months. And I guess it will take a little more time, but I know now it’s pretty darn close.” Regarding his earlier talk about possibly retiring and the likelihood that would happen, Blake said, “Nope not anymore. At that time I was dealing with some knee pain that was very frustrating for me. I feel so much better now than in the last two months.”
James Blake
What was interesting to me was when Blake was asked questions about his place in the overall scheme of U.S. tennis history including his epic match against Andre Agassi at the U.S. Open quarterfinals and how his generation of players (Andy Roddick, Todd Martin) along with the newer players to emerge (John Isner and Sam Querrey) compared to players like John McEnroe and Pete Sampras. The phrase “Band of Brothers” was offered by one reporter to describe the bond Blake, Roddick and the younger players all share both on and off the courts. Blake agreed with that by talking about how they all became friends as they rose through the ranks. “I hope that’s sort of our mark as our generation. We won’t have the titles of the Sampras’s or Agassi’s and the (Michael) Chang’s. We’ve made American tennis (like) a “Band of Brothers”. We try to help each other and bring up the level of all of us.”
Feliciano Lopez Serves at Farmers Classic.
Later, Feliciano Lopez got into similar territory after he said that his best moment so far this year was defeating countryman and World No. 1 Rafael Nadal at Queen’s Club earlier this year. When asked what was the best part of Nadal’s game, Lopez simply tapped his head several times. “I think Rafa has the best mentality in all of sports.” More questions ensued about how he thought Nadal compared to Federer which Lopez answered by saying he still thought Federer was the best player of all time. Lopez was diplomatic in answering all of the Nadal questions, but his own excitement at making it into the semifinals of L.A. definitely got overshadowed by continued inquiries about the Nadal/Federer rivalry.
Lopez, also a lefty, like Nadal has a big serve (he clocked in one ace at 134 mph) along with having a stylish net game. Despite him earning many fans for his very conspicuous shirtless practice sessions on the UCLA Tennis Center, Lopez will have an opportunity to prove he’s more than just tennis eye candy when he takes on some time hitting partner Andy Murray in tomorrow’s semifinals.
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Feliciano Lopez,
James Blake
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