Filed under: Tennis

Tennis star James Blake describes himself as “getting old” and being “a veteran on the tour,” but as proven by his recent victory over Roger Federer in the Olympics, he’s still got plenty of game left. So how does he feel about this year’s U.S. Open? Who does he think is better, Federer or Nadal? And what are his thoughts on all the partying that went down in the Olympic Village? FanHouse talked to the native New Yorker about all this and more between matches at this year’s Open. (For more from Blake, check out American Express’ special Open coverage.)

Randy Kim: “So what are your expectations for this year’s U.S. Open?”
James Blake: “Well, I just come in and try to prepare the best I can and be ready for anything, because I never try to set expectations in terms of getting to a certain round because I feel like sometimes that’s out of my control. If a guy comes out and plays the best match of his life, you know, there’s not much you can do. So I try to do my best and be ready for anything that comes my way.”

Kim: “How are you feeling personally, though? Are you at the top of your game? Healthy, everything?”
Blake: “Yeah, I feel confident. I’m trying to take some positives out of the Olympics and the fact that I beat Roger Federer for the first time and won a few other pretty close matches, so I’m excited about that and I’ve definitely had some success this summer, so I’m definitely looking forward to this U.S. Open. Every time I get to the Open, it’s a whole new shot of adrenaline for me, and the excitement of having my home fans here is just great.”

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Write a comment