I always say, the game is the game, all the other off-the-court stuff should be discussed separately from a player's talent and skills. But today I must admit I'm wrong, that in the case of James Blake, the off-the-court stuff gets mixed in with the on-the-court stuff after all.
The commentary has been repeating his stories for days, how he's overcome adversities, how he's clawed his ways out of the lowest point in his life, blah blah blah. Whatever. I thought, uh, good for him, he's got everyone's sympathy, but there is only one way for him to prove himself.
And he did. He beat the "It" kid of 2005, Rafa Nadal.
When he was 20, 21, Blake was considered the next big thing in American tennis. And he kept disappointing people. Over and over again. Potential is potential and will not matter a thing if you cannot deliver. Everyone knew what his problem was. The problem was all in his head. He had no confidence in himself. He had no patience. He had the talent but not the mental toughness. There was a fear in his eyes, and it was probably more of success than of failure.
This is total cheese, I kept thinking to myself while watching the game today. How all the adversities made him a stronger person, how they gave him an inner strength and calm. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Blah blah blah. The crazy thing is: They seem to be coming true. The fear seemed to have left him.
To be fair, Nadal was probably rattled by the crowd's overwhelming support for Blake. And he was probably not prepared for the level of play from Blake. But I still find it utterly remarkable that Blake looked like a totally different person compared with himself 2 years ago. He was so mentally fragile. He had never been able to beat a top 10 player in a Slam. He had fallen apart when he was ahead and when he was behind. All the ordeals he had gone through seemed to have changed him indeed.
So here it is. My old, hardened, crusty heart strings can be tugged once in a while, too. He won my heart when he applauded a good play from his opponent and when he showed his emotions without being wrecked by them. And it doesn't hurt that he's ridiculously good-looking.
