James Blake announced his retirement from tennis on Monday morning, effective after the U.S. Open.
“I have had 14 pretty darn good years on tour; loved every minute of it, and I definitely couldn’t have asked for a better career,” Blake assured. “I did the best I could in every situation. I’m really, really excited I have gotten to do this on my terms. As far as my decision, I’d say it was becoming clearer and clearer throughout most of this year. Little things throughout the year made it more clear and more obvious that this was the right time for me. I always wanted to end my career at the U.S. Open.”
The 33-year-old American, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 4 in the world, will face big-serving qualifier Ivo Karlovic in the first round. He is 25-12 lifetime in New York with two quarterfinal appearances–including a memorable run in 2005, when he beat Rafael Nadal before losing to Andre Agassi in an epic five-setter.
Blake owns a 366-255 career record at the ATP level, with 10 titles.
J-block!