James Blake began playing tennis at the age of seven in the Harlem Junior Tennis Program. While at Harvard University, he became the number one ranked collegiate tennis player in the NCAA and was named NCAA Collegiate Tennis Player Of The Year ('98-'99). He was later named "Rookie of the Year" for the 2000 World Team Tennis season.
At age 21, James made his Davis Cup debut in the tie-breaking playoff against India (2001). He won both singles matches and became the third African-American man to play the Davis Cup for the United States, along with MaliVai Washington and Arthur Ashe. In 2002, he was named the year's "sexiest athlete" by People magazine.
In 2004, James' rising career came to a sudden halt. While practicing for a tournament in Rome, he crashed into a net post and fractured vertebrae in his neck. Were it not for his accident, James wouldn't have had the opportunity to spend time at home with his father, who was battling cancer and passed away in July, 2004. Shortly after, James was diagnosed with shingles, which caused vision and balance problems and temporary paralysis of his face. He did not know if he would ever play tennis again.
With determination, perseverance and help from his family and friends, he battled his way back into the tennis world. A wildcard in the 2005 US Open, James staged a remarkable comeback, defeating 2nd seed Rafael Nadal in the 32nd round. He reached the quarterfinals and achieved his best Grand Slam effort of his career.
In March 2006, James defeated Lleyton Hewitt in the finals of the Las Vegas Open for his fifth ATP tour title. In Indian Wells, he again defeated Rafael Nadal. Despite losing to #1 ranked Roger Federer in the finals of Indian Wells, Blake made history. On March 20th, 2006 he became the first African-American man since Arthur Ashe to reach the top 10 rankings.
In 2007, Blake won the Sydney International and made it to the third round at Wimbledon, unable to get past former number one, Juan Carlos Ferrero. Blake then advanced to the fourth round at the U.S. Open, eventually losing to Tommy Haas in five sets.
At the 2008 Australian Open, Blake advanced to the Quarterfinals where he faced World #1, Roger Federer. Despite a well-played match, he was defeated 7-5, 7-6 ( 7-5) 6-4.
In August 2008, Blake represented the United States as one of its three men's singles tennis players in the Beijing Olympics. In the quarterfinals, he gained one of the biggest wins of his career with his first ever win over Roger Federer. He eventually lost in the bronze medal match to Novak Djokovic from Serbia.
James has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, 60 Minutes and The Late Show with David Letterman and has been profiled in such publications as Sports Illustrated, Vogue, O Magazine, Boston Globe, Deuce Magazine, Ocean Drive, GQ Magazine, People Magazine, US Magazine, New York Times, USA Today, Tennis Magazine and Tennis Week among others.
He actively supports numerous charities and organizations including the Harlem Junior Tennis Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Massey Cancer Treatment Center, Shriner's Hospital and the Thomas Blake Memorial (Fairfield High). He was the Spokesperson for the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation, the Arthur Ashe Youth and Tennis Education Foundation and was featured in the Center for the Disease Control Youth Education Campaign. In 2005, James participated in the AnthemLIVE! Tennis Exhibition along with Andy Roddick and John Mayer to support cancer research with 100% of the proceeds benefiting cancer research. The event was so strongly supported he developed it into the Serving for a Cure event to benefit the Thomas Blake Sr. Memorial Cancer Research Fund at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in his father’s memory. Serving for a Cure held its sixth annual event in December 2010 and collected over $500,000 for cancer research.
In his free time, James enjoys golf, basketball and baseball. He has also been featured on Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown. In 2007, James released an autobiography Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life, which discussed his comeback after his 2004 injury, and debuted at Number 22 on the New York Times Best Seller list.
A winner both on and off the court, James Blake's story of triumphing over adversity is sure to inspire any audience.
James Blake, world-ranked tennis player and author of Breaking Back, is available exclusively through IMG Speakers bureau for speaking engagements. James Blake is also available for corporate hospitality events, meet and greets, tennis clinics, tennis outings, and much more. Please contact IMG Speakers at 212-774-6735 or speakers@imgworld.com for more information on booking James Blake.
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