James Blake enjoyed a fantastic career in tennis, reaching a career-high of number four in the world.
American tennis is in a strong place following the conclusion of the 2024 ATP season, with several players competing at the top of the men’s game.
Taylor Fritz became the highest-ranked American in 18 years this season, with his performances throughout 2024.
Fritz reached the US Open final, losing out to Jannik Sinner before he came up short against the Italian once more at the ATP Finals.
18 years ago it was James Blake who reached number four in the world, as the 44-year-old achieved his career high in 2006.
The American now works as the tournament director for the Miami Open, one of the ATP Tour’s nine Masters 1000 events.
Taking a break from preparations for the 2025 tournament, Blake looked back upon the one point he regrets losing the most in his career.
Appearing as a guest on the Nothing Major podcast, Blake was asked if there was a particular match during his career that he wishes he could go back and change the result of.
“I would even say I would replay one point,” said Blake
“When I played [Andre] Agassi in the 2005 [US Open] quarters.
“I played three quarters, and I lost to Roger [Federer], Roger, and Andre, those ones against Roger, he was my toughest matchup, he was too good, he was better than me.
“But that match against Andre, I definitely had an opportunity.
“I was up two sets to love, went to 6-6, fifth set tiebreak, and then I still remember that point.”
19 years on, Blake still remembers exactly what happened, and knows what he would do differently if he could replay it today.
“We played a really good point, long point, and he threw in a drop shot and I got up to it in time,” he said.
“Even when I’ve talked to him about it since, he says as soon as I hit it I knew I put a little bit too much air under it and you were going to get there.
“I got there, and I had time and I thought he’s going to break to the forehand side and I’m going to go behind him to the backhand, and it’s going to be wide open, and I hit it pretty hard there.
“But he stayed home and absolutely tattooed a backhand past me.
“In retrospect, I mean it was four hours in, I’m sure my thinking wasn’t as clear as right now, I should’ve gone for the easier shot for me, the easier side, away from his biggest weapon, his backhand.
“Make him have to hit a forehand on the run if he does guess right, so I would do that point over, and give myself a match point against Andre in the fifth set tiebreak.”
Blake ended up losing the fifth set tiebreak 8-6, as he fell at the quarter-final stage to Agassi in New York.
It was the closest the American came to reaching the last four of a Grand Slam, as he remains one of the best players in tennis history to not reach the semi-finals of a Major.
Blake reached number four and fell at the quarter final stage on three occasions, but there is in fact one active ATP star, who has an even more remarkable record at Grand Slams.
World number eight Andrey Rublev holds the unfortunate distinction of being the player to have reached the most Major quarter-finals without a win.
The Russian has now competed in ten Grand Slam quarter-finals, losing on every single occasion.
Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
2017 | US Open – QF | Rafael Nadal | Lost in three sets |
2020 | French Open – QF | Stefanos Tsitsipas | Lost in three sets |
2020 | US Open – QF | Daniil Medvedev | Lost in three sets |
2021 | Australian Open – QF | Daniil Medvedev | Lost in three sets |
2022 | French Open – QF | Marin Cilic | Lost in fifth set tiebreaker |
2022 | US Open – QF | Frances Tiafoe | Lost in three sets |
2023 | Australian Open – QF | Novak Djokovic | Lost in three sets |
2023 | Wimbledon – QF | Novak Djokovic | Lost in four sets |
2023 | US Open – QF | Daniil Medvedev | Lost in three sets |
2024 | Australian Open – QF | Jannik Sinner | Lost in three sets |
What makes for tougher viewing is that Rublev was beaten in straight sets in eight of his ten Grand Slam quarter-final encounters.
Only once has the Russian come close to the last four, when he took Marin Cilic to a deciding set tiebreak at the French Open in 2022, eventually coming up just short.
The 27-year-old will be hoping that he can finally get over the line in 2025, and qualify for his first Slam semi-final.
Rublev is set to return to the court for the Hong Kong Open, where he is the defending champion, which begins on December 30.
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