Blake對Andre的景仰 - 網球

在四盤大戰擊敗今年狀況如日中天的Nadal以後
Blake在受訪時表示擊敗Agassi才是他生涯中最重大的一場勝利
也談到可能在quarterfinal碰到Andre的心情

Q. Was this the biggest win of your career?

JAMES BLAKE: Uhm, like I said out there, I think with all due respect
to Rafael, he's going to be a great champion,
one of the best ever possibly, and already is a champion,
but I got to give my best win to Andre Agassi,
being a legend, everything he's accomplished.
That match, it just seemed like everything was going right
for me, as it did today similarly. But, you know,
it was emotional to really beat Andre Agassi,
someone I idolized.


Q. Might have to play him again in another round?

JAMES BLAKE: Yeah, well, hopefully I can have some fond memories of
that win and make some more memories. But he is truly
a class act and someone I look up to. And it would be
a lot of fun. I mean, if I'm playing him in,
what would that be, the quarterfinals, if I'm playing him
in the quarterfinals of the Open, I mean, if someone
had told me that a year ago that I'd have to go out
and lose 0, 0 and 0 in the quarterfinals of the Open
to Andre Agassi, I'd say, I'd take it in a heartbeat.

If that happens, so be it. If I do get in that situation,
I'm going to go out there and play the same way
I've been playing, not be afraid, like I felt today,
not afraid to play Rafael Nadal, not afraid to play Andre.
But I will, you know, as I respected Rafael Nadal today,
I will have a great deal of respect for Andre
when I go out there, if I play him.

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Blake真的是一個很棒的選手
在經歷過去年父親過世的打擊和傷病之後
這種人生歷程讓他現在對自己更有信心 心理素質更加強韌
希望他以後的路可以走的更順利
下面補充一些他對Nadal賽後訪問一些有關個人生活的問答 :)

Q. Can you talk about the crowd compared to New Haven?

JAMES BLAKE: Yeah, crowd's unbelievable. I mean, a few times today
a couple of those break points, a couple of set points
and that matchpoint, you know, when they really got on
their feet and started screaming, I really couldn't even
hear a thing. I started thinking this is what people
talk about when they say they can't hear themselves think.
That loud, I could have screamed at the top of my lungs
and no one would have noticed.

To hear that, it forces you to, "Okay, I need to just
think about this point, because I can't think about
every single person here screaming." You try not to think of
the magnitude of 20 some odd thousand people screaming for you.

So it was amazing, having my - it looked like Rafael
was getting a little upset towards the end of the match
noticing that my fans were pretty vocal, as I think
they're going to be against anyone. I'm proud that
they never really make it personal and they never do anything
too negative towards the other player. They're always just
trying to encourage me. And I really do appreciate that.

Just like in the finals of New Haven, they chanted Lopez' name
at the end at the ceremony. I do appreciate the fact that
they try to have class. And maybe it helps that
it was during the day and they maybe didn't have quite
as many Heinekens today. That helps, I think.


Q. Your coach and your brother were talking about what you were going
through last year at this time with your injuries and everything.
Can you reflect about where you were a year ago and how far you've come.
Were you concerned you might not be able to play at that time?

JAMES BLAKE: Yeah, every time a question like that comes up, I do reflect
and think about last year watching it on TV. A little different.
It's a little different on this side than on that side.
It's, you know, so much fun. I think about that time last year,
I was wondering if I would play in the US Open again.
At that point I was just, I mean, 24 years old,
you don't want to just have memories, you don't want to
just have thoughts of the end of your career at that point,
saying, you know, "I had a lot of fun at the US Open,
I had some great times, I had some good matches,
all my fans had a lot of fun," and at that point I thought,
you know, it's too bad if that's the end. I really wish
I could get back there again and show people that
I can still play this game.

And now to get here, to know the hard work I put in,
the hours when I could really couldn't see too well,
balance very well on the court, just hitting balls
just for the sake of hitting balls so I don't get blisters
on my hands, so I don't kinda completely lose the feel
or something, I know a lot of people wouldn't have done that.
A lot of people wouldn't have then used that off season,
or the November December time when I started feeling
a little better, to work as hard as I possibly could just
on the chance that I'll be back to 100%. I didn't know even then
that I would be back to 100%.

To work as hard as I did to get back there, then go through
the first few months where I was at times playing like
I didn't really know how to play the game, then to go through
that, still try to keep a positive attitude,
I do think about that, that a lot of people wouldn't have been
able to get through that. I also think about the fact that
I'm lucky to have the people that were around me to help me
get through that. If I didn't have my coach Brian Barker there
every day telling me, keeping things in perspective,
just being honest about how rough it was last year,
and then being honest at the beginning of this year,
saying, Yeah, that was a bad match but, you know,
what can you expect, you got to think about the bigger picture
and think that you're going to just try and get better.
If this is the case, you're going to have to find a way
to be happy with it. If that's how good a player you are,
so be it. Kept getting better and better.
All you can do is work as hard as you can.
Just like he said before this match, Go out there,
we're proud of you no matter what, do your best,
no one's going to no one's going to think anything
but you gave your best today. I went out there, I gave my best,
and today it was good enough. I hope it will be on Monday as well.


Q. Not to get too heavy on you, exactly what are you doing
with the Red Cross? More specifically, what did you think about
the government's reaction to the hurricane?

JAMES BLAKE: Well, what I'm doing is I've already had I believe 10 racquets
put up on my website to be auctioned off. I'm very fortunate
to have some great fans that apparently as soon as
they announced that the other day on USA, the bids had been
going at around $400, and immediately they went up to $1,000.
So I'm hoping to raise all that money is going to the Red Cross.
I'm going to donate a portion of my winnings here, for sure,
to the Red Cross, depending maybe how I do.
Hopefully it will keep getting bigger and bigger
as I get further and further.

But in terms of the government's reaction,
I know probably not supposed to talk politics too much,
especially to the press, but I feel this is a crisis
that deserves a lot of attention, and if possible more attention.
I don't want to contradict our President too much,
but... Actually I'll leave it at that.
Don't want to contradict our President because, you know,
we have to follow him and follow his lead.


Q. How much of the belief is coming through what you went through
in the last year? How much would have happened with experience
on the court anyway?

JAMES BLAKE: Tough to say if it would have happened with just experience
on the court. I'd been on tour for a while and
it hadn't happened quite the same as it did after last year.
I think I do owe a lot of it to having a new perspective,
to if I lose a match, it's not the worst thing in the world.
And just go out and play your best, and I know, you know,
that one of the last things I spoke to my dad about,
and when he told me that he was proud of me, you know,
that was it for me, him telling me that - that's my idol,
that's someone I respect more than anyone in the world.
I was so proud and in awe of him. For him to say
he was proud of me, I know now that he was proud of me
no matter if I win or lose, but as long as I
- he always taught me the work ethic and doing your best
and acting appropriately.

I feel like I did that today. Whether I won or lost, I gave 100%.
I acted according to the manner that I know he would think
is appropriate. So if I won or lost this match,
I'd like to think that he was proud of me.
It's just icing on the cake that I won it and played as well as
I did. If I didn't have that and, you know,
just kind of knowing that in the back of my mind,
I don't know if it would have come just from playing tennis.
It comes from kind of life's lessons, I think.


Q. How much do you think of your father? When you're out there,
do you think of him, do you reflect back on times with him?

JAMES BLAKE: You know, I always thought it was weird for people to say,
but I do actually think of him every single day.
And I never thought that was possible, but I do.

In terms of thinking of him out on the court, it's not often,
but sometimes things aren't going well and I want to
throw my racquet, I want to get a little upset,
I want to get down on myself, I want to think, you know,
how rough it is, how bad it is because I'm down a set
and a break or something, I'll think about it,
and I'll think about the fact that he never complained
when he had cancer. He didn't complain when he was having surgery,
when he was having chemo, when he was having radiation,
he didn't complain. He would always keep a positive attitude,
keep real upbeat.

You know, if he can do that through something like that,
I'd feel like much less of a man if I started complaining
too much about being down a set and a break or
losing a couple matches in a row.

So I think about him at times on the court then
and hope it's going to help me on the court as well,
the fact that, you know, if I'm down a set and a break,
I better keep a positive attitude. That's a lot better
than getting down on yourself, focusing on the negative
and pretty much giving up. I'm never going to give up in a match.
I've tried to never give up in a match before,
but I know I've given less than 100% unfortunately.
I've never done that this year and I don't think
I'll ever do it again.


Q. There were reports you called Andy. Is that true?

JAMES BLAKE: I actually forgot. I was supposed to call him for
a scouting report, but luckily my coach has seen Rafael
play a whole lot. I got a scouting report from him.
It slipped my mind to call Andy. I did check however
many voice mails I have now, and one of them is from Andy,
so I got to give him a call back this time and make sure
to thank him. I'm sure it's a message first congratulating me
and then making fun of me for something I'm sure I did wrong
on the court. I'll get back at him and I'm sure
it will be a similar message where I make fun of him.

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