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Blake, who reached a career-high ranking of World No. 4, was mistaken by police in New York for an identity theft suspect and tackled to the ground by five policemen. After they threw him to the ground, the policemen handcuffed the tennis pro, holding him down.
Blake spoke to the New York Daily News, telling them “unlawful force” had been used against him and that in his mind, his “race was a likely factor” in his arrest. Blake is biracial.
A witness who was cooperating with the NYPD’s investigation into the case of identity theft allegedly misidentified him to the policemen, leading to them forcing him to the ground. The case was related to the fraudulent purchase of mobile phones, and Blake was misidentified as one of the two people involved.
"Once Blake was properly identified and found to have no connection to the investigation, he was released from police custody immediately," Stephen Davis, spokesperson for the NYPD, said in a statement. He said that once surveillance footage from the scene had been reviewed and it became clear that Blake was not involved, the player was immediately released from police custody.
The officer involved in the case was placed on “modified assignment,” meaning that he was taken off active duty and placed at an administrative job due to the charges pending against him. The incident was also being thoroughly investigated, police said, adding that a probe was underway.
New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton described the incident as “deeply disturbing,” saying it was “not what we’re supposed to do”.
Blake’s best singles performance at a Grand Slam is reaching the quarter finals of the U.S. Open in 2005 and 2006, and at the Australian Open in 2008. He had more success in the doubles, reaching the semi finals at Wimbledon in 2009. He was part of the USA’s Davis Cup winning team in 2007.
His last performance was at the U.S. Open in 2013 – a tournament he exited in Round 1 in both singles and doubles.
