James Blake: A greatness defined; a greatness personified

James Blake waves to the crowd as he walks off court following defeat to Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares during the 2013 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 29, 2013 in New York City. (Getty Images)

Great are the people, who find their way,Their will power strong they never sway…Bright future, the foundations they lay…Give more of them, we pray…

Great are the people, who are brave,Punishment for their bravery- they toil and heave…Suddenly, tired they leave…Making all of us grieve…

Great are the people, who are true,Their frankness puts them through…Their quality, not many to approve…Their character, worth to prove…

People are great,Some mere men, some saint…Born ordinary…But proved extraordinary…

The above would be a fitting tribute to James Blake in the wake of his aptly timed exit from the sport at the ongoing US Open. An unlikely hero of a great tennis playing nation, Blake’s was a legacy that pitched the nation forward – maybe not in terms of Grand Slam wins or ATP tour titles – but in terms of emphasising the fighting spirit and resilience that United States has always boasted about.

It’s often surprising when players, who seem to have simply skimmed the surface of their respective sports in their time, start to attract piles and stacks of write-up once they announce their decision to quit their professional domain.

Blake, in his time, seemed to be one such player. Called to be a worthy talent – with a forehand that was akin to a whiplash – it was quite ironic that the Yonkers’ native was ironically never able to stand up to his true potential.

Not because he frittered it all away like some ostentatious talent prodigies do in their over-confidence and over-zealousness, but because the hand of fate always seemed to let him down; most, when it mattered.

He may have then burst into the scene taking on Lleyton Hewitt – challenging him point for point, in the famous 2002 US Open five-setter and rightfully gotten his name imprinted in the minds of tennis pundits all across the globe.

Blake’s comport and his mild-manneredness were perceived a welcome change from the otherwise over-the-top verbal and emotional displays that the United States’ players were prone to display; including even the recent major winner from the US, of that time – Andy Roddick.

His verbal deportment after the infamous incident involving Hewitt in the 2001 US Open, where the Australian was alleged to have behaved in a thoroughly racialist manner endeared the American more globally even as the otherwise-celebrated Aussie was subject to the most stringent criticisms.

Years may have passed by since the incident, but Blake’s name still resonates with respect and stature even when it is remotely reminisced about. Alongside Blake’s behavioural attributes, it’s his indefatigable spirit that will be most missed in his absence from the global tennis platform.

Rafael Nadal, in today’s context, has been the recipient of warmest of appreciations each time that he has made a successful comeback from injuries and ill-health. But even though injuries and sufferings are incomparable and quite subjective in nature, it wouldn’t be wrong in this case to draw a slight line of comparison between Blake and the Spaniard.

Though in terms of winning titles, as the Spaniard has done – and is doing – Blake fell quite short of the mark; in terms of making successful comeback upon comeback, both Blake and the Spaniard would be quite in alignment.

The shocking tumble, during a practice session at the 2004 Rome Masters, that accounted for his severe neck injuries, which were compounded by an attack of shingles that left half his body paralysed, mere days later, may have contributed a substantial loss in form and ranking for the American.

But what these injuries didn’t lessen by any means was Blake’s unrelenting spirit. It was this spirit of Blake that made his credentials even more appealing and believable to countless tennis fans in the days and years to come.

And justified the fans’ belief in their idol was when he truly made a comeback a year later, pushing himself up from the very dregs of the ranking charts. The years thereon saw the American swing from highs to lows, a queer kind of variability that always ended up taking the limelight away from one of the most the hard-working and highly-deserving players of the sport.

And indeed while these moments were marked with some brilliant displays that the sport has ever seen, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that it were the lows that brought about this revelation to retire from Blake.

And while to his fans, his manner of defeat won’t be that crushing – a five-setter to end a career graph that had started off with one, over a decade ago – it’s American tennis that will have to bear the onus of Blake’s retirement.

It’s truly the end of an era, the final stop to the countdown that may have perhaps very well started when Roddick made his intentions plain.