James Blake made it to number four in the world rankings during his 14-year stretch as a professional tennis player.
Given that he never got beyond a quarterfinal at a Grand Slam, it’s fair to say that Blake will hold some regrets regarding his career.
Blake is a tournament director at the Miami Open these days, and he remains a very respected figure in the world of tennis in 2025.
It would appear that the 45-year-old still likes to get out there and hit some balls on the court.
Recently, he took on the challenge of putting his pride on the line against an amateur player, and it proved a fascinating tussle.
Photo by Elsa/Getty ImagesWhat happened when James Blake played a 5.0 amateur player
Blake won 10 titles when he was a professional player and also took his doubles very seriously.
The American won a further seven titles playing doubles and even reached the semifinal of Wimbledon.
As part of an experiment done by the SwingVision podcast, Blake took on a 5.0 amateur player in a 10-point tie-breaker.
It might come as a shock, but despite playing a player who was younger than him, it was Blake who ran out a winner by 10 points to one.
The amateur player only secured his point when Blake produced an unforced error when winding up one of his famous forehands.
For context, a tennis amateur with a 5.0 rating is considered advanced with outstanding shot-making abilities, excellent anticipation and consistent power, spin and depth on their strokes and someone who can regularly hit winners.
What James Blake said to Roger Federer in 2015
Federer handed Blake a defeat in the 2006 ATP Tour Finals, and in 2015, he admitted that he was a huge fan of the Swiss performer.
Ten years ago, with Federer still playing on the tour, Blake took to X to urge the player to continue playing after he beat Novak Djokovic in the ATP Tour Finals.
He posted on X: “Federer, please keep playing forever. So fun to watch.”
Blake never perhaps scaled the heights that his initial potential promised when he burst onto the tour but he was a likeable character.
The American is regularly around to give his opinion on the game in today’s era and remains a very respected figure.