James Blake is in late night action again when he plays Michael Berrer in the first round of the Farmers Classic.
Blake’s hopes of ever returning to the top of the game looked down and out earlier this year as his ranking plummeted. However the former world number four has enjoyed a second wind, winning a few challengers and last week in Atlanta he was desperately unlucky not to unseat eventual finalist John Isner.
Blake and Isner traded serves for nigh on three hours and a third consecutive tiebreak looked inevitable until Isner broke at the death. Blake did not deserve to lose in such a manner but he’s playing well enough to cause a few upsets this week.
He could face second seed Juan Martin Del Potro in a much anticipated second round clash but first up he must dispose of Germany’s Michael Berrer.
Many fans will remember Berrer for being ‘too nice’ against Andy Murray at the French Open earlier this year, refusing to play drop shots against his injured opponent. He went on to lose in straight sets and received a mixture of applause and criticism for his sportsmanship.
Things have not turned out great for him since then and he’s on a four match losing streak. Expect Blake to extend that further.
