Tennis players want their work acknowledged. Even the great Roger Federer, whose praises we've sung thousands of times over the last decade, still needs to be seen. "I practice, I play matches and there's always people cheering me on supporting me, wanting an autograph, wanting a picture," Federer said earlier this week in Stockholm. "That does keep me going. If you put me on the small court with no spectators, this is where I'll struggle with my motivation."
Barren courts aren't ideal working conditions for most pros, but for James Blake, who's struggled mightily this season, they may be just right. He won his second straight match at this year's Stockholm Open in front of a miniscule Centre Court crowd—Blake was scheduled to play last in his first-rounder on Tuesday; today, he was up first. In both instances, rows upon rows of empty bleachers gave the facility the air of a long-forgotten school gymnasium.
Blake played a strong match Tuesday against Thomaz Bellucci, winning in three sets. He did the same today against German qualifier Matthias Bachinger, prevailing 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (2). In just his second tour match of the season, Bachinger played inspired tennis. But Blake showed the same type of resilience that got him past Bellucci. James was broken four times in all today, but he also saved nine break points, a good indicator of his performance in pressure situations. A final-set tiebreaker certainly qualifies as such. He also converted four of his five break chances on Bachinger's serve.
While his shots weren't as sharp as they were in round one, Blake's overall body of work was superior to Bachingers'. When "Game, set, match" was called, Blake walked toward the net to tepid applause. The spotlight wasn't on Blake this time—and maybe that's been a good thing—but his quarterfinal against Scandinavian Jarkko Nieminen should receive better billing. If Blake wins, he'll reach his first semi of the season, and might get a few more cheers, too.
—Ed McGrogan