James Blake

James Blake currently serves as a studio and remote analyst, as well as a host/correspondent for ESPN. James covers several grand slam tournaments for CNN annually and was a commentator on NBC’s Summer Olympics tennis coverage last year. James inspired many during an impressive tennis career that featured 10 singles titles, a Davis Cup Championship, and a New York Times Best Seller for his memoir, Breaking Back. James turned pro in 1999 while he was the #1 ranked college player at Harvard University. In 2005, after a potential career ending injury, James climbed from outside the ATP top 200 to his career high ranking of #4. This ranking made James the #1 ranked American player in the world. In response to this, James was named the 2005 ATP Comeback Player of the Year. He followed up this standout year by reaching the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup, and in 2007 was a key contributor for the United States in the 2007 Davis Cup. In the championship tie vs. Russia, James went 2-0 in second singles and helped seal the victor. After an amazing 14 year career, James retired from professional tennis at the 2013 US Open. James is also well regarded for his charitable work. In memory of his father, James created the Thomas Blake Sr. Memorial Cancer Research Fund at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He holds an annual celebrity tennis and entertainment event, Serving For A Cure, to raise funds for cancer research and prevention. In the fall of 2015 while standing in front of his hotel in Midtown Manhattan, awaiting transportation to the US Open, a NYPD plain clothes officer threw him to the ground and handcuffed him. A case of mistaken identity became a racial profiling incident and a turning point for the former tennis player. While rage would have been a justified response, Blake faced the incident with dignity and calm and used it as an opportunity for discussion. When he got to the Open, he did a press conference and a nationally syndicated interview on television the following morning, and the story went viral. In the summer of 2017, Blake released a book inspired by this incident, Ways of Grace. This novel details a series of uplifting stories and small acts of grace from across the sports world that has helped bridge cultural and racial divides. In January of 2018, James was hired as tournament director of the Miami Open, where he heads player relations, media, broadcast and tournament improvements and innovations. James lives in California with his wife Emily and daughters Riley and Emma.