So Blake has got a new coach and a whole new mindset for playing tennis at 30. He is a top player on his way back or is he? Last night’s defeat to Del potro has been described as a moral victory by many experts. Greg Couch at FanHouse had a more reasonable take on Blake’s loss but he stopped short of saying what we all know:
When he’s done beating himself up, if he can look at the big picture, then he’ll see he has time left. This match wasn’t the argument, but the proof.
I agree with Greg that Blake played his heart out and almost beat the U.S. Open champ Del potro. He certainly dictated a lot of points, something I hope Federer can learn from against Del potro. At the same time, Blake again choked in the final set. He has a miserable 5 setter record, and he continues on that path. Did he push a top player to limit? Didn’t he do just that to Agassi as well? But in both cases he lost. In fact, Blake has made a career out of losing close matches.
One can feel anything but sad for Blake. He is one of the better guys on the tour, and he gives his 100% to win a big one. But he has made a career out of losing heart-breakers. He can change his game and his coach. But the mental part of it will be tough to overcome.