Last chance for Blake?

I realize the big news of the day in tennis is Novak Djokovic's undeniable rise to the top of the tennis world with his four-set victory over Rafael Nadal Sunday at Wimbledon. Finally, there is no longer any doubt that Djokovic is the best player in tennis. He’s won two majors this year, a number that exceeds the amount of matches he's lost in 2011. He has a chance to put together the best year by a tennis player this generation, surpassing anything accomplished by Nadal or Roger Federer.

But as someone who covered tennis in Fairfield County for several years, I was especially intrigued to hear that James Blake, of Fairfield, Conn., won a challenger event in suburban Chicago yesterday.

Blake is a former top-five player with some noteworthy career highlights, but he’s 31 and his best tennis is clearly behind him. However, the question for the last couple of years has been, can he rediscover some of that old magic and become relevant again? Due to injuries and minimal success, his ranking has plummeted and his confidence has suffered.

These next two months have always been the best part of Blake’s year. He excels on the hardcourts and has played some of his best tennis at the U.S. Open. His recent success in the challengers leaves him ranked No. 88 in the world, and a strong summer would give him a chance to get that ranking high enough to enable him to get straight into main draws again.

If he doesn’t play well this summer, it will be very difficult for Blake — who nearly upset Marcos Baghdatis in five sets at Wimbledon two weeks ago — to mount any sort of rally again. He’ll be 32 next year, and in time, wild cards will be less available to him. Does he want to play challengers and try to qualify for main draws into his mid-30s? It’s probably unlikely.

I certainly hope he can win some matches this summer and revive his career. He’s a stand-up guy who’s fun to watch when he’s playing well, with his electrifying speed and go-for-broke style that can be maddening and exhilarating (all in the same match). I’ll be watching his progress this summer with great interest.