KING JAMES MARCHES ON TOP 100 - A view from the Challengers Tour

The worlds most entertaining tennis player had a rather injury hit season in 2010, all in all he played less than 20 tournaments and struggled to do much in any of them.

So sadly, my favourite player begun what seemed to be the last decline. He had defied ludicrous odds many a time, but this time seemed different. It wasn't just sheer luck that stood against Blake now, or so I thought. He had turned 30, he was fighting age. The unstoppable force of time. As Blake fell out of the Top 100, he started his gradual struggle. This time, as I felt with the neck break, he was up against the inevitable. Perhaps one last year for fun as age slowly steals the fitness and saps the willpower from the great man, a gradual drop out as he plummets into obscurity, playing against nobodies in the shameful drudge of tennis outside the big time. Or so I thought.

But that was then. Now, in 2011, James Blake defies the odds, as he does almost for fun, once more. Convincing performances in Miami, Memphis and Tallahasse were just the beginning. Blake won the Sarasota challengers last week in a superb performance, taking out in form Americans Donald Young and Ryan Sweeting, before absolutely crushing Alex Bogomolov Jr. 6-2, 6-2 in a snazzy performance (Bogomolov Jr still got a career high ranking out of it though) which he dominated from start to finish. :hooray:

This weeks sees Blake at another Challengers event in the old US of A, this time he travels 400 miles north and plays in the Savannah Challengers tournament in Savannah, Georgia (not the country).

And he has progressed well. He lies in the quarter finals, having perhaps not being quite as convincing as the Sarasota whitewash, but still has yet to drop a set. He faces Michael Russell, world number 89 and 2nd seed, in the quarters.

But of course the big news for you guys not form related, it is the fact that should Blake progress to the final of this challengers tournament, he will have finally, after almost a year, have climbed out of the wildnerness to reach the Top 100 YET AGAIN. The odds were on retirement, a twilight to his career in which his star gradually fades but no, soon he may grace the big time once again. Well I bloody hope so anyway!

But back to reality, we've got evergreen dwarf Michael Russell to overcome first. Russell is another interesting character. He's just turned 33, but he shows little sign of ageing, in fact, he's on the best form for a while now, having taken apart his challengers here so far in superb fashion, nicking 2 bagels in 4 sets of play. His career record is unusual; he struggled to impact in the serve and volley era up to 2001, then his speedy, tactical baseline quality shone through as he started to mature. But alas, injury strikes, and by 2004 he is out of the rankings entirely. But then he marched back once more, reaching career highs in 2007, and making regular appearances in many of the big tournaments. But then aged 30, he declines as he slows down. But he rejuvenates himself with new weapons. A solid return of serve, the serve itself being much more consistent than in the past. His groundstrokes, already good, seem refined, more accurate, more lethal. Progression will not be easy.

And this is just one player from the Challengers tour. You see, Blakes's time in this tour, what I originally felt was a shameful progression to failure, and the end of the career, opened my eyes..

The challengers tour may hopefully soon be a thing that Blake participates in only rather occasionally again, as opposed to constantly. It may be the only tour Blake really plays in untill the end of his career. But either way I owe a small debt to the challengers tour. It provided me with insight into the world of tennis that the public eye doesn't see. The glamourous world of Top 100 tennis, the ATP 250's to the slams, are the pinnacle of the sport for sure, but to me it often feels indentikit. It lacks characters, it lacks stories other than the 'Player X worked very hard, Player X loved tennis all his life, Player X is in the big time now'. I found a new player to admire and follow in Nicolas Mahut, although I concede that the Wimbledon epic last year helped sway me in putting my admittedly tame support behind him. The tournaments they play in the Challengers tour invites crowds of what.... 20 people? But all are appreciative. All are there for the tennis, not the glamour, not the strawberries and cream. They just want to see two talented players give them a lesson in the art of ball-striking.

The Challengers tour lacks style, but it has so much substance. In sport, for me, that's all that matters.

Well Stealth. I think the thing is, when you follow a particular sport, there are always varous levels to it. My sports are football and tennis. But I want to follow the Premier League, and the Grand Slam and Masters events. I like to see the very best players at the very peak of their ability.

When I think about the Champions League, and the various absolute modern greats I have seen play, it makes my head spin. Equally, with what I am seeing in tennis today. But there is some bloke out there who steadfastly follows his League 2 team, home and away, which takes him to places like Macclesfield, Morecambe and Accrington, who may bah at the likes of me following my Premiership team and considers himself more of a fan because he likes real, grass roots footbball. And so it is in tennis.

In essence, what I'm trying to say is that following your favourite player has opened your eyes to other things that are going on out there beyond the Slams and Masters, and you're enjoying it. So that's great. As I am enjoying following my favourite player and what he's playing in right now. And its good to share whatever experience we are having here.

Wooffie wrote:Well Stealth. I think the thing is, when you follow a particular sport, there are always varous levels to it. My sports are football and tennis. But I want to follow the Premier League, and the Grand Slam and Masters events. I like to see the very best players at the very peak of their ability.

When I think about the Champions League, and the various absolute modern greats I have seen play, it makes my head spin. Equally, with what I am seeing in tennis today. But there is some bloke out there who steadfastly follows his League 2 team, home and away, which takes him to places like Macclesfield, Morecambe and Accrington, who may bah at the likes of me following my Premiership team and considers himself more of a fan because he likes real, grass roots footbball. And so it is in tennis.

In essence, what I'm trying to say is that following your favourite player has opened your eyes to other things that are going on out there beyond the Slams and Masters, and you're enjoying it. So that's great. As I am enjoying following my favourite player and what he's playing in right now. And its good to share whatever experience we are having here.

Absolutely. This isn't me having a go, by the way, just pointing out the alternative world of tennis that I have stumbled across.

Speaking of alternative tennis tours and 'characters', tennis' boo boy Wayne Odesnik is in rather good form. He is looking typcially solid on the real green clay...

The midget defeated the mighty Blake.

Now I have to wait another fortnight for Top 100 glory unless we get some good results.

Odesnik through another round with consummate ease, I wonder if he looks like a troll yet?