James Blake (born December 28, 1979, in Yonkers, New York, United States) is an American former professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful forehands. In 2006 he reached the final of the Tennis Masters Cup but lost to World No. 1 Roger Federer in three sets. On July 3, 2007, Blake's book, Breaking Back: How I lost everything and won back my life, discussing his comeback after his unlucky 2004 season, was released and debuted at #22 on The New York Times Best Seller list. He wrote this book along with Andrew Friedman.
Blake was born in Yonkers, New York, to African-American father Tommy Sr. and White British mother Betty. He has a brother, Thomas Jr., who is also a professional tennis player, and three older half-brothers, Jason, Christopher and Howard, and a half-sister, Michelle.
Blake started playing tennis at age five alongside his brother Thomas. When 13, he was diagnosed with severe scoliosis and for five years as a teenager, he was forced to wear a full-length back brace for 18 hours a day, though not while playing tennis. Blake attended Fairfield Warde High School (then called Fairfield High School), in Fairfield, Connecticut. A schoolmate was future musician John Mayer. Blake was inspired to pursue tennis after hearing his role model, Arthur Ashe, speak to the Harlem Junior Tennis Program. Brian Barker was his first (and current) coach. He dropped out of Harvard University after his sophomore year to pursue a career in professional tennis.
Blake announced his retirement from tennis after competing at the 2013 US Open.