- 15 career tennis titles
- New York Times best-selling author
- Founder of the Thomas Blake Sr. Memorial Research Fund
- Celebrity Poker Showdown runner-up
James Blake plays online at Full Tilt Poker.
Since turning pro in 1999, James has been playing tennis at the highest level, consistently being ranked amongst the game’s elite. Having reached over 30 finals with 15 wins, as well as being a vital part of the US Davis Cup team since 2001, he knows what it takes to compete with the best.
James has fought some of his toughest battles off the court. An on-court freak accident in 2004 left the New Yorker with a broken neck. As he recovered, his father – who had been the inspiration for his tennis career – lost his battle with stomach cancer. Shortly after his father's death, James was dealt a further blow when he contracted a rare virus that paralyzed half of his face and threatened to end his already jeopardized career.
Despite these setbacks, James demonstrated his resilience, determination and desire to resume his professional career and remains one of the most recognizable faces in the world of tennis. James’s account of how he overcame the odds, "Breaking Back: How I lost everything and won my life back", was a New York Times bestseller in 2007.
In addition to his sporting and literary achievements, James is an active humanitarian. He founded the Thomas Blake Sr. Memorial Cancer Research Fund at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in memory of his father. He is also an active volunteer at the Harlem Junior Tennis Program – the very place he learned to play tennis. The ATP named James Blake its 2008 Humanitarian of the Year.
James continues to mix it with the best and in 2010 he reached the last 32 at the US Open for the fifth successive year.
Look for James playing online at Full Tilt Poker.