THREE-STEP PLAN PROPOSED

Red alert for James Blake
Slipping American needs to make coaching change, go to two-handed backhand

By Tom A. McFerson.
Special to tennisreporters.net

Siggi Bucher

Blake is losing too many three-setters.

Last month as he trudged off center court at Indian Wells, the face of James Blake said it all. Having just lost a match in three sets he should have won in two, Blake was a jumble of emotions – a mixture of anger, frustration, confusion, misery … and panic.

The wheels have come off the Blake Express, and no one knows it better then James, who is competing at the Houston Clay Courts this week. After having reached his first Grand Slam fourth round at the ’04 Aussie Open, the losses mount have mounted. And not just bad losses. Ugly losses. Painful losses. Excruciating, fans-squirming-in-their-seats type losses.

With a ranking in decline (now at No. 41), the time is now for Blake to stop the bleeding. A few more months of this lackluster play and Blake runs the risk of becoming no more then a footnote in American men’s tennis, mentioned in the same breathe as the somewhat average likes of Jan Michael Gambill and Chris Woodruff.

Fortunately, the slide is reversible. The nice thing about having talent and athletic ability is that you’re always a threat to get back in the mix. With this in mind, the following is a three-point plan, which, if executed correctly and completely, should propel Blake right back into the thick of it.

Step One: Switch to a two-handed backhand
The rationale for this was already spelled out here a few months ago. Blake’s backhand is an enormous liability, and the fact that he hangs in there as well as he does is a testament to his other athletic talents. Anyone who doubts this didn’t see his Indian Wells quarterfinal loss to Irakli Labadze. For two straight sets, the Georgian relentlessly attacked Blake’s one-handed backhand. He served at it, directed every forehand and backhand to it, even attacked it at the net. Blake did his best to cover, but, by the third set, he was so thoroughly demoralized that he was fortunate to hit a ball on the strings.

The word is out on how to play Blake, and until that weakness goes away, he can expect to face the same strategy every time he steps on the court. No one is claiming that this backhand change is a quick fix. It will be painful, frustrating, humiliating and time consuming. But it is also the correct thing to do. Blake can already hit the two-hander. Out on the practice courts he will occasionally break it out. And it is a hell of a shot.

And, with the right support team around Blake, it will pay-off big. Which leads us to:

Step Two: Change coaches
Switching coaches isn’t necessarily the answer to a player’s problems – a major hole in a player’s game remains a hole no matter who is the coach. But, in certain situations, a new coach can push a player over the top. An under-achieving Lakers team hires Phil Jackson and suddenly rattles off three championships. Bill Parcells arrives in Dallas and, with virtually the same players, takes a struggling team into the playoffs.

Brian Barker seems like an alright guy, but he and his pupil have hit the wall together. Sometimes, for whatever reason, a fresh voice is needed. (Andy Roddick learned this.)

Whoever this new coach turns out to be, he needs to buy into the changes Blake wants to make. This person also needs a track record of handling someone with the raw talent and athletic ability of a Blake.

One more piece of advice: Don’t settle. To paraphrase one of Agassi’s better comments: A player is better off with no coach then a mediocre one.

Step Three: Try to stay positive

Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA