James Blake took to X to send a thank you message to his former doubles partner Serena Williams. The former American World No.4 men’s singles star had a decent career. Blake had twice reached the quarterfinals of the US Open (2005 and 2006) and the finals of the Cincinnati Masters back in 2007, which he lost to Roger Federer. However, Blake did manage to win the doubles title at the Cincinnati Masters in 2002.
The official account of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) posted a picture of James Blake and Serena Williams after their Hopman Cup win in 2003. The picture included Serena Williams and James Blake posing with the trophy after their win in the final. The duo competed in the mixed doubles representing the United States at the tournament.
Replying to the official account, James Blake admitted that it was a fun week to compete at the Hopman Cup in 2002. The American further thanked Serena Williams for her contribution towards their win. Blake hailed Serena Williams as the GOAT in his social media post. Williams retired from professional tennis in 2022, after winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles.
That was a fun week. Playing with the GOAT is pretty memorable. Thank you @serenawilliams https://t.co/IXHl77gfMh
— James Blake (@JRBlake) January 4, 2024
James Blake announced his retirement from professional tennis in 2013 at the US Open. The former American tennis star might have not won a Grand Slam title, but managed some big wins throughout his career. Blake defeated Rafael Nadal thrice throughout his career. The American had a 3-0 head-to-head lead against the Spanish superstar at one point of time but Nadal managed to make it 4-3 before Blake’s retirement.
Serena Williams and James Blake guided USA to Hopman Cup glory
The Hopman Cup 2003 was hosted in Perth, Australia. The American duo Serena Williams and James Blake started off their journey against Uzbekistan and won quite easily. The USA won the contest 3-0, as Williams and Blake both won their singles and mixed doubles matches respectively. Next, USA faced off against Spain and won 3-0 again. Williams and Blake won all the matches in straight sets to assert their dominance.
Team USA then defeated Belgium 2-1 to advance to the finals. James Blake lost his singles match but won the mixed doubles match with Williams to set up an iconic clash with hosts Australia. USA won the Hopman Cup against home team Australia by 3-0. The Serena Williams and James Blake duo won all the matches in straight sets again to win the tournament for their country. That was the second Hopman Cup title for Team USA.
