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August 31, 2007
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BLAKE RETURNS FOR ANOTHER RUN AT DELRAY BEACH
ITC TITLE
American Star is No. 6 in the World
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Delray Beach, FL—
He’s the No. 6-ranked tennis
player in the world, a GQ model, new author and now a Delray Beach
fixture—American star James Blake has confirmed that he will play in the
2008 Delray Beach International Tennis Championships.
The enormously popular
Blake, the ATP 2006 Comeback Player of the Year and the 2007 runner-up here in
Delray Beach, will join the world’s top doubles team—the Bryan Brothers—in
headlining the ‘08 Delray Beach ITC ticket. The tournament will be held February
9-17 at the Delray Beach Stadium & Tennis Center.
Blake was up a set over Xavier Malisse last February in the Delray Beach ITC final when the rains
came and postponed the match until Monday. Malisse was able to regroup and win
his second title in three years.
"It's exciting to have James
back as he's been a fixture in the Top 10 in the world these past couple of
years,” says tournament director Mark Baron. “When we announced he was
coming to last year’s tournament, the phone rang off the hook for tickets. He's
tremendously popular on the court as well as off, a fighter and a gentleman, and
a great ambassador of the game. I know the loss in last year's final really
bothered him, so he's going to come out swinging."
The 27-year-old Tampa
resident has compiled a 19-3 2007 summer hard court record, winning his hometown
New Haven tournament along the way and finishing as the runner-up in Los Angeles
and at the Masters Series Cincinnati. On the year, Blake has a 45-18 singles
record to go with two ATP titles. He has won 10 ATP titles in his career.
His 33rd
hardcourt win of 2007—tops on the ATP tour for the year—came last night at the
U.S. Open in an entertaining second-round five-setter over Frenchman Fabrice
Santoro that turned out to be the first five-set win of Blake’s career.
Blake’s “feel good” story of
the ups and downs of his life and tennis career are chronicled in a new book
“Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life” which reached No. 15
on the New York Times Best Seller list in mid-August.
Blake has been profiled in
People, Esquire
and Oprah magazines, and
appeared in a GQ
10-page photo spread in 2003.
In May, doubles dynamos
Bob and Mike Bryan became the first stars to put the Delray Beach ITC on
their 2008 schedule. They will be playing in Delray Beach for the first time
since achieving their world No. 1 status.
The 16th annual
Delray Beach ITC will continue to be the first stop on the 2008 North American
circuit but its date has been shifted back two weeks, providing a layoff
following the Australian Open. The 2008 tournament will be also celebrating its
10th year in Delray Beach, where it has been played since moving from
Coral Springs in 1999.
For tournament and ticket
information, visit
www.YellowTennisBall.com or call 561-330-6000. |
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