Tennis – Former World No. 4 James Blake was at the Vancouver Tennis Center on Saturday for a local fundraising event put up by the Center. The Vancouver Tennis Center auctioned off eight spots for a private lesson with Blake, with proceeds from the same going towards supporting scholarships and donated court time for kids and adults, according to The Columbian.
Besides playing with the local pros, Blake also took some time out for taking photos with the kids and adults and had a Q&A session with those at hand about his tennis career and gave tips to those aspiring to improve their games and pursue a career in professional tennis.
During the Q&A session, Blake spoke about how he admired the work ethic of compatriot and former World No. 1 Jim Courier, who has also been inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame. He also spoke about his experience of playing college tennis at Harvard and told younger players that they need to keep hitting balls and practising in order to get better.
The 38-year-old Blake retired from the game in 2013 after the US Open Championships in New York. He won 10 ATP singles titles during his career and other highlights of his career included reaching the final of the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup, the semi-finals at the Beijing Olympics as well as the quarter-finals of three Grand Slam events – 2008 Australian Open and the 2005 and 2006 US Open Championships.
He was also a part of the team that won the 2007 Davis Cup Championships for the United States Also Read – Nick Kyrgios Speaks About Rising Australian Tennis Stars
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