Next to baseball, tennis is one of the few sports I enjoy watching for the sporting value. While I enjoy watching sports, its easy to get distracted by all the testosterone running down the line or dribbling down the court with football and basketball.
I first learned to appreciate tennis when I took the class to fulfill my gym credits in college. It's a relatively fun sport. Still, every now and again, there's some eye candy that reminds me I'm still a gay man. James Blake is one such piece of eye candy.
James Riley Blake was born on December 28, 1979, in Yonkers, New York, but grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut. Blake dropped out of Harvard University after his sophomore year to pursue a career in tennis. Blake was inspired to pursue tennis after hearing his role model, Arthur Ashe, speak to the Harlem Junior Tennis Program.
A little known fact about Blake is that he has scoliosis and for five years as a teenager, he had to wear a full-length back brace for 18 hours a day, though not while playing tennis.
He's survived his share of difficulties as an adult. During the 2004 Italian Open, Blake lost his footing on a damp clay court and slammed into the metal net post. He had broken his neck and had narrowly avoided paralysis.
Since that time, he's a rising star in the tennis community. He's definitely an inspiration overcoming adversity and obstacles where most people would've thrown in the towel.
1 comment:
He's hot too.
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