SAN JOSE, CALIF. — Long a Brian Barker loyalist, and having most recently sought guidance from former ATP pro Kelly Jones, James Blake is turning a page and says he’s ready to go it alone. With his coach by his side, the 31-year-old American has overcome hardship several times over his 12-year pro career. But his latest quest to return the top of the game after injuries (knee, shoulder) dragged him down to No. 170 in the world will be a solo act.
Blake is coachless this week at the SAP Open, his entourage consisting only of his mother, Betty, and his trainer, Rory Cordial.
“At this point in my career, when you hit 30, 31 years old, there’s a good chance you don’t need a coach as much because you’ve heard so much and I’m so fortunate to have had Kelly and Brian to teach me, that I don’t feel it’s as necessary,” said Blake, who scored his first win of the year when he topped Jesse Levine 7-5, 6-1 in the first round. “I’m still going to have guys week to week once in a while. Kelly might show up, Brian might show up, my brother [Thomas] might be around — because it still helps to have some input from someone watching you in the stands, maybe something you can’t see. But otherwise I don’t see it that I need a coach every single day, doing the same drills that I now how to do, doing the same things that I’ve seen and heard a bunch of times. So I just want to try this and see how it goes.”
