American James Blake will retire from professional tennis after the US Open at the age of 33
An emotional Blake, due to face big-serving Croatian Ivo Karlovic in the first round at Flushing Meadows, made his announcement at a news conference on the opening day of the year’s final major.
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“I guess I don’t think I’m catching anyone by surprise by the e-mails and calls I have gotten in the last 24 hours when I announced I’m having a press conference,” he said.
“No real surprise here. This is my last tournament. I have had 14 pretty darn good years on tour, loved every minute of it, and I definitely couldn’t have asked for a better career.
Blake, three times a Grand Slam quarter-finalist -- including twice in New York -- reached a career high of fourth in the world rankings in 2006 and claimed 10 singles titles on the ATP World Tour.u00a0