Order On The Court

When Tom and James Blake participated in a tennis tournament with their parents a little more than eight years ago, it was quite evident they both had an intense passion for the sport and very different ways of expressing it. Tom, Jr. partnered with his father for the men's doubles competition, while a younger 10-year-old James teamed up with his mother, Betty to play mixed doubles.

Tom, Sr. and Jr. did well in the men's competition advancing through several rounds. For James and his mother it was a different story. They struggled as the grade school boy faced men twice and even three times his age and size. Despite this obvious disadvantage, James still thought they should win and he wanted to win, badly. He cried and pouted, and made a big scene on the courts that day.

The Blake father said this is a typical illustration of the differences between his two sons. "James is very fiery and competitive. At the tournament that day people were saying holy mackerel. They saw a very talented but very rambunctious and competitive boy."

Tom on the other hand, is equally competitive but much more reserved, according to his father. He is soft-spoken and takes a loss in stride. Tom takes his defeat and goes along with what he has to do. He will sulk for two minutes, but then he can rationalize it and think about getting back and fixing what went wrong.

Despite very different personalities, the brothers have shared tennis for as long as they can remember. Born to parents who were avid players, the boys often found themselves hanging around the 369th Regiment Armory that houses the Harlem Tennis Center, watching their parents take shots at the fuzzy yellow ball.

"Our parents played all the time, so we would come and watch when they didn't feel like paying for a baby-sitter," jokes younger brother James. "We wanted to imitate them and be like them and that is how we started playing tennis."

Betty played tennis during her days as a grade school student in England. Track was her first love, but when she found there were few opportunities for her to compete in the United States, she returned to her racket. Growing up in New York City, Tom Sr., never had the opportunity to play tennis, but a friend he met during his time in the Air Force introduced the sport to him. The Blakes took advantage of their shared interest and hit the courts often.

When the couple learned of the Harlem Junior Tennis Program at the Armory, the two saw a great opportunity to give back to the community by volunteering their time and tennis knowledge to the worthwhile project. They also thought it was an excellent way to get their young sons involved in the sport.

The Harlem Junior Tennis Program, founded in 1972, was created to develop African-American tennis players. As the program grew, its directors expanded its mission and made education a focus also. They wanted to develop children that were prepared for college and tennis. In addition to group and private lessons, the program offered participants tutoring, a computer center, scholarships and a college resource center. All of this is still available today to New York City children for no fee, seven days a week. In return, they are required to bring their report cards in to show they were keeping their grades up.

"Now my kids were not inner city kids," said Tom, Sr., whose family resided in Yonkers at the time. "But because I was so involved with the program, they were able to participate."

According to their father, the clinic gave Tom and James the chance to play with other kids and have fun. "My wife and I always stressed that it had to be fun," he added. "If it was fun, I knew they would stick with it."

As it turned out, tennis became more a way of life than just fun for the boys.

"They were born and raised here, practically," said Harlem Junior Tennis Program executive director Dante Brown, when asked if he remembered Tom and James Blake. A product of the Harlem Junior Tennis Program himself, Brown said Tom has been coming to the Harlem Tennis Center since he was three, and James started coming when he was one year old. "As soon as they could hold a racket they had one in their little hands and they were playing around with tennis balls," he said.

Brown described Tom as a tennis workaholic and James as a fighter. He said Tom was always very serious and working hard to develop his game, while James was always struggling a little. "James always had to fight to stay with Thomas," Brown recalled. "He was smaller and younger than Thomas and every time you would think he's just not there yet, he would prove you wrong. That's what makes him a great fighter."

The Blake duo not only found fun on the courts in Harlem, they discovered a passion for tennis that stuck for many years. This love may have endured because Tom and James' tennis career extended beyond the Harlem Junior Tennis Program. When Tom was a fourth-grader, the Blakes relocated to Fairfield, Conn., where the boys started to take lessons at the Trumbull Tennis Club.

Tom and James both took advantage of upgraded facilities and instructors. They were excited by the change and chance to improve. The move to Trumbull really made a difference in the Blake's game.

"Tom and James saw the next level of play and they could lift their game to that level," said Tom, Sr. "A number of kids are less fortunate," he admits. "Most of the kids develop to a certain point and then they just meander along."

However, the next level still wasn't enough for a young Tom Blake who was already considering taking steps well above lessons at the Trumbull Club. While most boys his age were playing with G.I. Joe or the latest Nintendo video game, he had Harvard on his mind. His tennis coach at Trumbull initially put the notion of Harvard into the middle schooler's head. From that time on, Tom set his sights on the Ivy school. Tom was attracted to Harvard when he learned it offered a highly competitive, top notch tennis program along with the excellent academic reputation it carried.

"I remember one day when Tom was in eighth grade he came home from school and told me he wanted to go to Harvard," recounted the father. Tom's father promised him that if he could get accepted to the school, his parents would make sure he was able to go.

Ever since he stepped onto the Crimson campus, Tom has made it quite clear why he should be among the best and brightest in the country. The senior economics major was just one of two players that broke into the Harvard lineup as a freshman during the 1994-95 season. Following a rookie campaign in which he recorded a 22-8 mark at the No. 4 singles spot, Blake was tabbed the "Player to Watch" in Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Region I. This honor marked just the beginning of the many that would come.

In his sophomore season, Tom jumped into the No. 1 spot, where he earned All-America honors for a 28-12 record and an appearance in the NCAA championships Round of 16. His final ranking for his sophomore campaign placed him 47th in the nation.

As a junior, Blake was named All-America, EITA Player and Sportsman of the Year and national ITA Player to Watch. However, he still had something new to show the college tennis world that season when he was named All-America for his doubles play. He teamed up with Mitty Arnold (97) to advance to the national semifinals, turning in the best performance by a Crimson duo in seven decades.

Now, as a senior, team co-captain Tom has to rely on a new doubles partner to avenge the NCAA semifinal loss. One might have been surprised when the veteran star of the Crimson squad wanted to team up with a freshman. But as it turns out, the freshman was no stranger to Tom and he certainly doesn't play like a rookie.

When younger brother James visited his big brother at college he was immediately attracted to the school and its tennis program. But he was hesitant about joining his brother at Harvard. "At first I worried about not getting a lot of playing time and not being able to manage the academics and athletics," explained the talkative younger Blake. "But Tom assured me I could do it and have the best of both worlds."

After just a few short months as a racket swinger for the Crimson, James has shown he did not need to worry about much as far as the tennis courts were concerned. The freshman, who is ranked No.1 nationally in the USTA Boys 18s, wasted little time grabbing his first collegiate honors by taking home two titles at the Rolex Eastern Intercollegiate Championships.

He shares one of those titles (the doubles championship) with his brother. After years of playing near each other, and watching and supporting each other in tennis, the Blakes had a chance to play doubles competitively last summer at the U.S. Open qualifiers. This marked the first time the brothers have ever competed together and they were both excited to have the opportunity. Following this positive and fun experience, and the loss of Arnold to graduation, Tom suggested the matchup to Harvard tennis coach David Fish.

"I brought it up with our coach, but I am sure he already knew I would want it that way," said Tom. "And our parents, especially our mom, were really big on us playing together."

Fish, who actually coached a group of three brothers in the 80s, said, "The thought crossed my mind to play them as a team after learning they played together this summer, but that can create a bad situation in these cases. But Tom and James have a mutual respect for each other and a great relationship so it seemed natural to play them together."

Philadelphia - the City of Brotherly Love - seemed a fitting place for the Blakes to prove the matchup was a good choice. The duo defeated another set of brothers from Virginia Tech at the Rolex Eastern finals (3-6, 6-3, 6-1) to win the doubles titles.

Fish says they have very different playing styles, to match their different personalities, which makes them a team with a lot of punch.

"Tom is dangerous in the backcourt while James is more comfortable up at the net," explained Fish. "And Tom has a big serve and long leverage, where James is smaller and quicker."

However, the mutual respect Coach Fish recognized was put to the test at the Rolex Easterns when Tom and James both found themselves in the final round of the singles competition.

James took home his second title on the day after Tom, who is currently ranked No. 19 according to the Rolex national rankings, had to default because of a bruised heal. When faced with the possibility of playing his brother in the final match, James was actually looking forward to it.

"Tom is ranked in the top 20 in the nation so I wasn't worried about how I would look losing," said the freshman, who broke into the top 100 himself last fall and moved into the No. 3 spot this spring. "It would have been fun and a good experience. I am sure we will meet again sometime."

The Blakes' coach agrees the brothers will meet again on the court, and he believes it will be good for them. "They wouldn't consider it a failure to lose because they care too much about each other and would be happy for their brother who won, said Fish. It is a good example for our team."

Tom and James' parents were in the audience that day and were equally eager to see their sons go head-to-head for the title.

"My parents would have liked to watch us because they enjoy watching good tennis," said James. "I don't know who they would root for, though."

Their father says that he was very excited by the matchup between his sons. "They have never really played against each other in anything serious," said Tom, Sr. "I wished they would have played. We were just elated they both made it to the finals and did so well in doubles and we could be there to watch. We are so proud of them."

Despite all of their success since leaving the Harlem Armory more than a decade ago, the Blake brothers never forget where they found tennis or where tennis found them. Tom and James visit the Harlem Junior Tennis Program during their summers away from Cambridge to volunteer with the clinics. They teach tennis skills, give stay in school talks or help with the homework club.

For now the duo must focus on the Rolex National Championships to be held in Dallas, Texas, February 5-8, where they both will compete in singles and doubles.

Tom said he was disappointed about being knocked out of the competition in the first round in 1997, but he is optimistic about this year's possibilities.

"I think we can do really well this year," said Tom. "James and I are a better team. I have gotten better and he is playing great."

Although it may only last a year, James may be able to catch Tom again in a few years as Tom plans to pursue a professional career after graduation this May. And for now the two are just having fun playing together - just as their parents wanted it.

-- Erica Hurtt

***Please note, this story was written for a previous Ivy League Black History Month celebration. It is reproduced here for archival purposes and has not been updated.***