Blake Brothers Form Formidable Tennis Tandem

Professional tennis has few brother teams. Luke Jensen and Murphy Jensen; Emilio Sanchez and his brother, Javier, come to mind.

Two Harvard tennis players may soon be joining this elite fraternity: senior Tom Blake and his brother, freshman James Blake.

Currently, Harvard--the No. 21-ranked tennis team--is the home of the two of the nation's most formidable tennis threats. Tom is Harvard's co-captain and No. 1 seed and the 18th-ranked player nationally.

James, who is expected to play as one of Harvard's top seeds this season, was a USTA competitor and winner of two of three of the National Court Championships.

The two started playing tennis watching their parents play recreationally. They both started playing the game and became hooked. Their parents then decided to hire a private coach for them both.

"There wasn't much pressure between us growing up since we both played in two different age groups," says the senior. "It wasn't until high school when we played on the same team."

James adds that he didn't feel any pressure competing in the shadow of his older brother.

"I didn't feel pressure. If they're comparing him to me, it is a good thing," he says.

Both agree that growing up with each other helped improve their game.

"When I saw my brother improving [in high school]--I knew he could be one of the top-ranked guys in the nation," James says. "I saw this potential and thought that I could do the same."

"Having each other has driven us to be better," Tom says. "We were able to practice with each other, to gauge each other and to improve."

Despite playing on different teams during the academic year, the two did play together in one particular tournament--the U.S Open.

Last summer, the brothers applied for a wild card for doubles.

"We didn't think we had much of a chance, but we knew they gave some young potential players a chance," Tom recollects.

"We were on a golf course right by our house 20 minutes before the match when we found out we had to play. We lived an hour-and-a-half away and we were scheduled to play in an hour-and-a-half. We played the third-seeded team and lost in a tie-breaker."

At Harvard, the boys have high expectations for themselves as well as the responsibility of living up to the high expectations held by others.

Tom remembers his enthusiastic reaction when his brother decided to go to Harvard and join him on the team.

"I was psyched for him to come. He was our top recruit," Tom says. "He would make our team better."

"One of the things I was worried about was whether it was possible for me to consider the pros at a place like Harvard," James adds. "My brother was able to confirm that studying would not be an [obstacle]."

Although Harvard was knocked out in the Sweet Sixteen of last year's tournament, the brothers should effect a different outcome this year.

Tom, two-time All-Ivy Player, was named "National Player to Watch" last spring--an award bestowed to one individual by the ITA. James, recovering from a shoulder injury, expects to be one of the top five seeds. The duo also plan to play doubles together and aim to be in the top ten bracket.

Tournaments and titles are not new to either of the brothers. In December, James will travel to Florida to play in the prestigious international Sunshine Cup, a junior version of the Davis Cup.

"Three players from each country are chosen," James says. "I am looking forward to playing for my country."

"On paper, we definitely have the best team that we've had in the last four years," Tom says.

The two players are also looking to extend their tennis careers beyond Harvard.

"I am definitely going to try the pros for a couple of years," Tom says.

His brother, James, isn't too far behind.