On the first day of the tournament, American pro James Blake, he of the searing forehand, let it be known that he will retire after his 2013 U.S. Open campaign ends. The Yonkers native will do so a year after friend and compatriot Andy Roddick announced the same news about his own career in Queens.
The news was not unexpected, as last night it became known that Blake called for an 11:45 a.m. press conference today. That's not something a player does who was once ranked No. 4 in the world (in 2006) but has fallen to No. 100 in the rankings unless he more or less has a bookending statement to share.
Here's a look at the array of tweets that greeted Blake's disclosure: