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At 31 and a longtime member of the ATP world tour, James Blake knew what to expect coming back from a long rain delay.
"I think generally it favors the person who's down because they've got a chance to stop the momentum and get back out there with a new attitude where they feel like they're the underdog," he said. "You've got a little bit of a nothing-to-lose attitude and you can play your best tennis."
Blake rallied to win a second-set tiebreaker and overcame a 1-hour, 18-minute rain delay Monday night for a 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory over Ernests Gulbis of Latvia in the first round of the Atlanta Tennis Championships.
"I wanted to really focus on getting that hold and once I did, I definitely let loose in that 4-2 game where he was serving," Blake said. "I felt like if I could get a break there, it would make life a little easier for me."
Blake will face No. 3 seed John Isner, his friend and doubles partner, in the second round.
Read more: http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/6782342/james-blake-holds-ernests-gulbis-first-round-atlanta
