While Roger Federer won nearly everything there was to win, one player won over the hearts of hundreds of thousands of tennis fans around the world.

American James Blake had a superb Masters Cup tournament and it was only the genius of Federer which brought him down.

American tennis fans have been looking for a new hero since Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi wound down their careers. The glorious era of US men's tennis that included Sampras, Agassi, Michael Chang, Jim Courier and even Todd Martin has become a distant memory.

While Andy Roddick seemed the natural choice to take over as America's number one  player, he has had some good results but has let himself down with his inconsistency. His inability to wrap up important matches, the fact that he bases his game mainly on a powerful serve but not much else, was never going to be enough.

And then came Blake. The potential, everybody knew, was always there. A dream of an athlete, an intelligent guy and an intriguing character who graduated from Harvard University. A player who before becoming a professional gained experience in college tennis at its highest level. It was only a matter of time before he stepped up to the next level and took his place among the best .

During the end-of year Masters Cup tournament in Beijing, Blake showed the tennis world and especially himself what he has inside him - and left everyone wanting more.

The year 2007 is going to be an important one in his career. Ending the year at No.6 in the world brings a lot of joy and reward – but no doubt a huge amount of pressure that he will have to learn to play with.

For Blake, the possibility of becoming the best American tennis player and one of the best in the world must be a dream-come-true scenario.
Not many black players have left a mark in the men's game over the years and Blake, a big fan of the late Arthur Ashe - one of the most respectable and honoured tennis players in the history of the game - has talked again and again about his dream of following in his footsteps.

What makes Blake's story even more interesting is the tough road he has had to travel, especially in the last three years, in which he has been through a series of tragedies. Two years ago, Blake's career almost ended when he ran for a ball in practice in Italy, hit his neck on the net post - and broke his back. Returning home for six weeks of recovery, he spent most of his time looking after his father, who later died of cancer.

The shock of his own accident and his father's death triggered a viral infection in Blake that affected his hearing and sight, as well as paralysing half his face. No one really gave him a chance of recovering except Blake himself. He stayed optimistic and worked his way through recovery all the way up to world No.6, after finishing 2005 with a ranking of only 24.

Blake has endured so much tragedy, pain and heartache that playing a tough tennis match is nothing in comparison. He approaches matches in this vein, which is why it is so much fun to watch him play.

Blake is an exceptional men's tennis player. He deserves to be right up there with the best of them for a long time.

How good is James Blake and how good can he be? Can he usurp Roger Federer as the world's best tennis player? We would welcome your comments on this article.