Don't Blame Him

Don't blame James Blake, it's not his fault. He played hard, he did his best, he even kept his word on that god-awful beard.

But when Fernando Gonzalez is on, he's on. And there's a reason why he's known as the hardest hitter on the men's tour.

Don't blame James Blake for his not-good-enough performance. Don't blame him for almost coming back in the third set, only to falter in a tie breaker.

Sometimes - especially at the majors - the minor-league champions (well, Gonzalez is the 10 seed) find their range and there's no stopping them. See: Shahar Peer. See: Lucie Safarova.

Yet I give Gonzalez a good chance against Mr. Nadal, who must be completely exhausted from an epic five-setter.

As for James Blake, he's headed home.