James Blake in "Men's Vogue"

Earlier this week we gave you the heads up on Barack Obama's cover of the fall Men's Vogue. Walk and don't run for your copy because there are several other goodies inside, such as tennis phenom James Blake featured in a stunning 11-page profile. Internationally-renown fashion photographer Walter Chin lenses the feature and the editorial is styled to the usual impeccable Condé Nast standards. Blake's warmth and charisma is outstanding, almost infectious. Styled in Hermés and Lanvin ... he is just brilliant.

It's amazing that Blake is playing today. In the past year, he lost his father, broke his neck and dropped off the radar. Yesterday, in Cincinnati, another devastating loss. The top ranked tennis player suffered his third straigh defeat at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters to Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero. Blake is now ranked ninth in the world. Not to suggest that he's giving up—it's only a minor setback. In the Men's Vogue interview, the athlete says that he inherited his drive from his recently-deceased father, whom he called a "relentless self-improver."

If only more of us had that gene.

Blake Suffers Another Setback (News Enquirer)

Previously:

Blake is Top (Rod 2.0) Morning Goods: James Blake (Queerty) Quincy Jones for Jimmy Choo (Rod 2.0) First Look: Pharrell for Louis Vuitton (Rod 2.0) Obama Strikes a Pose (Rod 2.0) Obama '08? (Rod 2.0)

Comments

[C. Baptiste-Williams]

James Blake is the epitome of an attractive man. From a pair of shorts to jeans to a suit... he can wear it all.

[Ryan]

Love James Blake..fantastic tennis player who will only improve as the years progress

and he looks GREAT in the layout...

and he's MINE, Rod! lol!

[tennisfreak]

I don't get it.

[R.O.]

I think I agree with tennisfreak.

[Derrick from Philly]

I see what kind of mens you like now, Rod. You seem to like those sensitive looking guys, but with athletic bodies--not too muscular, just defined. I coulda' looked like that when I was younger, but I was too busy tryin' to look like Dorothy Dandridge.

[Detrick Wright]

I found the site ineresting. The article was well written. I am interested in commercial photography. Vogue did a good job with the pictures. I am a photo major and I also play tennis. Blake is a very good tennis player and a inspiration. The layout was well balanced and arranged to meet the need of the text. The photos also portray him more than just a tennis player. They designed the pictures of him bigger to let the viewers know that the site was about him. At first I didn't get all the gay subtitles and pictures. Then I thought about a young, goodlooking, male tennis player featured in Vogue. They used traditional concept for attracting traditional sport fan who like him as an tennis player. Like straight male. They knew the women would already tune in. The new media understands that more gay male read Vogue Men. I think that was a clever way to design for digital media. The market strategy was well thoughtout.