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SI.com: Is it a weird time in men's tennis?
Blake: Yeah. Even when Pete Sampras dominated, he wasn't consistently winning three Slams a year like Roger. It's strange because people outside tennis don't always get it. They say, "You're No. 6? Only a few spots and you'll be No. 1." I don't think you understand they guy ahead of me. What he's doing is just incredible. It's like the years of frustration for the other teams when Michael Jordan was in the NBA.
SI.com: What do you do?
Blake: When someone's dominating, it can change on one match. Look at Björn Borg and John McEnroe, who were so dominant and faltered so quickly -- not that Roger will have the same kind of vices. But you never know. Rafael Nadal had his number for a little while. Maybe Federer loses some confidence and comes back to the pack. But it's nothing where the rest of us can make a few adjustments and we're right there. This is tough to say as a competitor but, honestly, he's head and shoulders above the field right now.
SI.com: You guys all like him. Does it make it hard to get up for the matches?
Blake: No. There are a ton of nice guys on tour and I still want to beat the crap out of them. But a lot of times the No. 1 player is easy to cut down. He's too arrogant, he's too cold, too robotic. But Roger, you can't really cut him down. If I'm out of the tournament, a lot times, he's the guy I'm cheering for.
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