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Former top players James Blake and Mardy Fish recently had a funny back-and-forth after the Miami Open tournament director was spotted wiping off a court during a rain delay at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
On Friday (March 22), most of the Day 4 matches at the Miami Masters were postponed due to heavy rain. This, however, didn't stop Blake from doing his part by mopping one of the main courts at the tournament venue.
A fan subsequently took to X (formerly Twitter) to post a photo documenting the American's generous act, insisting that James Blake chose to go above and beyond despite being "worth millions".
"Here at the Miami Open, and I’m pretty sure @JRBlake was out helping dry off the court. This dude is worth millions, the tournament director, and a former pro but still helps out like this. That’s how you lead from the front," the fan wrote.
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The former World No. 4 was quick to reply to the post, stating that he was keen on helping players finish their matches.
"Every little bit helps to get these players out there and the fans getting to see world-class tennis. @MiamiOpen," James Blake wrote on X.
A journalist also joined the conversation, asking Blake whether his friends Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish knew about his supposedly high net worth.
"Are you really worth millions? Do Roddick and Fish know this?" the journalist asked.
In response, the 44-year-old hilariously claimed that if they did, they would make him break the bank during their dinners.
"Don’t tell them or they will make me pay for more dinners," Blake wrote in reply to the journalist. "Well, @MardyFish already does that to me anyway."
Mardy Fish jokes James Blake paid fan to take picture of him wiping court in Miami rain delay to one-up Indian Wells director Tommy Haas
Former World No. 7 Mardy Fish soon interjected, hilariously accusing James Blake of having the fan on his payroll. He also said that the American was trying to one-up Tommy Haas, the tournament director of the BNP Paribas Open.
"I know for a fact James paid that person to take the picture of him wiping off a tiny drop of water to show he does more than Tommy Haas in Indian Wells," Mardy Fish wrote in his reply on X.
James Blake became the tournament director of the Miami Open, one of the two top-tier events of 'Sunshine Double', in 2018. The American was a successful player in singles on the ATP Tour, having reached three Major quarterfinals and finished runner-up at the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup. He retired from professional tennis in 2013 due to recurring injuries.
