Notebook: Burnt-out Blake struggling with inconsistency

These days, losing to Roger Federer is an unfortunate -- but inevitable -- side effect of picking up a tennis racquet.

Federer has dropped exactly one ATP match this season, a three-setter to Rafael Nadal in the Dubai final.

Other than that, he's 28-0.

Two of those victories have come at James Blake's expense.

It's been an up and down year for James Blake. (Getty Images)

Tough luck for Blake, but considering the run Federer is on, it's understandable. What is troublesome is the way Blake has responded since falling to Federer in Miami a few weeks back.

Since then, Blake has dropped three more matches in a row. It's his longest winless streak since losing four straight last summer.

Blake fell to Chile's Fernando Gonzalez and Paul Capdeville in the Davis Cup quarterfinals, and then bowed out to Antony Dupuis in the first round of Clay Court Championships in Houston last week.

Blake utterly melted down in the Davis Cup, blowing a two-set lead to Gonzalez on the first day. On Sunday, Capdeville took him out in straight sets.

If Andy Roddick hadn't won both of his matches, the U.S. would have been out of the event early again.

Haven't heard of Dupuis? That's because he has spent 2006 banging away at events in places like Belgrade and Sarajevo. Dupuis entered the Houston tournament ranked 159th in the world, had not won an ATP match all year, and then lost to Fernando Vincente in Round 2.

Some think Blake overextended himself this spring, competing in 31 matches in 3½ months. He also played on three different surfaces -- hard in Miami, grass in the Davis Cup and clay in Houston -- in four weeks.

"It's tough to (go) from Davis Cup -- the highs and lows -- and come to a different surface," Blake said after losing to Dupuis. "It's part of the job, but I think I'm getting better at it. He served great. That took me out of my rhythm."

If time off is what he needs, he's about to get it.

Blake's next match isn't until the Rome tournament in May. Word is he decided to take a week off from tennis completely after his early exit in Houston.

Blake, who has two tour titles this year and is ranked seventh in the world, still is the sport's best hope for an American rival to Roddick.

But after Roddick's inspired Davis Cup play and Blake's three-week losing streak, it may take a run through Roland Garros -- where Blake has never advanced past the round of 64 -- for that storyline to truly develop.

Rating the Fed

The 16-team Fed Cup begins this week with the possibility of some tantalizing showdowns. For example … Amelie Mauresmo vs. Francesca Schiavone Kim Clijsters vs. Nadia Petrova If only Russia's Maria Sharapova would have decided to compete. Sharapova vs. Justine Henin-Hardenne would have been sweet. Regardless, the Russia-Belgium tilt is clearly the highlight of the weekend. Russia won the tournament a year ago and, between Clijsters and Henin-Hardenne, Belgium has two of the world's top three women. The United States? It battles Germany without the Williams sisters and Lindsay Davenport. The four women representing American are Jill Craybas, Jamea Jackson, Shenay Perry and Vania King. All together now ... who?

Up arrow

Marat Safin. The Russian righty reached his first semifinal of the year, defeating two seeded players in the first three rounds at Valencia. It's a nice turnaround for the world's former No. 1. Safin has not won a tournament since capturing the 2005 Australian Open. His payday for that fortnight -- over $900,000 -- is more than he's earned, total, in the last 15 months. It's hard to believe that a 26-year-old is past his prime, but that certainly has appeared to be the case as of late. More weeks like the last will help change that perception ... and boost his bank account.

Down arrow

Nicole Vaidisova. She has five career WTA event titles, but hasn't won much of anything lately. After an opening-round bye in the Family Circle Cup, Vaidisova didn't win a set against unseeded Catalina Castano. She was up 5-1 in the first before coming unglued, taking only two of the final 14 games. "Nothing happened," she said to The State. "Games kept rolling and I couldn't stop it." That's been the story lately for the 6-foot Czech. Vaidisova, ranked 15th in the world, has lost four of her last five matches. She has not beaten a Top 10 opponent since capturing the Bangkok event last October.