Stick A Fork In 'em Award goes to......

Here is an award that is given to a mens player and a womens player who were once very good, if not great, but now are way on their way to turdom.  So you can stick a fork in them, their chances of getting back to the level they once were are done.

Going into the 2008 season American, James Blake was the #10 player in the world.  Only a couple years prior in 2006 Blake was the #4 player in the world.  2009 was a pathetic year for James.  He started off the year making it to the 4th round of the Australian Open, but the middle of the year is where everything went bad.  Blake lost in the 1st round at both the French Open and Wimbledon, and ended the season losing in the 3rd round of the U.S. Open. On top of that he even got his ass kicked in Davis Cup.  Shitty results for someone who had so many hopes coming into the year.  James was hit by some injuries throughout the year, but tell me who doesn't get a little banged up.  Its not like he missed a lot of time.  He played in all 4 majors and was average at best.  Well between all four majors and averaging only getting to the 2nd round, thats pretty bad, even for a top 50 player.  So with his weak year came a pedestrian ranking of #44, which is where he ended this season.

Blake has never made it to a semifinal of a grand slam event.  Hes made it to the quarterfinals on only 3 different occasions in his career that started in 1998.  So tell me how does someone get the recognition and respect that James Blake gets when he's made it to the "final 8" only 3 times in 31 grand slam tournaments?  Being desperate after a horrible 2009 season, Blake fired his long time coach Brian Barker who has been his coach from the beginning of his career.  Well James, its not the coach.  You just aren't that good anymore. You're 29 which by tennis standard is bordering being a "geezer".  You never really were the most talented guy on tour, so your hopes of ever winning a grand slam, or even reaching the semifinals are done.  Hell, you will never make it to a quarterfinal ever again.  I'll go on record and say that James Blake will never be a top 15 player again.  SO PUT A FORK IN HIM!!  HE'S DONE!!

When your claim to fame for the 2009 season is when you were not allowed to play in a tournament, you know it wasn't a good year.  That is exactly how Shahar Peer's season will be remembered in 2009.  She is the Israeli who was not given a visa by the UAE government to play in a tournament in Dubai.  This drew the attention of mainstream news stations around the world.  The sad thing is, they weren't talking about her play on the court.  Her luck on the court wasn't any better on the court, than it was off of the court.  Her 2009 started by losing in the 1st round of the Australian Open, and then she missed the French Open due to injury.  At Wimbledon she lost in the 2nd round, and her best grand slam result was an appearance in the 3rd round at the U.S. Open.  These results are nothing like the glimpse of excellent potential she showed in 2007 when she made it to the quarters of both the Aussie Open and the U.S. Open and reached the 4th round at the French and 3rd round of Wimbledon.  In 2007 at only 20 years old Peer ranked #10 in the world showed she may be a top 10 possibly top 5 mainstay.  Ever since the end of 2007 it has been a struggle for her.  2008 saw her ranking slip to 38, and this past season she won 2 small tournaments in a row to reach a year end ranking of 30.  Winning 2 small tournaments with fields featuring none of the top players doesn't impress me much.  I don't see Peer being a factor in any major ever again, she may have a nice career having solid results in some small tournaments, but thats not good enough.  So at the age of 22 you can STICK A FORK IN HER, SHE'S DONE!!!.....yeah, the fork is kosher.