Coach Mandeau was especially impressed with Blake's excellence under pressure.
"James was basically an inch away from being out of the tournament," Mandeau said. "He hit a passing shot that, had it been an inch more toward the sideline, would have taken him out.
"It just shows his excellent competitive skills. He refuses to go down to anybody," he added.
Blake also faced one of the strongest fields in the tournament's history, playing both singles and doubles with Crimson teammate and co-captain Kunj Majmudar. The two, who won the doubles competition at the All-American Championships in Texas in October, reached the semifinals before falling to the eventual champions in a tough three-set match.
Blake's play early on in the tournament was not his best, especially on his serve, but he managed to pull out the tough matches leading up to the title game. By that time, Blake managed to put it all together for the very tough Kendrick.
"I hadn't been serving well in the tournament," Blake said. "But it kind of clicked in for me in the final. It definitely made it a lot easier."
In the end Blake showed the heart and clutch play that defines a champion, and proved himself worthy of the national No. 1 ranking. Despite the obvious achievement, though, Blake maintains that the ranking has not affected his mindset and preparation going into matches.
"It's definitely nice, but it's a lot of pressure, especially with everyone reminding me all of the time,' Blake said. "I just don't think about the pressure. I never expect to win; that would be ridiculous."
Blake will attempt to win his third national title of the year in Indianapolis in late March at the NCAA Championships. But that is the furthest thing from his mind as he now focuses on the upcoming meets for the Crimson team.
"Lately everything has been singles, but we have a lot of tough meets ahead, and I want to contribute. In college tennis, the team is the most important thing," he said.
Harvard, which is ranked No. 16 in the country, has one of its toughest schedules in recent years on the horizon. The team will take on No. 8 Pepperdine, No. 12 Tennessee, No. 26 Kentucky and No. 4 Mississippi at the National Team Indoors in Seattle this month. The Crimson will also compete in both the Blue-Gray National Championships and the Santa Barbara Invitational.
Although he is focused on the upcoming team events, Blake realizes the magnitude of his accomplishments and pressure that comes along with them. Despite this, he is confident the can keep up his strong performance.
"It feels great to be ranked No. 1, because I never expected these kind of things," Blake said. "I never thought about being No. 1 in college, and it's a lot of pressure, but I don't look at it as me being the best. I'm just going to keep working hard and stay focused."