James Blake moved around the gentlemen’s singles draw at Wimbledon before the crown jewel of tennis even began. Now, he’s moving out of England.

Blake, who was shifted to a different section of the field as a result of the pre-tournament withdrawal of top-seeded Rafael Nadal, didn’t find a comfortable home in the newly-arranged bracket. The No. 17 seed lost his first-round match at The Championships to Italy’s Andreas Seppi. A 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (5) setback will send the American on a plane flight to the States, on the heels of yet another disappointing showing in a major.

Despite a slightly tweaked ankle–an injury similar to the one experienced by fellow Yankee Andy Roddick–Blake had reason to be optimistic about his chances this year at SW19. By reaching the finals of the AEGON Championships in Queens just a week earlier (Andy Murray defeated him for the title), Blake exhibited a comfort level that hasn’t typically characterized his lawn tennis career. The 29-year-old had never gotten past the third round at the All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, but when the grass season started so superbly for the graduate of Harvard University, it was not only allowable, but legitimate, to think that Blake would play into the second week at the Big W. Considering the fact that he was placed in Novak Djokovic’s section, Blake didn’t have to face the prospect of a fourth-round or quarterfinal matchup against the third-seeded Murray or five-time champion Federer. If ever the gods had gifted this gentlemanly American with a successful Wimbledon scenario, this was it.

Instead, the dreams of a deep run on tennis’s most organic surface died as soon as they began to sprout.

Blake complained of stomach problems during this match against Seppi, but beyond his physical ailments, the No. 17 seed also lacked the killer instinct that has proven to be elusive throughout his years on the ATP Tour. Blake fought deep into all three sets on Monday, but could never close down his Italian opponent. Even after the first 10 games of the match, Seppi broke Blake to take the first set without need of a tiebreak. The second set was similarly decided at the business end of the proceedings; no bagels or breadsticks were served by Seppi, but Blake still found himself down two sets to love.

The third set, though, would leave a lasting and lamentable imprint on Blake’s mind, serving as a haunting reminder of past Wimbledons that fell short of their intended destination.

After fighting on even terms through 12 games, the two men labored into a tiebreak. Blake burst out of the gate by snatching the first five points of tennis’s most dramatic, telltale sequence. Players just don’t squander 5-0 leads in tiebreaks, because the allowance of just two serves at a time makes it impossible to string together four or five consecutive points on one’s own serve.

On this day, however, James Blake would find a newly wrenching way to leave London town’s famous suburb.

Just when everyone at Court No. 3 was ready to witness a fourth set of tennis, Seppi reeled off seven straight points in the face of the disbelieving and dumbfounded American. In one of the most remarkable and confounding tiebreakers ever contested, anywhere and anytime, Blake lost his hold not only on a single set, but on his chances of writing a different narrative at Wimbledon. Seppi moves on to face Frenchman Marc Gicquel in round two. Blake will lament what might have been.

It’s not as though this top-20 player doesn’t possess world-class ability. From late March of 2006 through late August of 2008–a span of 29 months–Blake resided in the top 10 for 26 months. In November of 2006, Blake cracked the top 5 by reaching the finals of the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai and climbing to No. 4 in the ATP pecking order. Blake’s game is explosive and athletic; when dialed in, the native of New York state hits as hard and devastating a forehand as modern tennis will allow. The sad fact of this veteran’s vexing career is that Grand Slams have made Blake press and tighten, instead of relaxing and letting loose with his best brand of ballstriking. In smaller tournaments, he has excelled, but in major moments, James Blake has not been able to bring his A-game to the battle.

The U.S. Open always holds the promise of better days, but for now, the summer tennis season is defined by emptiness for a disappointed professional who cannot find much magic on the European continent.

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