While waiting for a car to take him to the site of the US Open on Wednesday, former world No. 4 James Blake was mistaken by the NYPD for an identity theft suspect . Five plainclothes officers approached Blake outside his hotel. He was forced to the sidewalk, sustaining injuries to his right eye and left leg, and handcuffed before the police realized their error 15 minutes later and released him. A retired policeman was responsible for identifying Blake as the former tennis star rather than the suspect. Blake also told the police to check his license and his Open credential to verify that he was not the suspect. (Someone in the area was later arrested in connection with the same crime.)

Although the individual policeman who forced Blake to the sidewalk did not apologize, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio expressed their concern and remorse for the incident. Bratton announced that he had opened an investigation, admitting that “the nature of what he described is not what we do, not what we’re supposed to do. I will not tolerate any type of excessive use of force on the part of my police, but as always, we have that saying, the first story is never the last story.” An officer was placed on modified duty once the investigators reviewed video footage of what happened.

Blake responded by saying that he felt compelled to hold the police accountable for using excessive force. In addition to an apology, he stated that he hoped to see disciplinary action taken against the officers involved. The former tennis star noted that “I have resources to get to the bottom of this. I have a voice. But what about someone who doesn't have those resources and doesn’t have a voice? The real problem is that I was tackled for no reason and that happens to a lot of people who don’t have a media outlet to voice that to.”

The USTA also expressed its strong support for Blake in a statement on Thursday:  “The USTA is deeply concerned about this troubling incident. James is the embodiment of a model citizen whose triumphs on and off the court continue to inspire tennis fans and non-fans alike. We will continue to offer our support to James in any way we can as this investigation unfolds.”