Ex-Tennis Star James Blake Talks Police Brutality At NYC Marathon Event

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Former tennis pro James Blake is gearing up for his first marathon, saying it's going to be a long race, much like the fight against police brutality.

It's been nearly two months since Blake was tackled to the ground outside a Midtown hotel and handcuffed in a case of mistaken identity, 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported.

In video of the incident, Blake can be seen standing in a blue shirt just outside of the Grand Hyatt Hotel when suddenly an undercover cop in plain clothes runs up to him, pulls him to the ground, and secures his hands behind his back to handcuff him.

"If I hadn't thought it was someone friendly coming up, if I had put my arms up to defend myself...it could have been a lot worse," Blake said.

Blake spoke Wednesday during a press event for the TCS New York City Marathon.

The athlete said he continues to be in contact with Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton about ongoing reforms inside the NYPD.

"There's still progress being made and I'm just happy to try to use this as a positive instead of the negative incident that happened," Blake said.

Blake will join 50,000 other runners at Sunday's marathon. He is running for his foundation, which raises money for early detection cancer research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)