On Wednesday, Blake was tackled and handcuffed after being mistaken for a credit card fraud suspect. NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton personally apologized on Thursday.
The New York Police Department released video on Thursday showing a plainclothes officer tackling retired tennis star James Blake outside a Manhattan hotel.
The officer — later identified by the New York Post as James Frascatore — mistook Blake for a suspect in a credit card fraud scheme. The former tennis pro was waiting for a car to head to the U.S. Open outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan when the officer sprinted at him, grabbed, him, pushed him against a column, then tackled him to the ground.
At no point in the video of the incident does Blake appear to resist.
In a statement released Friday, Blake said: "I know what happened to me is not uncommon."
NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio each made phone calls to Blake on Thursday to apologize for the incident, which Blake said he "greatly appreciate[s]."
"But extending courtesy to a public figure mistreated by the police is not enough," Blake said in his statement. "As I told the commissioner, I am determined to use my voice to turn this unfortunate incident into a catalyst for change in the relationship between the police and the public they serve."
Blake suggested to the commissioner that the City of New York "make a significant financial commitment to improving the relationship particularly in those neighborhoods where incidents of the type I experienced occur all too frequently."
De Blasio and Bratton also issued a joint statement Friday, stating an investigation would look at "what contributed to the errors made" and pointing out that thousands of officers have been retrained to improve community relationships.

New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton.
Kevin Hagen / AP
"This Administration takes the mission of bringing the police and the community closer together very seriously," the statement read. "It's why we have invested in new technology and developed new strategies that feature the most focused neighborhood policing efforts ever applied in a major city."
According to the statement, complaints to the department's Civilian Complaint Review Board are down to the lowest levels in 14 years, and the administration "will continue to vigorously implement these reforms that build trust and respect between police officers and the people they serve."
"And we both stand ready to meet with Mr. Blake to further discuss these issues and initiatives."








