Clan-Members » never forget. The first was a titanic blas

NEW YORK -- Juan Martin del Potro and Janko Tipsarevic found themselves on a practice court together at Wimbledon, though they spent more time talking than hitting the ball.They swapped tales of undergoing surgery after surgery, of the anguish of missing so much tennis and wondering if their injuries would ever heal.We were basically interrupting each other with what was going on through our minds in this, like moments of depression and sadness, just not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, Tipsarevic recalled.Tuesday was a moment of joy and relief for both men. The two former top-10 players currently ranked in the triple digits each won a U.S. Open match for the first time since 2013.Since his last appearance at Flushing Meadows three years ago, del Potro needed three left wrist surgeries and contemplated retiring. The 2009 U.S. Open champ went 2+ years between majors before coming back at Wimbledon, where he upset Stan Wawrinka.Then at the Olympics, del Potro beat Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal en route to the silver medal. He returned home to a heros welcome in Argentina.It wasnt exactly the best way to recharge, though, physically and emotionally.To be honest, Im still feeling tired, for sure, del Potro said.Looked just fine against fellow Argentine Diego Schwartzman on Tuesday, when del Potro won 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (3), urged along by appreciative fans.Tipsarevic didnt have the crowd on his side when he faced American Sam Querrey, who upset fellow Serb Djokovic in the third round at Wimbledon.No matter, Tipsarevic beat the 29th-seeded Querrey 7-6 (4), 6-7 (0), 6-3, 6-3 for his first victory at any major since the 2013 U.S. Open.He played a few more tournaments that season -- then didnt return to competition for more than two years.Even in the first six or seven or eight months, it wasnt that bad, he recalled.Tipsarevic was taking so many painkillers in 2013 because of a bum left foot that they were causing liver problems.I was really screwed up, he said. So in the beginning it was a little bit of a relief, saying, `OK, Im going to take two, three months off, skip to Australian Open, be hungry, come back.Instead, Tipsarevic first underwent surgery on his foot for a benign tumor in May 2014, and because of complications, he needed a second procedure that September.With other injuries, a player can at least do some kinds of workouts to ease the mind. But he spent four months mostly confined to bed.I even played tennis for a while sitting on a chair because I couldnt stand, Tipsarevic said. Im not crying you a river here -- Im just telling you how it actually was.Not only did he hate tennis then -- he hated all sports. He was too jealous of any athlete to take in a game.They could run and do what they like, and Im just sitting at home and watching TV, he said.His one solace was his young daughter. Back on court in 2015, Tipsarevic lost seven straight tour-level matches during one stretch, also missing time because of a knee injury. Hes No. 250 in the world now, and the two-time U.S. Open quarterfinalist got in this year with a protected ranking.For Querrey, it was a tough first-round matchup as he failed to build on the Djokovic win in the next major after Wimbledon, where he made his first Grand Slam quarterfinal. He hurt his back in Toronto, and said it was just tough to kind of get the motor rolling again.Another American, 19th-seeded Steve Johnson, is up next for del Potro. Johnson was down two sets and a break to 79th-ranked Evgeny Donskoy on Tuesday and saved six match points in the third before winning 4-6, 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-3 in 3 hours, 13 minutes.Before the 142nd-ranked del Potro received a wild card from the U.S. Tennis Association into the tournament, Johnson noted that if that happened, it was possible the Argentine could defeat an American in the first round. Now its Johnson meeting del Potro in the second.He was fuming that he felt his quote was taken out of context -- he pointed out he also said del Potro was deserving of the wild card.Johnson insisted he felt fresh after Tuesdays five-setter. Hell need to be Thursday against an opponent who again is eyeing deep runs at majors.The worst part of my life is totally in the past, del Potro said, and Im living a good present and looking forward for a good future.Cheap Jerseys Paypal . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Wholesale China Jerseys . The 18-year-old American had five birdies in her bogey-free round for a 17-under total of 196. Lee held the overnight lead but mixed three birdies with two bogeys for a 70. https://www.chinajerseysfreeshipping.com/ . Most important, perhaps, it went off without a hitch. Organizers poked a little fun at the now-infamous opening ceremony gaffe that saw only four out of five snowflakes open up into rings, leaving the Olympics logo one ring short. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. China Jerseys 2020 . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence.On paper - at least you would think - the 2013 edition of the Blue Jays was better than last years version. I know I still think player for player this years team is better. But on July 5 a year ago, John Farrells Blue Jays were 42-41, sitting four games back of the Angels and the first Wild Card spot and only two-and-a-half behind the Angels and the second Wild Card position. The 2012 squad had scored 417 runs and given up just 393 for a plus-24 runs differential. But of course we all know it went completely downhill after that as the Jays went 31-48 the rest of the way. The interesting thing about last years races in the American League is that Detroit and Oakland both had identical 41-42 records on July 5, yet both ignited shortly after that and went on to win the Central and West divisions, respectively. The 2013 Jays under John Gibbons as mentioned are three games under .500 heading into game action on July 5. They have only scored 390 runs, 27 fewer than a year ago and have given up 400, seven more than last season. Certainly losing the left half of their infield, Jose Reyes and Brett Lawrie, has factored in and having just two starting pitchers in R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle who have avoided the disabled list plays a part but the Yankees have suffered even more injuries and are still holding their own at 46-39, five games up on Toronto. If the Blue Jays stay roughly where they are, dont look for any salvation at the non-waiver trade deadline. It would make no sense to give up any more of the future for a quick fix. The more likely scenario would be to see a couple of veterans dealt off to contenders. Casey Janssen has done an incredible job as the closer. But with the depth of the pen, and the development of Brett Cecil into a standout set-up man, you wonder if Janssen might not indeed by dangled in front of a top contender in need of a closer, such as Detroit or Boston, or even the Dodgers, who have crept back into the race in the NL West. L.A. dealt for the Cubs Carlos Marmol earlier this week so they have to be desperate. Unusual Streak Arizonas lead in the NL West has shrunk to three games over Colorado and three-and-a-half on L.A. Thats in large part because of a bizarre run by their starting rotation. The D-Backs didnt get a single victory from a start from June 5 through Wednesday of this week when Randall Delgado pitched seven strong innings in a 5-3 win over the Mets. The next day, the 4th of July, they needed 15 innings to beat the Meets 5-4 and again the starter did not get the victory.dddddddddddd So a new streak begins. Thomes Farewell This story didnt get much mention this week, and that surprised me. One of the great home run sluggers of all-time, Jim Thome, joined the front office of the Chicago White Sox as a special assistant to general manager Rick Hahn. Thome never officially retired and in fact wanted to play, at least as a DH this season at age 42 if anyone had called. If Thome never plays another game, he will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer and winds up his career with 612 homers, No. 7 on the all-time list. There will always be two home runs hit by Thome, that I witnessed in person, that I will never forget. The first was a titanic blast off Pat Hentgen at Rogers Centre (SkyDome then) that went into Windows Restaurant in dead centre. The other came last season when he was with the Phillies. Thome was playing first base that day because Ryan Howard was hurting. It was June 18 and Brett Cecil was making his first start of the season for the Jays after getting called back up from triple-A Las Vegas. Thome hit a solo shot early in the game, ripping one to right field as I recall for his 608th career dinger. It also made him just the fourth player to hit 100 homers for three different teams - joining Alex Rodriguez, Reggie Jackson and Darrell Evans. I remember at the time thinkin