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Novak Djokovic stood stoically, as still as a stone -- was it another strong take on the mannequin challenge? -- and the smoke billowing at Londons O2 Arena began to engulf him.Before his opening match at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals against Dominic Thiem?on Sunday,?Djokovic stood there and briefly closed his eyes, and you have to wonder whether, even for a moment, he wished he could make himself disappear.For four of the past five seasons, Djokovic has finished as the No. 1-ranked player. He could still make it five out of six with a victory in this eight-man event, something that, based strictly on history, wouldnt be terribly surprising; he has won each of the past four editions of this tournament.After losing the No. 1 last week to Andy Murray, the world No. 2 essentially needs to go one step further than Murray in London.With Djokovics uneven 6-7 (10), 6-0, 6-2 victory over the 23-year-old Thiem, it would be a little too easy to declare Djokovics glorious run of dominance over. But its not irresponsible to wonder whether his shelf life at the top has a rapidly advancing expiration date.The recent signs, including this manic match with Thiem, arent particularly good. Lets just say that for Djokovic, the end of the season cant come fast enough.The frustrations were still evident Sunday, even after a smooth final two sets. In his postmatch news conference, Djokovic had a heated exchange with reporters when the world No. 2 found himself on the defensive answering questions about his recent bouts of temper. Heres how it went down:Question: Back to the end of the first set, we saw you similarly venting your frustration at Roland Garros, throwing your racket. Does it concern you one day that will cost you dearly? If it hit someone ...Djokovic: You guys are unbelievable.Q: Why is it unbelievable?Djokovic: Because youre always picking these kind of things.Q. If you keep doing these things ...Djokovic: I keep doing these things? Why dont you get suspended then?Q. You were close, werent you?Djokovic: Im close? Im still not suspended, so if Im not close, Im not close.Q: If that ball had hit a spectator, it could have been serious.Djokovic: It could have been, yes. It could have snowed in O2 arena, as well, but it didnt.Q: Youre not concerned about your mindset?Djokovic: Im the only player that shows his frustration on the court? Thats what you are saying?Q: Youre one of the top-ranked players in the world.Djokovic: So?Just five months ago, Djokovic seemed invincible. He won the Australian Open, the rare Indian Wells-Miami double and then the French Open, completing his career Grand Slam. That was his 12th major singles title, and that noise you heard was the crunching of all-time numbers.How long before the 29-year-old Serb caught his long-time rivals, Roger Federer (17) and Rafael Nadal (14)? Since taking three Grand Slams in 2011, Djokovic had won an astounding 11 of 22 majors up to that point. That trajectory would vault him past Nadal -- and Pete Sampras, too -- by the end of 2017. Federer would be in his sights by 2018.And then Djokovic -- perhaps in retrospect it was inevitable -- came back to the field. He lost to Sam Querrey in the third round at Wimbledon, Juan Martin del Potro in his first match at the Rio Olympics and Stan Wawrinka in the US Open final.After falling to Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Masters earlier this month, Djokovic unblinkingly tackled the elephant in the room: his disturbing and dramatic loss of confidence on the court.A lot of things, a lot of emotions went through my mind and body in the last two years, Djokovic said, with the things that I was blessed to achieve, obviously, and the career Grand Slam this year. But it took a lot out of me, and it has put some things in perspective and, obviously, raised some questions in which direction I want to go to.So Im in the process at the moment, and its going [to] obviously take some time really for me to redefine all these things.Against Thiem, it took a 69-minute first set to accomplish that reset.Djokovic was tentative in that frame and Thiem was consistently fiery. Then, after earning three set points in the tiebreaker, Thiem succumbed to nerves, pounding back-to-back double faults and a tight backhand into the net. Finally, on his seventh set point, he whipped a forehand winner.At one point, Djokovic lost his racket and his legendary balance, winding up on his behind, then offered a thin smile -- maybe it was actually an embarrassed grimace.Whatever it was, it returned him swiftly to full power.As Federer and Nadal have both learned, the 30th year of a professional tennis players life can be a difficult one. After winning his 16th major, at the 2010 Australian Open at the age of 28, Federer has won only one since. Nadal had just turned 28 when he won the 2014 French Open -- and he hasnt won one since. Sampras, too, won one major after turning 29.Djokovic celebrated his 29th birthday just before the French Open. He has struggled with physical and mental issues ever since winning that cherished, life-changing title.This season-ending tournament offers a revealing glimpse into his psyche.Look, in the end of the day, I have to get to that state of mind where Im able to perform as well as I want to match after match, Djokovic said at the Paris Masters. I was not able to find that level for last couple of months.But Im still here, and I feel like Im on the right path. Im in a better state of mind than I was some time ago. Thats all Im thinking about right now.George Blanda Jersey .C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. Art Shell Raiders Jersey . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. https://www.raiderssportsgoods.com/Womens-Ronnie-Lott-Inverted-Jersey/ . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. Isaiah Johnson Jersey . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. Marcus Allen Raiders Jersey . Oyama had six birdies and two bogeys at Kintetsu Kashikojima in the event also sanctioned by the Japan LPGA Tour. "I have been having this neck ache thats been affecting my golf recently," Oyama said. COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Johnny Football is practicing with Texas A&M. Whether he starts the season opener is another question. Coach Kevin Sumlin on Monday said he would not speculate when asked if Johnny Manziel will be his starter on Aug. 31 against Rice following an ESPN report that the NCAA is investigating whether the Heisman Trophy winner was paid for signing hundreds of autographs last January. "Theres a lot of people involved in that decision," Sumlin said without being specific. If Manziel was paid for his autograph on memorabilia, it could potentially violate NCAA amateurism rules and put his eligibility in question a year after his jaw-dropping performance on the field made him the first freshman to win the Heisman as college footballs top player. Speaking to the media as the team began preseason practices, Sumlin said he learned of the ESPN report Sunday. For now, Manziel will lead the Aggies. But his coach is clearly thinking of backups, too. "Hell get as many reps as he was going to get yesterday," Sumlin said of Manziel, before adding: "Weve got to develop a backup quarterback no matter what." The report is just the latest in a string of off-the-field distractions caused by Manziel. Hes made headlines for tweeting that he "cant wait to leave College Station," despite having three years of eligibility remaining, he allegedly overslept at a football camp run by the Manning family and was supposedly kicked out of a University of Texas fraternity party in the past couple of months. The 20-year-old sophomore calmly answered question after question at SEC media days last month, acknowledging his eventful off-season and indicating he needed to make better decisions because hes such a public figure. "I dont feel like Ive done anything thats catastrophic," Manziel said then. "Of course, Ive made my mistakes. Its time to grow up." Last week, Manziel tweeted: "I aint perfect, I aint insane but I AM worth it...if theres one thing I am worth it." The antics have overshadowed what is expected to be a banner year for Texas A&M. The Aggies are coming off an 11-2 record in their first season in the SEC after moving from the Big 12, a year highlighted by Manziel leading Texas A&M to an upset win at No. 1 Alabama. The rematch in Coollege Station is Sept.dddddddddddd 14. But instead of answering questions about his expectations for the season, Sumlin was left to respond to question after question about Manziel. "Ive been through different things," Sumlin said. "As a coach when those things happen, its not what happens to you, its how you deal with it. Weve got a veteran staff that knows how to deal with different situations." Manziels teammates seem unfazed by his recent trouble and said that nothing has changed in the way they view their quarterback. "He still has all leadership qualities he displayed last year, hes being more vocal now, hes taking on more of the leadership responsibilities," running back Ben Malena said. "The off the field issues doesnt bother us not one bit when it comes to a team aspect." Manziel and the rest of the Aggies had their first practice late Monday afternoon. If the problems were weighing on Manziel, it was hard to tell by watching him on the field. He laughed and talked with teammates before they lined up to stretch. The Aggies practice to music and when the first song of the day, the track "Versace" by Migos featuring Manziels buddy rapper Drake came on, the quarterback looked carefree as he bobbed his head and bounced to the catchy tune. The media were only allowed to watch the first 20 minutes of practice and there were no full team drills during that time. Manziel threw a few passes while the quarterbacks and receivers worked alone on a section of the field surrounded by dozens of reporters. While Sumlin is working through the Manziel situation, he noted that a much more difficult task was talking to his team about the recent death of defensive lineman Polo Manukainiu, who was killed in a New Mexico car crash along with two others. "It was not an easy topic," Sumlin said. "Its one of the hardest things a coach has to deal with. In a way getting back together as a group and getting back in the routine, going out on the field today, somehow that might help. Because these guys share the same kind of emotions the same kind of feelings for a guy that they cared very, very deeply about." He also said starting defensive tackle Kirby Ennis, who was arrested in February on a weapons charge, will be suspended for the Rice game. ' ' '