Bewerbungen » He was taken to a local hospital where the clot

PARIS -- Rafael Nadal groused last week that he was playing so badly he might soon be home fishing in Mallorca. Then came a transformation. Nadal stood at the net following his latest French Open win wearing that familiar crooked grin, clay caked on his arm, his leg and even the back of his shirt, landlocked and loving it. The fish were spared, and Nadal has lately enjoyed smooth sailing at Roland Garros heading into his semifinal showdown Friday against top-ranked Novak Djokovic. After falling behind in each of his first three matches, Nadal has won 12 consecutive sets. Hes 57-1 at Roland Garros and on the verge of becoming the first man to win eight titles at the same Grand Slam event. "I really am playing better here," he said. "I said I needed to make a change. I was confident that I can do it, and I did." And so hes ready to renew his rivalry with Djokovic. The winner will play for the title Sunday against No. 4-seeded David Ferrer or No. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who meet in the other semifinal. Tsongas trying to become the first Frenchman since Yannick Noah in 1983 to win Roland Garros, and partisan Parisians might consider his match the main event Friday. But Nadal vs. Djokovic has the feel of a final, and its a match much anticipated since the draw was announced two weeks ago. Because Nadals ranking slipped during a recent injury layoff, he and Djokovic wound up in the same half of that draw. As a result, theyll meet before the final at a major event for the first time in five years. While tennis players are known to complain, neither Nadal nor Djokovic seems to mind meeting in the semifinals. "I dont want to talk about what if," Djokovic said. "Its going to be a good match." Nadals 19-15 against Djokovic, including 12-3 on clay, 6-3 in Grand Slam events and 4-0 at the French Open. Nadal won when they met in the final at Roland Garros a year ago. But he bristled at the suggestion hes the favourite this time. "I dont care at all," he said through a translator. "Frankly, what words could I find to tell you? I mean, what else can I say? I try and play my best tennis, and the least of my concerns is to know if Im favoured or not. These are words that will be carried away by the wind." He knows too well that Djokovics dangerous even on Nadals best surface. The Serb won their most recent meeting six weeks ago in the Monte Carlo final on clay, although that was best-of-three sets, rather than the more grueling Grand Slam format that plays to Nadals strength. "Its tough to compare," Djokovic said. "Its best-of-five here, Grand Slam, different conditions. But still, there is some kind of mental edge maybe if you win against or lose against somebody in the previous encounters. ... I have a good game for him because my style is to be aggressive, but I can also defend well and have that transition game. Im going to be confident and step into the court with self-belief that I can win." Djokovic has cause for confidence. The six-time Grand Slam champion has reached the semifinals at 12 consecutive major tournaments, and hes 33-4 this year. "Im glad that I have been playing very consistent and always playing my best tennis in the Grand Slams," he said. "Thats what I want." Roland Garros is the only major title he has yet to win, but with two more victories this week, he would become the eighth man to complete a career Grand Slam. And he has beaten Nadal more than any other player. "I know what it takes to win against him," Djokovic said. Hes one of only two players to defeat Nadal this year. Since returning in February from his seven-month layoff because of a left knee injury, Nadal is 41-2 with six titles. But he looked vulnerable when the French Open began, dropping the opening set in each of his first two matches -- remarkable considering he has lost only 16 sets in nine years at Roland Garros. His shots lacked their usual depth and sting, and there was speculation his troublesome knees were hindering his movement and leaving him on the defensive. Then the heat rose in Paris, and Nadal warmed to his task. "It has always been the case: The deeper I go, the better I play usually," Nadal said. "Its the same this year. Its the same old story." In recent matches the left-hander has looked much more comfortable striking the ball, his vicious saw-blade topspin reducing each opponents one-handed backhand to shreds. Djokovic has a two-handed backhand. He also has the superior serve, the larger repertoire of shots and plenty of motivation. He has listed the French Open as his most important tournament this year. And when his childhood coach died last week in Belgrade, he said he wanted to win the title for her. But the match also means plenty to Nadal, his clay-court reign at stake each time he takes the court. "Im going to be nervous," he said. "If not, go home and do another thing. Because if you are not nervous to play the semifinals against the best player of the world, its because you are not enjoying or you dont feel passion for this game." Fishing can wait. Nolan Arenado Jersey .Y. - Jerome Samson scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the St. Wholesale Rockies Jerseys .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs. The game started the same way the Vancouver game started the night before, with the Jets taking the first two penalties of the game and killing off the first, but the Oilers getting on the board first, scoring on the second man-advantage. https://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.us/ . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. David Nied Jersey . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Colorado Rockies Gear .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Sundays clash at Rexall Place. ATLANTA -- A disappointing season just keeps getting worse for the Arizona Cardinals.A popular pick to reach the Super Bowl, the Cardinals will be hard-pressed to make the playoffs after getting blown out by the Atlanta Falcons.Taylor Gabriel burned Arizonas top-ranked defense by taking a couple of short passes for long touchdowns, leading the Falcons to a 38-19 victory Sunday.Very frustrating, coach Bruce Arians said. You have to start with yourself and see if you are asking guys to do things they cant do.Arians had a rough week, falling ill and requiring a brief hospital stay .Having their coach back on the sideline did nothing to inspire the Cardinals (4-6-1), who have just one victory in their last five games and might have to win out to have any shot at returning to the playoffs.Arians isnt looking that far ahead.We need one win, he said. There is nobody left on the schedule that we cant beat, and who knows what the final tally will be? All we need to do is just win one.The Cardinals never expected to be in this position after reaching the NFC championship game last season. With plenty of offensive weapons and an aggressive, attacking defense that came into Sundays game ranked No. 1 in the league, Arizona looked like a team that could go all the way .Those goals seem totally out of reach with just over a month to go in the regular season.Im just bummed, said Carson Palmer, who threw for 289 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but didnt do nearly enough to turn things around. Its disheartening, frustrating, and it hurts.This game was a microcosm of the Cardinals season, as they showed flashes of their enormous potential but were undone by silly mistakes.Arizona marched right down the field on its first two possessions, burning the Falcons with eight plays that covered at least 13 yards. But a botched shotgun snap on the second drive forced the Cardinals to settle for a field goal, and that sseemed to turn the momentum in Atlantas favor.ddddddddddddTrailing 17-13, the Cardinals started the second half by sacking Matt Ryan four times on Atlantas first possession, though one was nullified by a penalty. The next time the Falcons got the ball, D.J. Swearinger was perfectly positioned for an interception but couldnt hang on. Atlanta went on to score a touchdown for a 24-13 lead.D.J. catches that ball 100 times, Arians moaned, and he drops it.Finally, with one last chance to get back in the game, the Cardinals went on fourth-and-7 at the Atlanta 40 early in the fourth quarter. Michael Floyd dropped the pass and killed the momentum we had going, the coach said.I thought both of those plays were the keys to the second half in an evenly fought ballgame, Arians added.Playing behind a young, patched-together offensive line, Palmer was sacked twice and took 10 hits. It was a better showing than the previous week in a loss to Minnesota, though Arians noted that the Cardinals used more max protection today than we have in three years.More troubling was the performance by Arizonas defense.The Falcons burned the Cardinals twice on quick screen passes to the 5-foot-8, 165-pound Gabriel, who had scoring plays of 35 and 25 yards. Arizona surrendered its most points of the season and gave up its most yards (360) since a Week 1 loss to New England.We have a defense that was ranked No. 1, Arians said, but we are not playing like a No. 1 defense.The Cardinals are running out of time to turn things around.A season that began with such optimism just keeps getting worse.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .---For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '