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Senators forward Milan Michalek was not on the ice at p | Forum
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Nov 23 '16, 05:10AM
Rafa Nadal says a return to familiar territory at the Rio Open gives him the ideal opportunity to bounce back from recent results. Air Max Classic BW . The Spaniard, now ranked number five in the world, was surprisingly beaten in the semi-final by teenager Dominic Thiem in Buenos Aires last week, his first tournament since a first round defeat to Fernando Verdasco at the Australian Open.Nadal has not reached a Grand Slam since the French Open in 2014 as injuries have taken their toll but he remains determined to find the form that has made him a 14-time major winner - and hopes a return to Rio de Janiero where he won the title in 2014 can be the catalyst. Cowan: Rafa must win Barry Cowan on a big tournament for Nadal In fact Nadal, seeded first for this years event, has won three titles on Brazilian soil and will begin his campaign against fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta, a game you can see live on Sky Sports.I came to Rio because I always had good results here, Nadal told a press conference ahead of the event.My first time I ended as champion and last year I made the semi-finals [lost to Fabio Fognini]. Im very happy to be here in Rio and willing to play my first match now. Dominic Thiem was victorious in Argentina and plays in Brazil this week Nadals conquerer and champion in Argentina Thiem is also in action in Rio, while defending champion David Ferrer is the second seed, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is seeded third and Great Britains Aljaz Bedene is also in the event.John Isner is the first big name casualty, the fourth seed beaten by Argentinas Guido Pella on a rain interrupted first day.Watch live action from the Rio Open on Tuesday night, starting at 7pm on Sky Sports 1. Also See: Cowan: Rafa must win Isner falls in Rio Tennis on Sky Latest scores Air Max 90 Essential Uomo . Pence singled in the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Nike Air Max Ld Zero h . -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar will be out for roughly four weeks after tearing his left hamstring. http://www.airmax-scontate.it/offerte-air-max-2016.html . The All-Pro lineman got the leg bent under him while trying to make a tackle during the first half of a 22-20 overtime loss at Miami on Thursday night. The medical staff initially thought hed torn the ligament, and the test a day later in Cincinnati confirmed it.OTTAWA -- Fresh off their first-round demolition of the Montreal Canadiens, the Ottawa Senators had a familiar face back in the fold on Sunday. No. 1 centre Jason Spezza practised with his teammates for the first time since undergoing back surgery for a herniated disc on Feb. 1 and says it was nice to take another step in his recovery. "Its been a long process and a long season for me," Spezza said. "It felt good to join the team again and get some reps in. It may not seem like it and I may not play this year, but for me its a small victory." Despite speculation that Spezza could be done for the season, the fact the 29-year-old took part in a full practice was encouraging. Spezza, who had been skating on his own before joining the Ottawas AHL callups for more training, says he had some "ups and downs" over the course of his recovery but made improvements over the last few weeks that allowed him to take part in a regular practice. Whether or not he plays this season depends on how is body reacts. The Senators will take on the No. 1 seed Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs after Ottawa disposed of second-ranked Montreal in five games. "I always felt there was going to be a light at the end of the tunnel and when that is I dont know," Spezza said. "But Im going to keep pushing towards getting better so I can try to play." The Senators top centre played in just five games this season, scoring two goals and adding three assists, before being forced to have surgery. Spezza last played on Jan. 27, coincidentally against the Penguins. Its unclear whether Spezza will travel to Pittsburgh, but Senators coach Paul MacLean doesnt seem to have much hope he will play in the first two games of the series. "Hes a long ways away," said MacLean after practice. On Saturday, the coach said he would love nothing more than to have Spezza back in the lineup, but if and when that happens he has to be able to slide right in. "Thats the important factor for me ... Jason has to be up to speed to where the team is playing," said MacLean. "And the treadmill goes pretty fast in the second round of the playoffs." Spezza understands MacLeans thinking and says in no way does he want to be a hindrance to the team. "As a player you have to be confident. The only way youre going to have any success if you come back to play is to be confident. I have to make sure I have confidence in myself that Im going to help the team," he said. "The team has played real well and done real good things and the only way that I want to come back is if I feel I can help the team.&quoot; Thats not to say Spezza wouldnt love to be a part of this second-round series. Nike Air Max Tavas. "I wish I could play next game," he said. "Its all going to be how I respond. I have to push myself. Thats why were really going to try to push forward here the next three days and it might tell me its not time to play or it might respond real well. "Id be lying if I tried to give you a straight answer on when I thought I would play." Teammates were thrilled to see Spezza back on the ice and while they are tempering expectations, the Senators know he would bring a significant contribution to the lineup. "You dont want to get excited too early, but at the same time if hes going to come back hes going to help us a lot," defenceman Sergei Gonchar said. "Overall he can help us creating offence." The Penguins offer a different challenge than the Canadiens, but the Senators feel confident they match up well. "We know were in tough against a very good team," captain Daniel Alfredsson said. "But we definitely dont think its a task thats impossible." The series has added intrigue considering it was the skate of Pittsburghs Matt Cooke that led to Erik Karlsson missing most of the regular season with a partially severed Achilles tendon. "Whatever happened, happened and Im back playing and Im happy," Karlsson said. "Its not something Im thinking about and Im sure hes not thinking about it either." Both Karlsson and MacLean say the incident wont be a distraction for the teams other than creating discussion for the next few days. "We have to go out and play our best game if we want to beat Pittsburgh," Karlsson said. "Theyve had an unbelievable season so far and they have a great team and weve got to play our best to even have a chance. "If we can find some consistency for 60 minutes in all the games we play I think well have a good chance." The Senators watched with interest as the New York Islanders won two games against the Penguins and came close to forcing a Game 7. "Were going to study it, especially the ones (the Islanders) won and figure out if they did anything that was surprising or different," MacLean said. "I think we have a good handle on Pittsburgh and how they like to play and its just a matter of us sticking to it." Notes: Pittsburgh was 2-0-1 against Ottawa in the regular season. ... Senators forward Milan Michalek was not on the ice at practice, but MacLean says it was just a maintenance day. Defenceman Patrick Wiercioch (lower-body injury) isnt expected to be ready for the start of the series. Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
