With Canadas Fed Cup team ready to take on the Slovak Republic next week, Blainville, Quebecs Aleksandra Wozniak - who played in February against Serbia in her first Fed Cup tie since 2011 - sets the stage with her personal blog on RDS. Robert Reid Jersey .ca and TSN.ca. --- Before starting this column, Id like to thank the people whove supported me since my return to the circuit. I read your comments and thank you for continuing to encourage me. In addition to fans, theres also a whole team behind me and a great Canadian delegation, as this will be the case at the Fed Cup on April 19 and April 20 in Quebec City. These people behind the scenes may say little, but will give me a boost for the entire week of competition - and also for the rest of the year. Theres André Parent, our fitness coach whos responsible for conditioning both the pros and the young developing players at Uniprix Stadium. Hes worked with us for a long time and on Wednesday he was appointed chief physical trainer for the Fed Cup. Hes one of the most important people in my career, helping me return to competition after my shoulder injury and avoiding surgery. Also, Marlene Nobrega has been our physiotherapist for more than 20 years - both in the Davis Cup and the Fed Cup - along with massage therapist Samantha Cox. In addition to André Barrette, who deals with the administrative aspect of our program, theres captain Sylvain Bruneau and coach Simon Larose. Not to mention so many other volunteers who are involved. The big difference playing elsewhere compared to Canada, as was the case in Serbia in February of 2011, is that we had the crowd against us. With our team on our side, its as if we brought some of our supporters with us outside our home. Not underestimating our opponents This will be the second time were participating in the World Group play-offs, but weve never managed to take the next step forward so its an opportunity for us to make Canadian history. Dominika Cibulkova and Daniela Hantuchova wont be taking part, but Magdalena Rybarikova is still an excellent player. Jana Cepelovas confidence will be high after making the Family Circle Cup final last weekend. I dont know Michaela Honcova well, but with Anna Schmiedlova (65th in the world), the Slovak Republic will have three players in the Top 80. So it will be very important for us to showcase our best tennis. While Cibulkova and Hantuchova arent there, we should not underestimate them. Facing little-known players, well need to adjust our training accordingly and continue to properly train and prepare mentally. Well also benefit from a week together before the tournament to build our team spirit. After all, this isnt an individual competition. Well do things as a team and keep encouraging each other. This is a big opportunity for us - especially playing here in Quebec City - and we know well have the support of 3,500 supporters at the new Amphitheatre at PEPS, Laval University. A boost of energy Whenever I had a serious injury in the past, the Fed Cup arrived at the right time and the tournament gave me that boost of confidence. And after the competition, I returned and carried that renewed confidence to other tournaments. I havent used my protected ranking since the Indian Wells tournament, but I think going through qualifications has had its advantages. Since my return to the game, Ive needed to build up matches. It gives me set benchmarks and confidence and it also allows me to refine my work on the court. As a result, Ive beaten 2013 Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki and have also won against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Urszula Radwanska. And it was difficult after missing so much action. Ive now had 23 matches under my belt since January and its allowed me to bring my game to its highest level. My service has also notably improved. Over the last six months, Ive found more power but Im still working on my consistency. There are several factors which still have an effect on my shoulder, such as playing altitude, temperature, or even the type of tennis balls Im using. But Ive found a certain level of stability despite the changing game conditions. When I started to play after injuring my shoulder, I was 288th in the world. Now Im 153rd and have made good progress over the last three months. But I want to be even better. I feel great in my workouts and I just have to concentrate on doing the right things and continuing to climb up. Rudy Tomjanovich Jersey .com) - The University of Montana named Bob Stitt as its new head football coach on Tuesday. Danuel House Jersey . On Wednesday, Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas hit back. In a passionate defence of himself and the London clubs medical staff, the Portuguese coach rebuked the "incompetent people" who have attacked Tottenham for allowing Lloris to continue playing after being briefly knocked unconscious against Everton on Sunday. https://www.cheaprocketsonline.com/1247z-gerald-green-jersey-rockets.html .Y. - Sven Andrighetto scored once and set up two more as the Hamilton Bulldogs hung on to defeat the host Adirondack Flames 5-3 on Tuesday in American Hockey League action.OAKLAND, Calif. - Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson sat on the scorers table at Oracle Arena on Wednesday morning. He gazed around the building and tried to envision what it will look and sound like when the Warriors host the Los Angeles Clippers for Game 3 of their first-round playoff series Thursday night. A gold-shirt wearing sellout crowd of 19,596. Roars so loud that, at times, they drown out whistles. The sights and sounds all embodying the spirit of the teams post-season motto: "Loud. Proud. Warriors." "Its going to be a great environment," Jackson said. "But with that being said, they wont get a stop, they wont get a score, they wont make a free throw. Weve got to do our part." The Warriors will indeed need to regain more than their homecourt prowess if they want to pull off another upset in the first round of the playoffs. They need to rediscover their game. Blake Griffin and the Clippers crushed Golden State 138-98 in Los Angeles on Monday night to even the best-of-seven series at a game apiece. The third-seeded Clippers showed just why most had picked them to beat the sixth-seeded Warriors, coming back from a foul-filled opener with an all-around game that wouldve worked in any venue. In Game 1, Griffin had 16 points and three rebounds in 19 minutes before he fouled out. The All-Star forward regrouped to score a career playoff-high 35 points in Game 2. He shot 13 of 17 from the floor, made 9 of 10 free throws and grabbed six rebounds — doing it all in just 30 minutes. The Clippers forced 26 turnovers, shutdown streaky shooting Stephen Curry most of the game and took advantage of the absence of Warriors centre Andrew Bogut — who is out indefinitely with a fractured right rib. "We realized that if we played our game and do the things that we worked on wed be successful," Griffin said. "We play well when were just playing free, so were just going to try and achieve that." Whether the Clippers caan duplicate that performance on the road is another matter. Ralph Sampson Jersey. For all the success Los Angeles has had in recent seasons, the twice-reigning Pacific Division champions have struggled at Oracle Arena. The Clippers have lost 15 of their last 17 games in Oakland, including the last five meetings. And they have never played at Golden State in the playoffs, when the crowd often reaches even higher decibels. "Its going to be loud. Its going to be exciting. I think every basketball player loves playing in an environment like that," Griffin said. "Weve played in places that are pretty loud before, especially in the playoffs. Ive heard good things about the crowd and were looking forward to it. Absolutely." Of course, home court has not always been an advantage for the Warriors this season. The Warriors went 27-14 at home, including 2-0 against the Clippers, but they had several head-scratching setbacks in Oakland. That included home losses to lesser teams such as Denver (twice), Cleveland, Minnesota, New York, Washington and Charlotte. Golden State has taken advantage of its home court its last two trips to the playoffs. The Warriors are a combined 6-0 at Oracle Arena in the first round in 2007 against Dallas and last season against Denver. "Hearing the roar of the crowd making a big play, it gets you hyped, it gets you feeling good," Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson said. "It definitely wont hurt being home." Game 4 and Game 6, if necessary, also will be in Oakland — where the Warriors promise to make things tougher for the Clippers than they ever did in Game 2. "Were not going to quit. Were not going to just lie down and allow a team to do what they want against us," Curry said. "Were going to be physical, come back and its about that competitive fire for Game 3 that were going to need to get it done to protect our home court." ___ Antonio Gonzalez can be reached at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP ' ' '