Novak rediscovers himself with Wimbledon triumph

Novak Djokovic looked like his old self as he reclaimed the Wimbledon title on Sunday.

The mental toughness was back. The competitive edge and intensity that set him apart from the rest was on full display. Serbia's Novak Djokovic clawed and fought his way to a 13th major title and 4th Wimbledon crown on Sunday, regaining his top level that saw him dominate much of the field from 2011-2016. He has slowly built his confidence back throughout the season, showing signs of his former self during the clay court swing and finally putting it all together on the grandest stage of them all. The beginning of the season was riddled with surprising early losses to lesser competition where Djokovic looked like a shell of himself out on the court. He looked defeated, dejected and lacking confidence in his mental and physical abilities. Djokovic has endured some scrutiny and personal issues outside of tennis in the last couple of years that have detracted him from continuing on the successful path he was on. Combine that with a nagging elbow injury that required an adjustment in his serve motion and a surgery in February, along with a carousel of coaching and changes to his team and you have someone that was more lost in his career and personal life than he had ever been. His focus and appreciation for the sport that has given him everything may have suffered, but it was proven to be temporary over the past couple of weeks. In the third round versus hometown favorite Kyle Edmund, Djokovic found himself down a set with the crowd against him. Earlier in the year, he may not have had the mental fortitude to dig deep and turn that match around, but this time he was able to call upon that strength that had been such a big part of his reign as World No. 1 and come back to defeat Edmund and advance. Throughout the Championships, he showed a combination of climbing out of tough situations with the incredible movement and defensive skills that were a staple of his game for so long. Djokovic had both the mental and physical aspects of his game working for him at his highest level in two years, and regained the form that saw him sit atop the men's game for five years. All of this came to fruition in his semifinal victory over his biggest rival, Rafael Nadal, which saw both men playing at their highest level for 5 hours and 15 minutes over the course of two days. It was a back and forth affair with momentum swings that required both men to persevere and deal with adversity. Eventually, Djokovic was able to survive the titanic battle and prevail 10-8 in the fifth and deciding set. Coming through this test and securing the biggest win he's had in some time gave him the necessary self-belief to dismantle a less than 100 percent Kevin Anderson in Sunday's final. Djokovic was able to find himself again during this year's Wimbledon, which, at 31 years of age, leaves him with plenty of time to continue to build and get back to the top of the game.

No Djoke for Novak

Former World No. 1 and 12-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic is looking for answers.

The struggles continue for the former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. A man who once embodied physical and mental fortitude is left searching for answers after his latest questionable performance in his second round defeat at the BNP Paribas Open at the hands of little known qualifier Taro Daniel. Djokovic continued to look un-Djokovic like as he sprayed 58 unforced errors and went away tamely in the third set against his much less experienced opponent. Novak played as if it was his 'first match on tour' as he quoted in the press conference following his defeat. He looked unsure of himself, was not sharp with his shot selections and faded away in the third set to someone he would have beaten routinely two or three years ago. Djokovic has been battling an elbow/arm injury for some time now, as he has had to change his service motion and was forced to miss the second half of 2017. Six weeks ago he had surgery to try and repair the damage, but the pain and discomfort are still lingering and hurting him while he is out on the court competing. He has been wearing a sleeve on his arm to protect and support the injury and has been forced to shorten and abbreviate his serve motion to avoid further pain and damage. His serve, while never his strongest shot, was a solid, reliable shot that has turned into him just getting the point started and not being able to do much damage. In addition to his physical ailments, Djokovic does not have the tiger within him that was so much a part of his dominant years from 2011-2016. His mental fortitude and belief in himself in the biggest moments against his main rivals was what saw him usurp both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in 2011 and begin his reign as World No. 1. Once he cleared that hurdle, Novak was the best player in the world for roughly five years. Now, his priorities in life have changed. He is a father and husband in addition to being a world-class tennis player. Before those responsibilities entered his life and he was able to dedicate and focus on his career 110%, we saw what Djokovic was capable of. Some believed it was the best level they had ever seen and was redefining the way the sport was played with incredible speed and defensive skills. Truth be told, Djokovic has not been himself since he captured his first and lone French Open title in 2016. This was a major goal of his throughout his career, and when he finally achieved it by beating Andy Murray in the final, it seemed as if he had an internal letdown. The last year and a half or so have been filled with missed time, injuries, poor performances (by his standards), an overall drop in level of play and what seems to be a lack of day in and day out commitment to the sport that has given him everything. While Novak has been searching for answers, Nadal and Federer have risen above him once again and become the two dominant players on tour that they were prior to Djokovic's ascension. While he is still only 30 years of age, a relatively middle age for professional men's players nowadays, it seems as though Djokovic poured everything he had into a five year stretch and is now on his last legs. The wear and tear of today's game combined with his brutally physical style of play may have taken too much of a toll on the Serbian for him to overcome at this stage of his career. A former 8-time Grand Slam champion who has been working with Novak since last year's French Open may be able to help him, but even his impact has yet to come to fruition. American Andre Agassi had similar struggles to Djokovic around the same stage of his career, and managed to come back and put together a very impressive post-30 patch of play. Agassi returned to No. 1 and captured another Grand Slam after going through a severe rough patch. It will be interesting to see if Djokovic can rededicate himself the way he needs to in order to regain his top level, or will the once ultra competitive Serb fade away without a fight? It is hard to believe that one of the greatest players ever will not be able to turn it around with seemingly enough years left to do so, but with new priorities and focuses in addition to tennis it may be too late to get back to the mountain top. 

A Ride to Remember

Former New York Rangers' Captain Ryan McDonagh is headed to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

With the inevitable rebuild of the New York Rangers coming to fruition in the past couple of weeks, one of the most central pieces of the team has been sent to the top team in the NHL. Defenseman and ex-captain Ryan McDonagh is heading to the Tampa Bay Lightning and reuniting with former teammate and defense partner Dan Girardi. The two men have gone to battle together in a Rangers' uniform for well over one hundred playoff games and for what seems like an eternity of regular seasons. Now, they look to achieve the one goal they could not accomplish with New York in a Lightning uniform; lifting Lord Stanley's Cup. McDonagh has been one of the most important pieces of the Rangers' puzzle the last handful of years, outside of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, and his departure is solidifying the fact that the run with what's been the core group of players the last five plus years is coming to an end. Forward's Rick Nash and J.T. Miller were traded as well, as Nash went to the rival Boston Bruins and Miller was sent with McDonagh to Tampa Bay. The Rangers are entering a period that they have not been in for a long time. They have been a perennial contender for over a decade and have only missed the postseason once since the 2005-06 season. They have won the President's Trophy, reached the Eastern Conference Final on three separate occasions and the Stanley Cup Final once in 2014. But throughout that time, they were not able to finish the job and win the Stanley Cup. Which, despite a host of amazing wins and great memories, is the fact that people will remember about this group. It's unfortunate to see all of these familiar faces leaving Madison Square Garden, but the way this up-and-down, lackluster season has gone this change was only a matter of time. The team's management knows they need to trade, rebuild and stockpile draft picks in order to go through the necessary process to eventually return to a place where they can legitimately contend again. This leaves the face of the franchise, Henrik Lundqvist, in a position where he knows that he will most likely not win a Cup with the Rangers. This is a tough pill to swallow for a man who's poured everything he has had into an organization that came up just short of reaching their ultimate goal.

It's tough not to reminisce when one of your favorite teams goes into a rebuilding phase. I was fortunate enough to go through all the emotions and ups and downs as a passionate fan, including being at some of the best playoff wins and losses from 2012-2016.  I saw forward Carl Hagelin's game winning goal to clinch the series against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Five in overtime in the 2015 playoffs. I also saw the Washington Capitals win Game One of the 2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals in agonizing fashion when forward Alex Ovechkin made a ridiculous pass skating behind the net to Joel Ward who buried it for the game-winner with one second left in the third period. There is nothing like Madison Square Garden after a win like the one against Pittsburgh nor the loss versus the Capitals. The highs and lows, the great playoff runs and the memories made, despite not achieving the ultimate goal will stick with me for a lifetime. Hopefully the Rangers can get back to the final stage in the future and capture the Cup, but now is a time to appreciate a group of players who gave their all to bring a title to some of the most passionate fans in the NHL.

Federer Flying High

Roger Federer has reached a milestone no other man has achieved by winning his 20th major title at the Australian Open on Sunday.

At 36 years young, Roger Federer continues to be like a fine wine and get better with age. He became the only man in men's professional tennis history to win an unprecedented 20 major championships. His sixth Australian Open crown was met with a stern test from new World No. 3 Marin Cilic, as he needed a decisive fifth set to claim the trophy. Unlike last year's triumph at the Australian Open, Federer was the clear favorite in 2018 and played exactly like it. He did not drop a set in his first six contests en route to the final against Cilic, but was met with a stern test from his Croatian rival. In a tournament that saw many top players exit relatively early, Federer stayed the course and played at the high level he's capable of throughout a two-week grand slam. Cilic would not go away without a fight as Federer looked to be in complete control after a dominant first set. Federer admitted to getting nervous in the second set tiebreak and, in turn, the match became very competitive. Federer was up a break in the fourth set, leading two sets to one, and seemingly looked as if he was going to close it out. Cilic had other ideas as he caught fire with his big groundstrokes and wrestled his way to a fourth set victory to push it to the fifth. Like all great champions in their respective sports manage to do, Federer put his foot on the gas in crunch time and saved four break points in his opening service game of the fifth, and was then able to eventually run away with it in the end. Unlike last year's final against Rafael Nadal, Federer did not fall behind in the fifth set only to fight back. He managed to weather Cilic's storm and take control of matters shortly after. With his sixth Australian Open title and twentieth major, Federer is continuing to cement his legacy as the greatest men's professional tennis player and one of the greatest athletes of all-time. His level of play does not seem to be slowing down, and it doesn't appear that will be affected even by the host of young talent currently on the tour. If he manages to stay healthy and feel confident on the court, we should continue to see this level from Federer for at least a couple more years. But then again, there are so many factors that go into an individual sport that you never know when something can change. For now, it's a pleasure to watch greatness continue to unfold.

Top 5 Federer Shots of 2017

The Top 5 Shots of Roger Federer's 2017 season..enjoy

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Lighting up the Laver Cup

The Inaugural edition of the Laver Cup, which saw the best players from Team Europe face off against the best players from Team World, was an incredible three-day event in Prague, Czech Republic that was treated like anything but an exhibition by the players and coaches involved. In an event developed by and named after the great Australian tennis legend, Rod Laver, the new Ryder Cup of tennis is sure to continue to be a hallmark on the calendar for years to come. Only a couple of weeks after the end of the year's final major, the majority of the top twenty players in the world came to together to challenge each other in a team-oriented format that saw high-quality, pressure-packed singles and doubles matches the entire weekend. Team Europe was led by the top two players in the world, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, along with top ten players Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Marin Cilic and hometown Czech Tomas Berdych. Team World was represented with a great deal of youth in USA's Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock, Australia's Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis and 18-year old Canadian Denis Shapavalov. Veteran Americans John Isner and Wimbledon semifinalist Sam Querrey were also a part of Team World. The scoring format was first team to reach thirteen points wins the tie. The point value for each victory increased each day, as the first day wins were worth one point, the second day valued at two and the decisive third day three points. In a combination of doubles pairings, young guns versus All-Time greats and familiar opponents going toe-to-toe, the weekend came down to the final singles match on Sunday. With Team World's John Isner having played one of his most complete matches of his career , taking down World No. 1 and recent U.S. Open champion Rafael Nadal in a comprehensive straight set performance, the score sat at 12-9 in favor of Team Europe. The final match placed Team Europe's Roger Federer against Team World's Nick Kyrgios in a hotly contested match between All-Time great and flashy, unpredicatable young gun. With their previous encounter in 2017 going the distance in the Miami Open semifinals in April, this was sure to be filled with a ton of intensity and will to win. The 2017 Laver Cup was on the line, and both men brought their highest level in the abbreviated singles format. Kyrgios got an early break and captured the first set, 6-4. Federer increased his intensity and level of play in the second set, with his teammates encouraging and bringing the energy throughout the set. Federer ended up wrestling the second set from his opponent in a tough tiebreak, 7-6(5) and evened things up. The two would then battle in a drawn out super tiebreak, first to ten points by a two-point margin, filled with winners and drawn out rallies that had both their teammates and the crowd on the edge of their seats. Kyrgios eventually held a match point at 9-8 in the super tiebreak after hitting a forehand that just dipped into the corner on the line. Federer proved to be the cool customer he always is in tight situations as he forced Kyrgios to play and the young Australian made three consecutive errors to seal the Laver Cup for Team Europe. Federer jumped up and down and his teammates stormed the court, while Kyrgios was left in disbelief that he had come up short. Although the event does not count towards player's rankings, all of the men involved took the weekend very seriously. The second-annual 2018 Laver Cup will take place next fall in Chicago at the world-famous United Center, and based on this year's success will surely draw a large crowd in one of America's greatest sports cities. You can get a sense of what the atmosphere was like in the video above, which offers different camera angles, players mic'd up and fan reactions during the deciding Federer-Kyrgios match. 

Knicks end the Melodrama

Former Knicks' All-Star small forward Carmelo Anthony is headed to Oklahoma City to join forces with fellow All-Stars Russell Westbrook and Paul George.

When the not-surprising news of the Knicks trading their All-Star franchise player Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder surfaced on Saturday, I looked at my phone when the Bleacher Report alert popped up and read the little blurb. It was just a simple, 'Knicks trade Carmelo Anthony to Thunder for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a 2018 second round pick.' And in that moment I thought about all of the money that the Knicks have wasted over the years on a combination of star players and management who didn't pan out. Not that any of these people had bad intentions or were not giving it their all to make the Knicks a better franchise, but how much money these individuals have made off of an organization that has become the laughingstock of the NBA. Anthony and former team President Phil Jackson were just two of the long list of people who have come into the Knicks' organization and made a fortune off of a franchise desperately looking for answers. In Anthony's seven years in a Knicks' uniform, the team made the playoffs three seasons and won one playoff series. Sure, there were great moments, such as Anthony's 62-point game in 2014 when he set the franchise record for points scored in a single game. The playoff series victory in 2013 against the Celtics was filled with intensity, trash-talk and energy Madison Square Garden hadn't seen in many years. But, for the maximum contract Anthony signed after the Knicks picked up his existing deal from Denver in the middle of the 2010 season after the trade, there were a lot more head-scratching moments than jump-out-of-your seat ones. In his time in New York, Anthony was never surrounded by a talented enough group to really make a serious run at a title. He shared the court with some talented players over the years, namely Amar'e Stoudemire, J.R. Smith and Kristaps Porzingis, but it was never really enough be a threat in the Eastern Conference. Anthony was under constant criticism during his time in New York for his playing style and ability to be the leader the Knicks needed. He didn't allow for Phil Jackson's triangle offense to come to fruition, as his need to dominate the ball on the floor overshadowed the team's offensive game plans. He tried to be a mentor to the franchises' 2015 Draft Pick, Porzingis, and it showed at times in their relationship on the court. Porzingis alluded to Anthony's leadership qualities and how he guided him during his first two seasons in the NBA. While Anthony was without question the face of the franchise for the past seven years, how do we as Knicks' fans look back on his time with the team? Do we appreciate the good moments or do we focus on the failures and continued frustration? Personally, although I believe Anthony meant well and did what he could as one person and player, I find it hard to look back on his tenure with the Knicks as a positive period. The Knicks' organization and management did not do enough to surround him with the talent and personnel he needed to really thrive, but isn't an alleged superstar supposed to be able to carry a franchise and do more than just win one playoff series in seven seasons? It is hard to put the blame of the franchise's demise on one person, but the reality of the way things work nowadays Anthony will surely take the brunt of the blame for the team's lack of success during his time as a Knick. Now, the Knicks are one of the younger teams in the NBA trying to figure out the direction of their franchise, hoping that 22-year old Porzingis can be the one to lead them where they need to go. Anthony is now 33-years old and seeking a championship in the back-half of his career, and hoping that his new regime in Oklahoma City is ready to make the astronomical step of taking down the defending champion Golden State Warriors on their way to an NBA title. The two sides have officially parted ways, and although ultimately didn't achieve what they wanted while together, maybe can get on the right path and achieve their goals while apart.