Die Macht » Then I blew out my knee. I was devastated

ZAGREB, Croatia -- Led by Juan Martin del Potro, Argentina is bidding to end its long pursuit of the Davis Cup title when it faces Croatia in the final this weekend.Del Potro, the 2009 U.S. Open champion who returned to the tour successfully after two injury-hit years, believes Argentina is in a strong position after losing in four Davis Cup finals since 1981.Ive had a great year, Del Potro, who won the silver medal in singles at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, said Tuesday. I have everything to do a good weekend. We are confident. Its a very special moment for us and we are very, very positive.Argentina is the only nation in the Davis Cups 116-year history which has reached four finals without winning the title. The latest challenge comes in the best-of-five series starting Friday on an indoor hard court at the sold-out Arena Zagreb.Croatia, targeting its second Davis Cup title after beating Slovakia in the final in 1995, will be led by Marin Cilic, who has reached a career-best year-end ranking of No. 6.Motivation is great playing in front of the home crowd. Small details will decide the winner, Cilic said, referring to how fast the court will play for big servers like himself, Croatian No. 2 Ivo Karlovic and Del Potro.It is slower than expected, but I think it will pick up speed as indoor temperatures rise in the Arena, Cilic said. It will be good for everyone.Karlovic, 37, is returning for the final four years after he announced he would no longer participate in Davis Cup. He is a likely choice for team captain Zeljko Krajan because Borna Coric is still not fully recovered from knee surgery.Karlovic, a serve-and-volley specialist, would become the oldest man to play singles in a Davis Cup final in nearly a century. He said he feels great for such an important match.Argentine captain Daniel Orsanic is likely to choose Guido Pella, a stalwart of the semifinal victory over last years winner, Britain, as his second singles player.Del Potro said he is looking forward to facing Cilic on Sunday in what could be the decisive match.Hes a very good friend of mine, Del Potro said. Hes a great player and he has a chance to win this trophy this weekend, but we will try and win as well. Fake Nike Shoes Black Friday . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Wholesale Nike Shoes Black Friday . Both players have lower body injuries that will keep them out of the lineup until at least January 31, which is the first game they can be activated from IR. http://www.nikeshoesblackfriday.com/ . The FA rejected Wilsheres appeal that the length of his punishment was "clearly excessive" and said Thursday his suspension begins with immediate effect. He will miss league matches against Chelsea on Monday and West Ham on Dec. Nike Shoes Black Friday Sale .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. Nike Shoes Black Friday China . -- Former San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver was found dead at his Atlanta-area home Tuesday night, and a medical examiner said Wednesday that the ex-player committed suicide. When I got traded to the Houston Rockets in 2004 I really didnt know Yao Ming. Hed been in the league a few years, wed both been to the All-Star Game and we played against each other a few times, but I had never talked to him.I didnt think he could speak any English and I was worried about that. I thought: How is this going to work?I had just won the last two scoring titles with the Orlando Magic, but I was so excited to be playing with a great big man that I knew I was going to have to work with him and feed him the ball. But to do that, we needed communication.How would I talk to him on the court? Would I have to look over at an interpreter on the bench every time we needed to say something to each other? I was thinking maybe wed have earpieces or something.When I finally met him, I realized two things: he does speak English and not only does he speak it, he has an amazing sense of humor.I loved seeing his personality come out more and more over the years as he got more comfortable in Houston. Thats how I really learned what an amazing person he is. He will sometimes just pretend he doesnt speak English -- he does that even to this day!I remember when he came to my wedding reception in 2006. My family and friends were so excited and they all wanted to take pictures and get autographs, and he pretended he couldnt understand them. I just had to sit back and laugh.Man, you never really get over his size, a guy who is 7-foot-6 and that big. Even now when we stand next to each other, I cant get over it.Thats why Yao getting into the Hall of Fame is so deserved. His skills for a man his size were just unbelievable. He could do everything. He could post up, score with either hand, shoot a jumper, he had an array of moves. He could block shots. He passed so well and thats so rare for a guy his size.?Id never played with a big man of his caliber. I didnt know he was that skilled before I came to the Rockets, but then I saw it every day in practice, every day before games, after games. He really put in the work to perfect his craft -- he even took our technical foul shots because he was that great of a free throw shooter.He had a mean streak, too. Youd see it come out whenever hed get dunked on.Then there was Yaos impact on the global game. You have to understand, before him, basketball wasnt popular in China. I had made trips there before he came into the league, and there was basketball, but it wasnt a part of the Chinese culture.ddddddddddddNow, theres over 300 million people in China playing because of Yao Ming.I saw it. I felt it. That is his legacy. He brought NBA basketball to China and I will forever be thankful that I was able to be a part of it. He introduced the country to Tracy McGrady.?We were their heroes. They didnt see Michael Jordan play, they saw us. They saw Yao.In 2007, there was a game we played in Houston against the Milwaukee Bucks when they had former No. 6 overall pick and fellow Chinese star, Yi Jianlian. It was just a regular-season game, but 200 million people watched in China.Thats Yaos impact. I was in awe.When I think of the six seasons we played together, it hurts. Its tough for me to speak about even now. We never got a fair chance because of injuries.We couldve had a championship team, Yao and me. We had several great opportunities. There were times when we were thriving. But we could never be healthy; its so unfortunate. The one year we had the team -- wed gotten Luis Scola, Shane Battier, Kyle Lowry, Carl Landry, Ron Artest -- I was thinking that was the year.Then I blew out my knee. I was devastated. That team was so good. The guys beat the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round and we were in a battle with the?Los Angeles Lakers?in the second round when Yao broke his foot. That was our?year.What if. So many what ifs.We still had some great memories. We hosted the All-Star Game in Houston together and we both addressed the crowd before the game and he spoke in English, Ill always remember that. It was awesome.We had a 22-game winning streak in 2007-08, the fourth-longest run in NBA history. Even then, Yao got hurt after the 12th win. If we had something to hold onto, thats it. When we were both healthy, we really were great together.Yao is truly a great and humble person. You just cant recognize his accomplishments on the court without seeing his kindness and humbleness off it. I am proud to call Yao my friend.He opened so many doors. He personally put me in position to have a life after basketball. Im so lucky to have had a chance to know him, play with him and to work with him. He has a legacy very few have, and he has been and will continue to be a great influence.Its what he does, its who he is. ' ' '