Willkommen! » last Sunday. In blunt terms, Raikk

BRISBANE, Australia - Roger Federer turned the Brisbane International final into a grand occasion Sunday, beating the up-and-coming Canadian Milos Raonic in three see-sawing sets to register his 1,000th career match win.Its a grand number for a 17-time Grand Slam champion, making him the only player after Jimmy Connors (1,253) and Ivan Lendl (1,071) to win 1,000 times on the mens professional tour.Clearly its a special day for me, winning a title plus getting to the magic number of 1,000, Federer said after his 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-4 win against third-seeded Raonic. It feels very different to any other match Ive ever won. All those (milestone) numbers didnt mean anything to me, but for some reason 1,000 means a lot because its such a huge number. Just alone to count to 1,000 is going to take a while.Federer clearly wanted to reach the milestone before the Australian Open, breaking Raonics serve in the third game and again in the opening game of the second set. He fired eight of his eventual 21 aces in the first set, taking on the big-serving Canadians strength. Just as it appeared Federer would coast to a comfortable victory, though, Raonic shook off his nerves to break back in the fourth game of the second set and swing the momentum.Federer had another half-chance to clinch it in two, getting an early mini-break in the tiebreaker, but Raonic went on a roll to win seven straight points and level the match.The 33-year-old Swiss star responded by serving an ace to open the third set, but he needed all his experience to save three break-point chances in that lengthy game.Tension continued to build as Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., was forced to save two break points in each of the fourth and sixth games, and missed two chances on Federers serve in the fifth.Only one point went against serve in the next three games until Raonic was serving to stay in the match. He was leading 30-15 when Federer produced a pin-point topspin lob that forced an error, and then came a double-fault — Raonics first of the set and fourth of the match — to give Federer a championship point.Raonic netted a forehand on the next point, and Federer raised his arms to acknowledge the Federer 1,000 placards and red-and-white Swiss flags being waved around Pat Rafter Arena.Looking back its almost nicer winning this way through a tight match with nerves and humid conditions against a great player in a final, Federer said. It means so much more than just running away with it. I guess I was much more happy having to go three sets in the end.Raonic said he did everything he could but didnt quite have the answer to beat Federer for the second time in their nine head-to-heads. Still, he didnt mind being part of the big occasion.Its great to see because you know how much hes done for tennis. He turned pro I think it was like 10 years before me, Raonic said. Its great to see everything hes done for tennis. The fans hes brought, the media attention hes brought ... hes definitely the most popular tennis player of all time.Ballboys held up 1,000 in big, white numerals near the net during the presentation ceremony, when Federer accepted mementoes from Australian tennis greats Roy Emerson and Rod Laver: the Roy Emerson Trophy and, from Laver, a framed montage of images with the words Congratulations Roger, 1,000 match wins.Special moment. Im glad I got it, Federer said. To get to 1,000 match wins in front of you guys ... it really means a lot to me. Ill never forget this match.In a career of so many milestones, Federer welcomed another and was glad to get it done before the season-opening major.He hasnt added to his collection of Grand Slam titles since his 2012 Wimbledon triumph, but showed signs last year hes no spent force by finishing No. 2 in the rankings, helping Switzerland to its first Davis Cup crown and finishing the season with five titles and a 73-12 record.Federer said he hasnt got Connors record number of wins in his sights, yet, but he does have ambitions to win more major titles. That quest begins Jan. 19 at Melbourne Park, where he hasnt returned to the final since winning the last of his four Australian Open titles in 2010.Yeah, I do believe that, he said. Clearly I do believe I have a shot in Melbourne, otherwise I would go home. Josh Sitton Dolphins Jersey . Early in the first period, Stuart pinched in from the blue line, hit Nash and was assessed a minor penalty for elbowing. Nash remained in the game for the rest of the first period, but did not return for the second. Durham Smythe Dolphins Jersey . The Italian side scored twice in a four-minute span in the second half to defeat former stars from S. http://www.officialauthenticdolphinsshop...ton-jersey.html. But qualifying for her first Scotties Tournament of Hearts after years of falling short in tough Manitoba provincial championships is as good as consolation prizes get for the 29-year-old from Winnipegs Fort Rouge Curling Club. Albert Wilson Jersey . Ben Street scored twice for the Heat (17-5-1), who won their fourth game in a row and 13th in their last 14 outings. Brett Bulmer scored the lone goal for the Wild (6-11-0), who dropped their sixth straight contest. Danny Amendola Dolphins Jersey . Cincinnati has lost back-to-back games in overtime, wasting a chance to take a commanding lead in their division.ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- In a rare outburst, Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen on Friday criticized the team for not paying his salary this season and threatened to skip the final two races of the season in protest. Speaking after the second practice session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the former F1 champion said he had to be persuaded to race here and added that he is still upset about a tense exchange with a member of the technical staff at last weekends Indian GP. "Sometimes it is not very nice when you hear that you are not really a team player, and you dont have the interests of the team (at heart) -- but you have been paid zero euro(s) the whole year," said Raikkonen, who is usually reluctant to speak to media. Raikkonen, who is joining Ferrari next season, added that he would consider skipping the United States GP and Brazilian GP if he does not receive his money. "For sure. I enjoy racing, I enjoy driving, but a big part of it is business. Sometimes when that is not dealt with like it should we end up in an unfortunate situation," he said. "You have to put the line somewhere, and if it goes over that ... it is not really my fault." Raikkonens comments came just hours after Lotus chairman Gerard Lopez has played down the rift between Raikkonen and trackside operations director Alan Permane last Sunday. In blunt terms, Raikkonen was told over the race radio by Permane not to hold up teammate Romain Grosjean. Raikkonen skipped media duties on Thursday, which fueled speculation about growing unrest, and the 34-year-old Finnish driver confirmed that he came close not to racing in Abu Dhabi. "I came here only because hopefully we found an understanding on the certain issues we have been having," Raikkonen said. "Hopefully it will be fixed and we can finish the season as well as we can." Although the argument with Permane was not the main factor in his decision to speak out, Raikkonen said it did upset him. "It is a part of it. It is true those things should not happen but they have happened," Raikkonen said. "(But) that is not really the issue. It is alll the other stuff.ddddddddddddquot; The 2007 champion is also annoyed that his loyalty to the team has been questioned despite him racing without pay. "It doesnt put you in the best place," he said. "That is how it goes and hopefully, like I said, we found an understanding on both sides on how we should deal with the situation right now." Only hours earlier, Lopez insisted all was fine. "Recently a lot was made about the comments between Alan Permane and Kimi during the course of a tense moment in a race, but this was just one exchange taking a matter of seconds in the course of a two-year relationship," Lopez said Friday. "It certainly wasnt the most beneficial few seconds, but you have to step back and accept that everyone is passionate about racing and sometimes these things do happen." Lopez did acknowledge, however, that the financial situation was poorly handled. "For a long time we had the opportunity to keep him in our hands, but we werent able to operate to the timeframe -- or make the offer -- that Ferrari were able to do," Lopez said. "For me this brought sadness, as its like a prodigal son leaving us." Lopez also praised the influence that Raikkonen has had on Grosjean -- the Frenchman who has hit form late into the season with three consecutive third-place finishes. "Had Romain been next to a more junior driver, or a less capable driver, we probably would still not know how good Romain is," Lopez said. "For Romain to be delivering the results he is doing so now, its really very much because he is driving next to probably one of the best Formula One drivers ever. Kimi has been a tremendous help." Lotus still has an outside shot at finishing second behind Red Bull in the constructors championship. Mercedes, with 313 points, and Ferrari, with 309, are in a stronger position while Lotus stands at 285. "The only reason were fighting for second is because of all the points that Kimi has scored," Lopez said. Raikkonen is third overall behind Fernando Alonso and recently-crowned world champion Sebastian Vettel. Authentic Bills Jerseys Dolphins Stitched Jerseys Cheap Patriots Jerseys Wholesale Jets Jerseys Wholesale Texans Jerseys Cheap Colts Jerseys Jaguars Jerseys Store Authentic Titans Jerseys Authentic Broncos Jerseys Authentic Chiefs Jerseys Cheap Raiders Jerseys Chargers Jerseys Store Cheap Ravens Jerseys Wholesale Bengals Jerseys Cheap Browns Jerseys Steelers Jerseys Store Wholesale Cowboys Jerseys Wholesale Giants Jerseys Authentic Eagles Jerseys Cheap Redskins Jerseys Authentic Falcons Jerseys Panthers Jerseys Store Wholesale Saints Jerseys Authentic Buccaneers Jerseys Wholesale Cardinals Jerseys Cheap 49ers Jerseys Seahawks Jerseys Store Wholesale Rams Jerseys Wholesale Bears Jerseys Authentic Lions Jerseys Cheap Packers Jerseys Vikings Jerseys Store ' ' '