WIMBLEDON -- So close, yet so far. Its the least appropriate expression to apply to the career of Serena Williams. Its also the most accurate description of her present state as she reboots her drive to equal Steffi Grafs record 22 Grand Slam singles titles in the Open era.With her No. 1 ranking on the line at this tournament for the first time in a long while, Williams subdued Swiss qualifier Amra Sadikovic on Centre Court in swirling winds in an hour and 14 minutes 6-2, 6-4.These are strange times for Williams. She is living multiple dilemmas. They are mostly of her own making.Its partly because Williams walked away from the 2015 season after absorbing that historic loss to Roberta Vinci at the US Open and has only played five tournaments so far this year.Williams has more Grand Slam match-wins over the past three Grand Slam events than any other WTA player (17). Yet the titles went to Flavia Pennetta, who celebrated her triumph at the 2015 US Open by calling it a career, Angelique Kerber, who reacted to winning this years Australian Open by slumping badly, and, most recently, French Open champ Garbine Muguruza.So close, yet so far. Its unfair, but Williams failures in finals are magnified by their historic significance. If she had just 15 majors, losing a final at age 34 would earn her plaudits. But shes on Graf like a backpack, so the shortfalls are epic.I think more or less about winning Australia, Williams said after the match. I think about winning the French Open. Didnt happen. I think about winning Wimbledon. I dont necessarily think about winning 22.Mentally Ive been further down than anyone can be. Well, maybe not anyone, but Ive been pretty low. Theres nothing thats not mentally too hard for me.The losses have created a narrative propelled by the concept of pressure. Some blame Williams failures since the Vinci match on that component. They have their reasons, even if they tend to go light on the age-related factors or the quality of some of Williams opponents.Its a glass half-empty, half-full kind of thing, Tracy Austin, Tennis Channel commentator and former US Open champion told ESPN.com after Williams won Tuesday. People are asking, Whats wrong with Serena? Well, nothing. Shes still getting to finals. And she still has many opportunities.The most important thing is how she looks at it. What shes feeling, and I dont think any athlete is ever going to be 100 percent open about that.If Williams felt any pressure, she didnt show it in her opening match. On the other hand, her opponent was one of the two players in the singles (the other is British ATP sensation Marcus Willis) who was, until recently, feeding balls to kids as a teaching pro at a tennis club.Sadikovic, 27, tried the pro game but grew frustrated and disillusioned two years ago. She took a long break and only returned when she saw how well a similar program worked out for fellow countrywoman Timea Bacsinszky. Sadikovic is an athletic 6-foot-1 with good mobility, some tricky slices and spins and a big serve -- but not as big a Williams.While Williams hit more double faults than aces (5-4), she lost just seven points when she put her first serve in. Her returns was far superior to Sadikovics, accounting for four breaks.She plays an old-school grass-court game, Williams said. I knew that going in. Once I knew that, Im really ready. I was ready for it.So Williams has hit the reset button once again. Repeated failures tend to raise repeated questions. Is she obsessed with the singles record and feeling the pressure to equal Graf? What does she need to do to accomplish that?According to Austin, its simply a matter of relaxing and playing her game on the surface on which she feels most comfortable.I would be lying if I said I feel fresh, but I dont feel fatigue, Williams said. I dont think I feel fresh, but I feel real hungry, super-motivated, extremely ready to do the best.Maybe shes not so far after all. Jonathan Drouin Jersey . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. Guy Lafleur Jersey http://www.canadiensjerseyscheap.com/ . McCarthy, a player who played some games in the second tier for Wigan at the start of this season, would go on to shine inside Evertons midfield, outplaying the man he was brought in to replace, on one of the grandest stages in English football. On Saturday, it was fitting that Manchester Uniteds most recent dagger into the chest was delivered by Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, a wonderfully gifted central midfielder who put on an outstanding effort for Newcastle at Old Trafford. Saku Koivu Jersey . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. Maurice Richard Jersey .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. AUSTIN, Texas -- Tevin Mack powered over two defenders for a tough layup, hit the floor and picked himself up to flex his muscles and smile.Mack was back and so was No. 23 Texas.The sophomore forward scored 14 points after returning from a one-game suspension, and the Longhorns used a big second half to roll over Louisiana-Monroe 80-59 on Monday night.Im just glad we came back with a win, Mack said. I had a little bit of nerves, but I fought through that real quick.The Longhorns were back to full strength with the return of Mack and guard Kerwin Roach Jr. from one-game suspensions for offseason rules violations, giving Texas (2-0) some of the muscle, speed and depth it lacked in a sloppy season-opening win over Incarnate Word . Neither started Monday night but both were on the court within minutes of the opening tip.Mack made four 3-pointers and Roach had 11 points and two assists.I was excited to be back on the court and not on the bench, Roach said. We want to get out and run.Louisiana-Monroe (1-1) cut Texas lead to 46-40 on a 3-pointer from Jordan Harris before the Longhorns responded with a 16-4 run. Kendal Yancy scored five straight points, made a 3-pointer and threw down a dunk in transition that made it 62-44 with just under 8 minutes left.Texas defense took over from there. Louisiana-Monroe struggled to penetrate and the Longhorns bigger players constantly pushed the Warhawks further out on the edge than they wanted to be.Texas guard Andrew Jones said coach Shaka Smart pushed the Longhorns on defense after their season opener.Coach really encouraged us to be aggressive. Be dogs, Jones said.Yancy finished with 12 points and Jones scored 12 and had a team-high four assists. Texas freshman forward Jarrett Allen followed a double-double in his debut with eight points and three rebounds.Marvin Jean-Pierre scored 13 for Louisiana-Monnroe, which shot just 30 percent.ddddddddddddBIG PICTURELouisiana-Monroe: The Warhawks tried to punch above their weight in the Big 12 but missed their chance at an upset. Early 3-point shooting built a short-lived lead, but Texas size and speed eventually took over.Our program has had length the last two years at our level, and after seeing the Longhorns tonight, I miss it, coach Keith Richard said. They forced us out just a step or two from where we needed to be.Texas: A much smoother performance after the struggle against Incarnate Word. Getting Roach and Mack back in the lineup gave Texas more options to attack both inside and out. Smart even used a four-guard, up-tempo attack that hell want to build on before the start of Big 12 play.POLL IMPLICATIONSTexas slid down two spots in the AP Top 25 after its opener. This one should give voters more confidence.INSIDE THE BOXSCORETexas was shaky from the free throw line (13 of 21) and got outrebounded (43-41). But the Longhorns shot 50 percent, blocked five shots and didnt give the ball away, committing just five turnovers.The addition of Mack and Roach also kept Texas fresh. Four Longhorns played 32 minutes or more in the season opener. No one got more than 24 minutes against Louisiana-Monroe.They were able to get a break. You can play harder that way, Smart said.HE SAID ITSmart on getting players to focus on defense: Its like my (5-year-old) daughter, I tell her its really important you take a bath tonight, and she doesnt think its important.UP NEXTLouisiana-Monroe: The Warhawks road trip takes them to the Pac-12 with Thursdays game at Colorado.Texas: The Longhorns host Eastern Washington on Thursday.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Nike NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys Store Wholesale Jerseys China Jerseys NFL China ' ' '