01-20-2020, 12:51 AM
MONTREAL -- Theyre armed with T-shirts, face paint and posters -- and theyre headed to Montreal. Montravius Adams Super Bowl Jersey . Founding members of the Genie Army, a group of Eugenie Bouchard supporters who cheered for the rising tennis star during the Australian Open in January, will be in the city for the Rogers Cup, beginning this weekend. The fan club is made up of about a dozen people and six of them are making the long journey to Canada for the tournament. "We thought it would be a great chance to support Genie in her hometown and have the home crowd cheer along with us," said Stephen Ganavas, a 17-year-old student living in Melbourne. Dressed in red and white and waving a banner with her name, the Genie Army emerged as Bouchards unofficial cheering section during an impressive run in January. She ended up losing to the eventual winner, Li Na, in the semifinal. The Australian devotees, mostly men in their early 20s, readily admit they have no ties to Canada and no connection with Bouchard. They acknowledge the tall blonds looks may have played a part in their decision to support her. Ganavas said he and his friends also wanted to back an "up-and-comer" in the tournament and Bouchard fit the bill to a T after showing her potential at Wimbledon in 2013. "Genie is great because she is so genuine and down-to-earth," he said in an email exchange. "For example, after she had just lost at the Australian Open to Li Na, she came out onto the grounds and just had a chat with us when she could have been relaxing and thinking about the match she had just lost." Its been a landmark year for Bouchard. After her success in Australia, the 20-year-old made it all the way to the semis in the French Open in June before playing in the Wimbledon final on July 5. She enters the Rogers Cup at No. 7 in the world rankings. In the process, Bouchard, who hails from the Montreal-area community of Westmount, has gained a whole new legion of fans. Other Genie Army clubs have sprouted up in Montreal, Quebec City and Trois-Rivieres. The hashtag .GenieArmy was a trending topic on Twitter during Wimbledon. And a special Genie Army ticket package to watch Bouchard at the Rogers Cup is already sold out. Meanwhile, the original fan club from Australia has also gained a following of its own. A Genie Army website is under construction and the group is planning to sell T-shirts inspired by those they wore at the Australian Open. One reads, "Eat, Sleep, Genie, Repeat." And, after having their faces splashed across newspapers, websites and highlight reels during the Australian Open, members of the Genie Army will become a sort of cause celebre in Montreal. The group will attend an official photo this Saturday and, according to a news release, fans will "have the chance to take their photo with the now famous group." Kyler Fackrell Super Bowl Jersey . - The Florida Panthers are getting some Army training to finish off their preparations for the season. Corey Linsley Super Bowl Jersey .J. Hardy finally got in on the fun Saturday, against a likely opponent. http://www.shoptheofficialpackers.com/El...rs-Jersey/ . Armstrong was given the rank of "Chevalier" -- or Knight -- in the "Legion dHonneur" in 2005, the last year of his seven consecutive Tour de France victories.NEW YORK -- The stakes are always high, the encounters always memorable. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have built the best rivalry in tennis on a mountain of big-time matches, the likes of which theyll play Monday in the U.S. Open final. It will be the 37th meeting of their careers -- the most times in the Open era that any two men have played. "When you are involved in these kind of matches," Nadal said, "you feel special." Nadal will be going for his 13th major title, Djokovic his seventh. Nadal is seeded second, Djokovic first. This will be their third meeting in the last four years in the final in Arthur Ashe Stadium, a stretch interrupted last year when Nadal sat out with a knee injury. Nadal won the first match, in 2010, and Djokovic won the rematch in 2011. Both were tense four-setters that played a role in the winner being ranked first at years end. "Its always the biggest challenge that you can have in our sport now," Djokovic said of playing Nadal. "I mean, hes the ultimate competitor out there. Hes fighting for every ball and hes playing probably the best tennis that he ever played on hard courts." Both players are seeking their second major title of the year: Djokovic won the Australian Open and Nadal won the French. Nadal leads the overall series 21-15, though Djokovic has an 11-6 edge on hard courts. Fittingly for a match with these sort of stakes, the U.S. Open has built in a planned day of rest for the men, abandoning the tradition of playing the semifinals and final back-to-back over the weekend. Its a nod to the intensely physical nature of the modern game and to the desires of the players, who complained loudly about such a quick turnaround at the tail end of the years final Grand Slam. "I like to finish the tournaments on Sunday, not on Monday," Nadal said. "But talking about fair, for sure its a more fair finish on Monday, having one day off between the semifinals and final." The day off will certainly help Djokovic, who grinded through a 4-hour, 9-minute five-set win over Stanislas Wawrinka in the semifinals, while Nadal dispatched Richard Gasquet in three, losing his first and only service game of the tournament. But is it enough rest for the world No. 1, who will keep that ranking -- at least for the time being -- regardless of Mondays result? In July at Wimbledon, Djokovic played 4 hours, 43 minutes in a five-set semifinal wiin over Juan Martin del Potro, while Andy Murray won his semifinal in four sets. Marcedes Lewis Super Bowl Jersey. When they returned two days later for the final, Djokovic was clearly not his usual self. He rushed points, tried finishing many of them at the net, which isnt his strong suit, and paid the price -- a three-set loss to Murray. "Hard court is my most successful surface," Djokovic said. "This is where I can say I feel most comfortable and confident. Hopefully, I can perform better than I did in the Wimbledon final and maybe get a chance to win a trophy." While Djokovic has the most wins on tour this year on the hard courts (31), Nadal is undefeated -- a perfect 21-0. Its an amazing statistic, especially for a man who missed seven months with knee problems between 2012 and 2013. He won the French Open on clay, his favourite surface, then made a stunning first-round exit at Wimbledon. That loss to 135th-ranked Steve Darcis at the All England Club marks the only tournament of the 13 Nadal has entered this year in which he didnt make the final. "He lost three matches this year," Djokovic said. "With no doubt, hes the best player in the moment this year, no question about it." This will be their sixth meeting in a Grand Slam final. In addition to the split at Flushing Meadows, theyve met once each at the other three Grand Slams. Included in those matches was their five-set Australian Open masterpiece in 2012 that went 5 hours, 53 minutes, a record for a Grand Slam final. Later that year, they had a four-set final at the French Open that stretched over two days because of the rain. This year, Nadal pulled out a 9-7 win in the fifth set of a semifinal at Roland Garros, denying Djokovic a chance at the closing leg of the career Grand Slam he most dearly wanted to honour his one-time coach, Jelena Gencic, who died earlier during the tournament. Their only meeting this year on a hard court came in a U.S. Open tuneup in Montreal, where Nadal won the best-of-3-sets match in a third-set tiebreaker. Indeed, these are always memorable affairs, though Nadal acknowledged with a laugh that hed rather be playing someone else. "In the end, we have to be honest, no?" he said. "Talking about a final, Id want to play against a player that I have more chances to win. But I play against him. Ive played against him a lot of times. Always, weve played very exciting matches." ' ' '