Funkerstation » soccer. And if you think about soccer in Brazil, its not a

If Geelong AFL forward Daniel Menzel was even a little bit superstitious hed stay safely within the confines of his own home on Friday night.Instead, hell be at the MCG to play his first final since that fateful night in September of 2011, when he suffered what would be the first of four ruptured anterior cruciate ligaments that threatened his AFL career.The Cats qualifying final clash against old foes Hawthorn is packed with intriguing storylines but its hard to beat Menzels return to the big stage for feel-good factor.Ive had a lot of people message to say that its five years to the night against the same team at the same ground in the same final, which is uncanny, but to be honest it wont even cross my mind, Menzel said on Wednesday.Weve done so much work in the gym and on the training track and got through so many games now - I know the work you put in does pay off.I know that my body is strong and will hold up.Menzel missed all of the `12, `13 and `14 seasons and most of 2015 as he went through the mentally and physically draining rehabilitation from four major knee operations.The most painful part of it all was that he missed Geelongs 2011 grand final win, which is something he admitted took him a while to let go.Its one that throughout my rehab I struggled with at times after missing out ... I held onto that a fair bit, he said.It did drive and motivate me but after speaking with psychologists who helped me overcome the pain of not being part of that you dont really think about that (any more) because it might make you down or flat or negative.Menzel called a groin injury suffered in round 20 as a blessing in disguise that has allowed him to freshen up for the Cats finals campaign. Chuma Edoga Jersey . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. LaDainian Tomlinson Jets Jersey .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. 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PARIS -- The face of Brazilian tennis no longer is able to smile on a court.Gustavo Kuerten cant play the game he loves -- and that, for years, loved him back. He retired from the tour for good in 2008 after a professional career that included three French Open titles and a stint at No. 1, and nowadays even a hit-and-giggle session is simply out of the question thanks to hip problems that required multiple operations.Tennis got to be a big part of my life, but it doesnt need to be, Kuerten said in an interview with The Associated Press at Roland Garros.So I try to fulfill my life with other stories and other flavors, he said, using that famous wide-as-can-be grin to punctuate sentences. Of course it would be nice to go out on the court. Sweat. Be out there, happy. But I have to deal with it.A month shy of turning 40, Kuerten has not played a match of any sort in nearly four years, since an exhibition against Novak Djokovic in Rio de Janeiro before a crowd of about 10,000. Still, as his native land prepares to stage the Olympics, Kuerten remains an important figure in Brazil, as big a sports star as there is -- aside, of course, from the beloved soccer players.During the Rio Games that officially open Friday, Kuerten will be working for a local TV broadcaster, although he wont exactly be an impartial reporter: He will be rooting for the hosts to put on a good show and, more importantly, for his countrymen to regain their joy after economic and political turmoil.I never saw the Brazilian people so pessimistic, so sad, so bored, Kuerten said, shaking his head of bushy hair, his brown curls speckled by a bit of gray around the ears.I think the Olympics will bring this alive again, the brightening of being Brazilian. We are able to (have) success. Even in the worst crisis, we are able to have hopes. We are losing our hopes, continued Kuerten, an ambassador for the Brazilian Paralympic Committee. This will be the main achievement the Olympics will give us, for sure.He has prompted plenty of people to pick up a racket, via dozens of schools he established around Brazil or simply via his playing days.Orlando Luz, an 18-yearr-old from Brazil who won a Wimbledon junior doubles title, recalls hearing his father tell tales about Kuerten and watching videos of his French Open triumphs.ddddddddddddHes my idol, Luz said. You could look at his face, and he was playing his best on every point. He was fighting on every point. Thats what I try to take from him.The hosts Rio tennis team will include medal contenders in mens doubles: Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares.When Kuerten won his first Grand Slam trophy, in Paris in 1997, Soares was 15 and keeping track from afar while playing in a junior tournament.He was a huge inspiration, not only for me, but for everybody, because he made all of us believe that we could be something in tennis, we could do something in tennis, said Soares, who won the Australian Open doubles title in January.He completely (caused) a huge transformation. Nobody really knew tennis; only the tennis fans did. He brought tennis to the masses, Soares said. Right now, tennis is the second sport, behind soccer. And if you think about soccer in Brazil, its not a sport, its a religion. So that makes tennis No. 1 of the `normal sports.One indication of Kuertens status: Hes known simply as Guga, which used to be a common nickname for Gustavo in Brazil, along the lines of Bill for William.After he came along, `Guga is just him. No one else, said Kuertens older brother and business manager, Rafael. Some people tell me, `I lost my nickname.Kuerten wants to use that popularity to boost tennis at home and abroad.He recently became a global ambassador for the International Tennis Hall of Fame, which inducted him in 2012.If I were more active and able to play more, I might not have the time to do these other things -- and I wouldnt have the time and the experience to look at things more clearly and to value what its all about, Kuerten said. You look differently at things and opportunities. For me, its a mission to transform tennis in Brazil.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich ' ' '