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MASON, Ohio -- Novak Djokovic gets another chance at the one that keeps getting away. Four times, the worlds No. 1 player has reached the final of the Western & Southern Open. Hes finished as the runner-up all four times in the only Masters tournament where he has never gotten to raise the winners trophy. Hes the top seed in the tournament that opened on Sunday with a pair of mens matches. And hes the one to watch this week when it comes to tennis history as well. A title in Cincinnati would make him the first player to win all nine ATP Masters events. This isnt just another week for Djokovic. "That always adds more importance to this tournament for me," he said Sunday after a two-hour practice. "I do care to win this title a lot. Four times Ive lost in the finals and I havent been really close in those finals. "Playing four times in the finals is a great result. Hopefully I can go a step farther this time." Defending champion Rafael Nadal injured his right wrist and is out of the tournament, leaving one less obstacle to Djokovics quest. Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray have won eight of the last nine titles in Cincinnati. Djokovics focus on Sunday was getting accustomed to the fast courts and the humid conditions. Last July, he beat Federer in five sets to win his second Wimbledon title, but has struggled in the transition to hard courts. In Toronto last week, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga upset Djokovic on Thursday and knocked out Murray a day later. Djokovic said the courts in Cincinnati dont seem quite as fast as those in Toronto, which should help him. "I know what I need to do to get myself in the right shape, and hopefully Ill do it," he said. "Its easier said than done." Murray beat Djokovic for the Cincinnati title in 2008 and 2011. His focus this week is to get better at holding leads late in matches, which has been a problem all season. He listed all the times hes let a set slip away, including last week during his loss in Toronto. "I messed up a couple of matches this year, to be honest," Murray said. "My year could have been a lot different if I finished those matches off. I need to stop messing up when Im ahead." John Isner had one of his best tournaments in Cincinnati last year, reaching the final before losing to Nadal in a pair of tiebreakers. The showing has given him a lot of confidence for his return. "I played very well from the get-go," Isner said. "My opening match, I played extremely well. I beat a handful of very good players. Every match was close. I just got on a roll and embraced everything. At a certain point, I had nothing to lose." Serena Williams is the top seed in the womens draw. She fell apart in the Cincinnati final last year, losing in three sets to Victoria Azarenka. Williams lost to sister Venus in the semifinals at Montreal on Saturday. Azarenka has missed much of the season because of an injured left foot. She fell during a match in Montreal last week and has a sore knee, another concern as she defends her title in Cincinnati. Shes had few highlights all year. "Theres not much to describe," Azarenka said Sunday. "Theres been not so much happening for me this year. I havent played so much. Its been mostly about recovering and getting back." Adidas Nmd Herre Udsalg . I wondered how NHL coaches would feel about a playoff schedule that allowed them to open a best-of-seven series on the road, which many claim to favour, yet still gave them the precious home-ice edge for a seventh game. Adidas Nmd Herre Sort Tilbud . The trade deadline is Monday, Mar. 2 at 3pm et/Noon pt. TRADES COMPLETED SINCE OCT. 1, 2014: Feb. 15, 2015 Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: F Olli Jokinen, F Brendan Leipsic, 1st Round Pick (2015) Nashville Predators acquire: D Cody Franson, F Mike Santorelli Feb. http://www.dknmdskotilbud.com/ . In a series of tweets, it is explained by the Department of Player Safety that Niederreiter makes full body contact with Burrows and although there is head contact, he does not "pick" the head in the course of making the hit. Adidas Nmd Herre Tilbud . - The Oakland Athletics say they are stopping negotiations to extend their lease at the Coliseum. Adidas Nmd r1 Herre Sort .3 million qualifying offer to outfielder Michael Cuddyer on Monday.MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - Soccer-crazy Uruguayans raged Thursday at FIFAs decision to kick their star player out of the World Cup for his third biting incident, fearing it could deal a death blow to their bid to win the sports greatest tournament. Uruguays soccer federation said it planned to appeal the ban, which prohibits striker Luis Suarez from all soccer activities for four months. The ban also covers Uruguays next nine international games, which rules him out of next years Copa America. It will likely carry over to qualifying matches for the 2018 World Cup. Uruguayans of all stripes were nearly unanimous in their support of Suarez, calling the punishment excessive for what they felt was an act of immaturity. "It feels like Uruguay has been thrown out of the World Cup," Uruguayan soccer federation president Wilmar Valdez said in Rio. Diego Suarez, the strikers youngest brother who is also a soccer player, called the sanction an "unbelievable" decision that has saddened him. Juan Jose Monzillo, a fruit and vegetable vendor in Uruguays capital of Montevideo, saw conspiracy behind the decision by soccers governing body. "They clearly wanted to kick Suarez out of the World Cup. Uruguay is a small country that eliminated two big nations like Italy and England and it doesnt benefit FIFA to let Uruguay continue playing," said Monzillo, 48, who listened to the news about Suarez on headphones as he tended his stand. A crowd of fans, including President Jose Mujica at one point, gathered at Montevideos international airport Thursday night expecting Suarez to fly home. But the Uruguayan Football Federation later announced that Suarez was still in Brazil, adding that he thanked the fans but giving no explanation for why he had not left for home. Suarez bit the shoulder of Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini during Uruguays 1-0 win in the group stage on Tuesday, but escaped unpunished in the game itself as the referee did not see the incident. "Such behaviour cannot be tolerated on aany football pitch and in particular not at a FIFA World Cup, when the eyes of millions of people are on the stars on the field," Claudio Sulser, chairman of the FIFA disciplinary committee, said in a statement.dddddddddddd But Uruguayans did not buy the explanation. "The immorality and hypocrisy of FIFA has no limits. Neither does Chiellinis inclination for being a tattle-tale and a fink!" Luis Puig, a lawmaker for Uruguays ruling Broad Front coalition said on his Twitter account. This is the third time Suarez has been banned for biting an opponent, following similar incidents with Ajax in the Dutch league and Liverpool. He was given a 10-match ban by the Premier League for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in April 2013. Besides the biting incidents, Suarez has been vilified for racially abusing an opposing player and for a handball on the goal-line during an earlier World Cup quarterfinal. He also has been accused of having a penchant for diving. But Suarez also stuns fans with moments of brilliance on the field, leaving some to compare him to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The Uruguayan striker for Liverpool was last seasons player of the year in Englands Premier League. Valdez, the head of Uruguays soccer federation, said that it was Suarez who was targeted for aggression by the Italians. "When he falls, several substitutes insult him on the ground and some members of Italys staff even came off the bench to try to hit him," Valdez said, suggesting FIFA should investigate Italy. Any appeal by Uruguay must first go to the FIFA appeal committee, said FIFA spokeswoman Delia Fischer. If rejected, Suarez and Uruguay could take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland. "We should withdraw from the World Cup, because what they have done is so lamentable. But at least we can go forward with dignity," said former soccer player Robert Lima, who won several Uruguayan championship with the club Penarol. ' ' '