Dein erstes Forum » results also have afflicted Weaver (11-

British fans love an underdog and, in Gael Monfils and Dominic Thiem, they will have two to get behind at the ATP World Tour Finals at London’s O2 next week.Should either of them manage to overcome the likes of new world No 1 Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic to win the title, it would go down as one of the most famous victories in the history of the event.Djokovic has won the past four editions; Roger Federer twice before him. You have to look back to 2009, when Nikolay Davydenko stunned Federer in the semi-final and defeated then US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in the final for an upset of comparable magnitude. Before that, in 2005, David Nalbandian became the first man not to have won a Grand Slam or Masters title to lift the trophy.Inspiration is few and far between then, although Monfils and Thiem can look to Dominika Cibulkovas surprise debut victory at the WTA Finals in Singapore last month. Her win over world No 1 Angelique Kerber in the final was a fairytale, but do Monfils and Thiem have what it takes to emulate her? Dominic Thiem is an up-and-coming talent They are paired with Novak Djokovic and Milos Raonic in the Ivan Lendl group at the O2, so the Frenchman and Austrian are up against it from the off.But with Djokovic faltering of late and Raonic withdrawing from last weeks Paris Masters semi-final against Murray with a leg injury, all hope is not lost. World Tour: Panel predictions See how our Sky Sports pundits think the ATP World Tour Finals will go and cast your vote At 30 years old, Monfils has plenty of experience and goes into the Tour Finals having won the Citi Open in July and recorded career-best results at both the US Open (semi-final) and Australian Open (quarter-final) this year. He also has a winning record of 3-2 over Raonic.His run in New York, in particular, should give him heart. The Frenchman did not drop a single set on his way to the last four, beating former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis and flourishing against compatriot Lucas Pouille in the quarter-final. A look at why Monfils is tennis showman However, there was the small matter of Monfils bizarre semi-final against Djokovic. The Frenchman tried every trick in the book against the Serb, with varying and sometimes hilarious results.He play-acted and fired balls almost into the crowd, but also hit some of the most spectacular winners Flushing Meadows had seen this year. He occasionally looked as if he might give up and received serve two feet inside the baseline, but then burst into life, sometimes crushing a return past the open-mouthed Djokovic.He double-faulted at 137mph, on second serve. He served 11 aces and 11 double faults. When he shook hands, having taken a set off the eventual runner-up, he was completely spent. Watch Thiems superb backhand Meanwhile, Thiem, at 23 years old, has four titles of his own this year across all three surfaces, in Buenos Aires, Nice, Acapulco and Stuttgart. He also reached the French Open semi-final.Thiems showings in Paris belied his years. The Austrian battled through four four-set matches, knocking out 12th-seed David Goffin in the quarters.But, like Monfils, his progress was stopped by Djokovic. Yet, unlike Monfils, Thiem was steamrollered by the Serb in straight sets, the Austrian picking up just seven games in the process. Monfils is capable of both the sublime and ridiculous When it comes to London, neither player will suffer the weight of expectation when they step on court, but they will find a different atmosphere to what they are used to.While Thiem will certainly not wilt under the bright lights, it is the Frenchman who is more likely to embrace the electric energy from the crowd and use it to aid his flamboyant style. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. If the fairytale follows Cibulkovas, and Monfils loses to Djokovic in the group and then meets the Serb in the final, hopefully he has taken note of Davydenkos triumph and will beat him when it really matters, at the 15th time of asking.Watch every day of the ATP World Tour Finals, from November 13-20, live on Sky Sports. Full schedule here.Also See:World Tour Finals on Sky SportsStan the danger manWorld Tour Finals: The GroupsTour Finals at the O2Joe Dumars Jersey . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. Andre Drummond Jersey . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2. https://www.pistonsrookiesshop.com/Caron-Butler-City-Edition-Jersey/ .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled forward Kevin Porter and defenceman Chad Ruhwedel from the minors as part of a five-player roster shuffle made by the NHLs worst team. Bill Laimbeer Jersey . William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period. Henry Ellenson Pistons Jersey . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break.ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Two struggling right-handers from two struggling teams will face off when the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Angels continue their four-game series Friday night at Angel Stadium.The Blue Jays R.A. Dickey, who has lost five of his past seven decisions, will face the Angels Jered Weaver, who had to win his last three decisions to get his record to .500.Weaver is the only remaining healthy starter from the Angels projected rotation, which injuries have decimated. As a result, Los Angeles (63-83) will have its first losing season since 2013 and could reach 90 losses for the first time in manager Mike Scioscias 17-year tenure.Toronto has won just four games this month yet remains in the thick of the race for a playoff spot. The Blue Jays (80-66) are two games behind the Boston Red Sox (82-64) in the American League East while sharing the top AL wild-card spot with the Baltimore Orioles.A 7-2 win against the Angels on Thursday night also enabled Toronto to expand its lead over the Tigers and the Mariners in the wild-card race to two games. Detroit and Seattle are both 78-68.Following their series in Anaheim, the Jays will meet the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.The West Coast has never been friendly, really, for anybody, Toronto manager John Gibbons told the Toronto Star before the series opener in Anaheim on Thursday. Its going to be a big test for us, and Seattle has always been tough. This next road trip will say a lot. I would say it determines what happens to us.Dickey won the 2012 National League Cy Young Award with the New York Mets, when he amasseed 20 victories and pitched in the All-Star Game.dddddddddddd Since then, however, the knuckleballer has gone just 48-51 with a 4.08 earned-run average. This year, Dickey, 41, owns a 9-14 record and a 4.60 ERA.One of his recent bright spots was a 7-2 win against the Angels at Rogers Centre on Aug. 23. He allowed two runs -- both on Nick Buss second-inning, two-run homer -- in 6 2/3 innings.I felt good about handling the middle of their order, I didnt feel so good about handling the lower half of their order, Dickey said.(Dickey) was fantastic, Gibbons said. After the two-run homer, he was in cruise control.Inconsistent results also have afflicted Weaver (11-11, 5.25 ERA). The 33-year-old needs one more win to reach 150 for his career, but one more loss would match his single-season high.After going 0-4 in a six-start span, Weaver has been on the rise since winning in Toronto on Aug. 25, when he gave up two runs (one earned) in 5 2/3 innings.In his most recent start, he limited the Rangers to two runs in 6 2/3 innings during a 3-2 win Sunday at Angel Stadium.The fastball command was good, said Weaver, who has fought injuries and declining velocity in recent seasons. Everything is starting to free up, and Im getting a little stronger. Its happening a little later than I thought, but the body is responding well in between starts. Im doing a lot of work in between starts with the trainers and a strength guy to try to get back on track. Im feeling good. ' ' '