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Professional sports, by their nature, are in constant transition. With players now peaking in their mid- to late 20s, tennis experiences a considerable annual turnover.Its like that moving walkway at the airport, said Brad Gilbert earlier this week from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he called matches for ESPN. When you get off, it keeps on moving. Those tournaments keep on coming.Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal won at least one Grand Slam title between them for a dozen straight years, from 2003-14. Although that streak ended last year, 2016 looks and feels like something approaching a sea change on the mens side.New York, in particular, will offer a distinctly different vibe. For the first time this century, Federer will not be present at the US Open, which begins Monday. The five-time champion will presumably be back home in Switzerland, surrounded by his wife and four children, rehabbing knee and back injuries with an eye on next year.Im trying to focus on getting back, being healthy and remaining motivated, Federer told reporters earlier this week while in New York for a promotion. Its not a struggle to go to the gym or the physio room and do my exercises.More specifically, Federer targeted early January to make his comeback, at the Hopeman Cup and then the Australian Open.I remain very upbeat but in a way its painful to be here, and it was hard watching the Olympics and not playing, he said.Gilbert, who coached Andre Agassi back in the day and later, Andy Roddick, Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori, turned professional in 1982 and played through 1995. In 35 years, hes seen many generations of athletes.It will feel different, Gilbert acknowledged. We didnt have Fed in Canada or Cincinnati, but for the casual fan, the void will be more noticeable at the US Open. In a way, his absence will help make them appreciate what hes done for the game.The 35-year-old Federer made the difficult decision to shut it down after Wimbledon. He still ranks No. 3 among ATP World Tour players, but 28 matches are his fewest in a season going back to his first, in 1998. For the first time since 2000, he will go an entire year without winning at least one title.Its going to be a different energy, said Justin Gimelstob, who will be in New York as a Tennis Channel analyst. Well miss his aura and his presence. But the US Open is still the US Open. There are a lot of intriguing storylines out there.Nadal, now 30, won nine of 10 titles at Roland Garros but had his worst result in Paris in May after granting a third-round walkover victory to fellow Spaniard Marcel Granollers. That left wrist injury also caused Rafa to miss Wimbledon before he reached the bronze-medal match at the Rio Olympics. For Nadal, this will be only the second appearance in New York in the past four years.Even Novak Djokovic, the best player in tennis over the past five-plus years, has seen his grip on the game become a tad looser. The flexible, fluent Serb won the seasons first two majors, in Melbourne and Paris, then watched as Murray won Wimbledon and the Rio Olympics. But Murray wasnt the one who beat Djokovic in either of those events.After losing in the first round at Rio to Juan Martin del Potro, Djokovic -- citing a recurring left wrist injury -- elected to skip Cincinnati, while Murray reached the final Sunday, only to fall to Marin Cilic.The condition of Djokovics wrist has gripped the rabid slice of tennis fans on social media. New York should provide some answers.Yes, after enormous anticipation and advance publicity, were into a new era. The 30-somethings are giving way to teenagers and players already formidable in their early 20s.Federer, of course, was once a teenage phenomenon.He was 16 years old when he played his first ATP-level match, in Gstaad, Switzerland, where he lost to Lucas Arnold Ker. The second match didnt go any better; Federer lost in Geneva to Orlin Stanoytchev. In his third tournament, in Toulouse, France, he got to the quarterfinals and this pushed his year-end ranking all the way up to ... No. 302. A year later, he was No. 64.In his first US Open, in 2000, Federer advanced to the third round, where he dropped a fourth-set match to future two-time French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero. Four years later, Federer won his first US Open title -- his third major triumph of the year.In recent years, however, mens tennis -- at least at the top -- has been a remarkably stable enterprise. Since Marat Safin won the 2005 Australian Open, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray have, astonishingly, won 42 of the past 46 Grand Slams.In that time, no fewer than 17 women -- including Flavia Pennetta, Marion Bartoli and Samantha Stosur -- have won majors.Federer hasnt won a major since Wimbledon in 2012, but going forward, he still sees himself as a major player.I took this decision [to have surgery and take time off] because I see myself still playing for numerous years, Federer said. Otherwise, I would have just said, Who cares. Ill just somehow play in some shape or form, unhealthy, healthy, it doesnt matter at this point. Ill just fizzle out at the end of my career.But I care too much about the game and my health that I still believe something is possible for me down the road in tennis. Dallas Cowboys Shirts . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. Stitched Cowboys Jerseys . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. https://www.cowboysjerseysale.com/ . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries. Wholesale Cowboys Jerseys . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Cowboys Jerseys 2020 . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tom Brady celebrated his completion by throwing his hands into the air and shouting as if it was a game-winning catch. Whoa, calm down. It was only a pass to newcomer Danny Amendola at minicamp more than a month before training camp and with no one allowed to hit the quarterback. But to Brady, it was a sign that he and his likely top wide receiver are making progress as he tries to develop chemistry with a new group. In the off-season, the New England Patriots parted with Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd following a season in which they were the teams top two pass catchers. "Danny has come in and hes been fun to play with," Brady said. "Hes diving out there for catches. Hes really done everything that weve asked him to do." That excites the two-time NFL most valuable player entering his 14th season with the Patriots but with just one wide receiver who has ever caught a pass from him. Thats Julian Edelman, who had 21 receptions last season but missed minicamp with a foot injury. Brady knows it will take time to develop chemistry with his new receivers but was excited when Amendola made a catch over the middle during an 11-on-11 drill on Tuesday, the first day of minicamp. "It was only one play, and were trying to stack as many of those up as we can," Amendola said. Brady said he had told the receiver what to do. "The first time he didnt quite get it and the second time he got it a little more, but not quite. And finally we nailed it," Brady said. "Hopefully, once you get that feeling of nailing it, you can understand it. "Ive developed some great chemistry with receivers over the years that body language is really important -- when to (stop), when to move, when to give me your eyes, when to give me your hands, all those little cues that youre using to try to anticipate things as players are very important." Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez were quick learners as rookies in 2010 and developed into an excellent tight-end duo. Welker began playing with Brady in 2007 and their communication and precision were outstanding. Amendola, signed as a free agent from the St. Louis Rams, still hasnt caught a pass from Brady in a game. "We havent really had any meaningful action," Brady said. "You learn the most about players when its the hardest and training camp is a good time to develop some of that chemistry and mental toughness as a team. So the more of those guys we have, the better were going to be.dddddddddddd" One of them could be Michael Jenkins, another free-agent addition after seven years in Atlanta and the past two in Minnesota. Hes averaged 39 catches per season and played with the first team during minicamp. The final scheduled practice on Thursday was cancelled. With Brady, its important to be "where youre supposed to be because hes going to get it there," Jenkins said. Two rookie draft choices are missing valuable time doing that. Second-rounder Aaron Dobson and fourth-rounder Josh Boyce have been nursing injuries. "Any player thats not out there is behind," coach Bill Belichick said. But they can keep up in the meeting room. "Its really been a fun group," Brady said. "Its been open to learning and open to understanding how we do things because how we do things is quite a bit different than how other teams do things, both on the field and off the field." There are the highly organized practices, the intricate offensive system and the intolerance for mistakes. Bad plays get a lot more attention than good ones. "Someone is really going to get yelled at on every play," Brady said. "Theres always lowlights when we come in on the next day. Even if it was a great offensive play, (Belichicks) going to yell at someone on the defence. Weve become a bit used to that now and thats part of the learning process and also learning how to play for the Patriots." Belichick couldnt have been upset with Amendolas catch. The quarterback certainly wasnt and showed the same passion hes displayed encouraging teammates on the sideline during games. The foundation built in organized team activities and minicamp carries over to training camp and sets the stage for the regular season. "Everything ends up having some significance to it," Brady said. "Youre not just out here running plays and going through different things that arent going to mean anything. Were out here trying to get a lot of things accomplished." That explains Bradys joy when he and Amendola made their connection. "Watching Tom and being on the outside, you see that fire. You see him get amped up in games. Thats the type of guy you want to play for," Amendola said. "For him to do that in practice, in OTAs (when) were going against each other, our own team, and to have that fire and desire to win is really uplifting." ' ' '