After an appearance at the French Open and a five-match run at the Aegon Classic, Blainville, Quebecs Aleksandra Wozniak reflects on her play and her preparation for Roland Garros in her personal blog on RDS. Michael Joseph Jersey .ca and TSN.ca. The last few weeks have been hectic between my participation at Roland Garros and my debut this Tuesday at Wimbledon. It was a heartbreaking match against Sorana Cirstea at the French Open about two weeks ago. Its been awhile since I found myself in a situation like that. I lost the match by a hair after being at match point. Against the 26th-seed in the tournament, a player who hits very hard, its already promised to be difficult. I played a very good game until I dropped the second set and it has been a little hard to get over it eventually. I rather started playing a little too defensively and it let her take the lead and I dropped points. I made too many mistakes in the third set and its been difficult for me after the meeting. But its time to turn the page quickly to tackle the season on grass. I trained with artificial turf on the site of Roland Garros and made the adjustments necessary to make the transition from clay to grass, which is not easy because its a completely different game. Balls move faster, points come quicker with up to three exchanges, and it is rare that there are more than that. It was necessary to modify some aspects of my game accordingly. To put these adjustments into practice, I flew to Birmingham where I had an excellent tournament. I played five big matches, including two in qualifying. My progress was stopped, however, in the third round by former Wimbledon semi-finalist, Kirsten Flipkens. I won the first set 6-1 and was leading the second 3-1, but Flipkens came back strong and served well. She played better in the third set than I did. While she was aggressive, I struggled with my games and was fighting shots. Flipkens is especially difficult to play on grass because of the way she can slice and her net play, so its no surprise that she went as far as she did at Wimbledon in 2013. Still, it was a good tournament for me and there was a lot to be gained from it. Little by little, Im improving in the rankings. Im up to 118th in the world, which is an improvement of 17 places since the last rankings. My coach, Nathalie Tauziat, also said she likes the progress in my game that shes noticed since the beginning of this European swing at the Cagnes-sur-Mer tournament in France. Were continuing to move forward and this is encouraging. It just takes one good tournament run to accumulate points and keep propelling forward. Tomorrow (June 17), I have another opportunity to build on this momentum when I begin qualifying for the main draw at Wimbledon. I will face Renata Voracova, not a very well-known player, who is ranked 172nd in the world. Shes a regular doubles player on top of singles and loves to play at the net. Voracova loves to play on grass and Im going to have to dictate the pace from the start. Because the ball doesnt bounce as well on grass, Im going to have to keep low, legs bent, in anticipation of its movement. Qualification continues on Wednesday and Thursday. A woman amongst the men A little bit of a digression here on the recent news of Andy Murray hiring Amelie Mauresmo as his new coach. Its rare to see a woman in this position, especially in the ATP, because often, after their careers, female players spend time with their families. I think Murray picked Mauresmo with good reason. Shes a former Grand Slam champion (the Australian Open and Wimbledon) with lots of experience. He sees what she can provide, but this is a bit of a different approach. In my case, it was last year when I began training with a female coach after years of training with men. We get along well because Nathalie understands the emotions of a player. Their new partnership is a trial for the grass court season. Its difficult to find the right mix between the player and coach and theres always a period of adjustment. Chemistry wont be built in an instant. Murray will assess all of this after Wimbledon to see if the potential for a longer-term partnership is there. George Blanda Jersey . Burkes Flames are one of several teams involved in heavy trade speculation going into next Wednesdays 3pm et deadline, with the most prominent name in play being forward Michael Cammalleri. Pat ODonnell Jersey . Although the deal cannot be made official until the free agent moratorium period is lifted on July 10, Patterson has agreed to a three-year, $18 million extension to remain in Toronto, sources confirm to TSN. http://www.custombearsjersey.com/custom-matt-forte-jersey-large-1556t.html . Mickelson shot a 2-under 70 after opening with a 77 -- his worst score of the season -- on TPC San Antonios AT&T Oaks Course. Lefty was 11 strokes behind leader Steven Bowditch, the Australian who had a 67 to reach 8-under 136. SOCHI, Russia -- IOC President Thomas Bach accused world leaders Tuesday of using the Sochi Olympics as a political platform "on the backs of the athletes," and of snubbing the games without even being invited. Three days before the opening of Russias first Winter Games, Bach used a hard-hitting speech to call out politicians for using the Olympics to make an "ostentatious gesture" serving their own agendas. Without naming any individuals, Bachs comments appeared directed at President Barack Obama and European politicians who have taken stands against Russias law banning gay "propaganda" among minors. The Olympics, Bach said, should not be "used as a stage for political dissent or for trying to score points in internal or external political contests." "Have the courage to address your disagreements in a peaceful direct political dialogue and not on the backs of the athletes," he said at a ceremony attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin. "People have a very good understanding of what it really means to single out the Olympic Games to make an ostentatious gesture which allegedly costs nothing but produces international headlines. "In the extreme, we had to see a few politicians whose contributions to the fight for a good cause consisted of publicly declining invitations they had not even received." The buildup to the Olympics has been overshadowed by Western criticism of the anti-gay law and Russias record on human rights and other issues, making Sochi among the most politically charged games in years. Obama and key European leaders are shunning the Olympics. Obama, in a clear message against the anti-gay laws, has sent a delegation to Sochi made up of three openly gay athletes -- tennis great Billie Jean King, 2006 Olympic hockey medallist Caitlin Cahow and figure skater Brian Boitano. For the first time since 2000, the U.S. delegation to an Olympics will not include a president, vice-president or first lady. Former Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano leads the delegation. German President Joachim GGauck and French President Francois Hollande are also not coming to Sochi. Aaron Lynch Jersey. Neither is British Prime Minister David Cameron. Bach reiterated again that Putin had given the IOC assurances that the Olympic Charter would be upheld during the games and that homosexuals would not be discriminated against. Bach said Olympic values stand against any form of discrimination, including on grounds of sexual orientation. But he stressed the IOC must be "politically neutral without being apolitical" and that athletes must not use the Olympic Village and venues for "political demonstrations." The IOC has come under criticism for not doing more to fight the anti-gay law, but Bach said the committee was a sports organization with limited responsibilities. "We are not a supra-national government," he said. "We are not a superior world-parliament. We do not have a mandate to impose measures on sovereign states." Bachs speech was delivered at a ceremony marking the opening of the IOCs three-day session, or general assembly, ahead of the games. The Germans sharp comments marked a strong contrast with the relatively anodyne, diplomatic speeches of his predecessor, Jacques Rogge. Bach, winner of a fencing gold medal at the 1972 Olympics, was elected in September to succeed Rogge, who served for 12 years. Bach acknowledged there had been "a lot of skepticism in and outside the IOC" when Sochi was awarded the Olympics in 2007. "Now, seven years later, we can see that Sochi, that Russia has delivered," he said. Putin lauded the IOCs decision to bring the games to the Black Sea resort. "We realize what a difficult decision this was to hold the games in a city that barely had 10 to 15 per cent of the necessary infrastructure," he said. "You believed in us, you believed in the Russian character which can overcome all difficulties." "In the space of five years," Putin added, "we built world-class sports venues and city infrastructure that normally takes decades to build." ' ' '