She is still only 21.So ask PV Sindhu, who is back home after clinching her first Superseries title in China and following that up by reaching the final of another Superseries event in Hong Kong, what this phase on the road was like, and you get the response of a chirpy, sprightly young person relishing her time in the sun.She describes the two weeks as extremely wonderful, the victory in China as a great achievement and a tremendous experience. She winds down her sentence by saying reaching back-to-back finals made her incredibly happy.So, was the defeat in the final in Hong Kong to Tai Tzu Ying, an opponent she had beaten comfortably on her way to silver in Rio, at all disheartening?Nah. Sindhus default setting is upbeat.My opponent was extraordinarily brilliant on the court on that day, she concedes. And a few foul shots cost me the match.These have been a heady few months. Since that historic run to the podium in Rio, Sindhu has taken pride of place among Indias most prominent sportspersons. Her first two tournaments on returning to competitive play after a couple of months of manic celebrations and felicitations ended in early defeats in Denmark and France.Many wondered if the year would end in a whimper. But not Sindhu. In China, she battled through a string of long matches and backed it up in Hong Kong with four sparkling performances, demolishing the field in her wake, before going down in the summit clash.For coach Pullela Gopichand, who did not travel with Sindhu for these tournaments, the biggest takeaway from the last two tournaments has been watching her evolution as a player. Strokes they would practice on the training court were unleashed in match situations on unsuspecting opponents. To finish her semifinal in Hong Kong against local girl Cheung Ngan Yi , Sindhu jumped to play a reverse drop that caught her opponent completely off-guard because Gopi says nobody had seen her play that stroke ever.From her backhand lane, Sindhu was retrieving and hitting the shuttle cross-court, another addition to her arsenal. Nine-time national champion Aparna Popat likens that shot to Steffi Grafs single-handed, top-spin backhand. She believes Sindhus display of a wider array of shots is a reflection of a much higher level of confidence after Rio.As you grow as a player, against different opponents you find yourself in different situations, Aparna explains. You know you have to hit a particular stroke but you are not so confident to execute it. Thats when you go back to practice and practice very specific strokes under specific situations. For example that backhand cross, maybe 75% of the match you will play straight, but say at 16-all or 17-all you pull out one of those strokes.As you go along these strokes will keep getting added, one by one. The confidence to use the stroke is something that cant be practiced and cannot be taught. It is when you are so confident in general and when you practice it so much that you will dare to do something like that in a match.Aparna reckons Sindhu is a lot more settled with her own game these days. From being unsure at the start of the year whether she could even qualify for the Olympics, having been laid low by injuries and patchy form, to clinching silver has, in Aparnas estimation, relaxed Sindhu mentally.Gopi agrees increased confidence has led to a spurt in the strokes she feels comfortable employing even in closely contested matches. Sindhu is well aware that on an extremely competitive circuit with the top players in the world bunched together in ranking points, continuing to develop an all-round game is essential.Competition has always been there be it a small stage or big, Sindhu says. Meeting the challenges and winning them are the crowning glories that the titles carry. I feel more confident and also I have been working on all my strokes.Sindhus immediate challenge will be the Superseries finals in Dubai from December 14 where an elite field of eight players participate in a round robin and knockout format.For Sindhu to have accumulated enough points to even qualify for the event was a major surprise as she had missed a few Superseries tournaments at the start of the year. She says shes elated to have made the cut even as Gopi chuckles that he is now cancelling other engagements planned for the time to prepare for the event. As to whether she starts as among the favourites for the title on current form, Gopi offers a more cautious perspective.It is a very open event, he says. You cant rule out the Carolina Marins, Tai Tzu Ying and Sung Ji Hyuns of the world. Many of Sindhus wins and losses have been close matches, we have to remember that.Aparna agrees that the tournament is too hard to call. In her view, after the successes of 2016, Sindhu must target a swift rise up the rankings as her primary ambition next season.I think she should get into the top-5 now, it is high time, Aparna says. She has been hovering around the 9-10 level for a long time. That can only happen if she gets consistent success in Superseries events. Nate Schmidt Golden Knights Jersey . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. William Karlsson Golden Knights Jersey . - NASCAR announced a 33-race schedule for the 2014 Nationwide Series with virtually no changes from this years slate. http://www.goldenknightssale.com/authentic-nick-holden-golden-knights-jersey/ . Ronaldo produced a spectacular individual performance on Tuesday, scoring all three goals and guiding Portugal into the next years World Cup in Brazil with a 3-2 victory in Sweden. The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov. Jon Merrill Golden Knights Jersey . It says Pocklingtons lawyer filed the appeal Friday in a California court. CTV Edmonton also says Pocklington gave a $100,000 cash deposit as part of the conditions of his bail, and that he will be out on bail until his appeal is heard. Cody Eakin Jersey . A big centre with all the tools to be an elite player, Johansen paced the Blue Jackets with a standout game Saturday night. He had a goal and two assists for a career-high three points as Columbus beat the New York Islanders 5-2 to snap a five-game losing streak. OAKLAND, Calif. -- Ryan Mitchell reached out to buddy Michael Doran a few days back to find out his finals schedule at Saint Marys College. If they were both all clear from exams Tuesday, there would be no missing the first office hours hosted by new Oakland Athletics President Dave Kaval.The two 19-year-olds left campus in the East Bay hills and picked up food from McDonalds before arriving 75 minutes early. They found themselves first in line for Kavals time.We were expecting a big crowd. I was overly excited and then I got Michael excited about coming, too, Mitchell said. That was cool.Im not going to say no to meeting the As president, Doran added.They heard about plans for an intimate new ballpark and how it would benefit payroll, revenue, keeping star players, and Kaval told them to reach out with any ideas, even at 2 a.m.One of the most intriguing sessions was near the beginning with structural and earthquake engineer Ibbi Almufti, who offered a detailed presentation on his laptop featuring plans and the benefits of a floating ballpark five feet deep in the water- yes, thats right, in the water with the ability to move it around the bay while dealing with almost no earthquake risks.We dont want to capsize this thing, Kaval quipped, and then thanked Almufti with, Its a fascinating way to think outside the box.He offered up any help needed from his company, engineering, architecture and design giant ARUP. It is responsible for some of the worlds most famous buildings, and Almufti pointed to a photo of the 2008 Beijing Olympics Birds Nest stadium.Almufti works in San Francisco and has a 3-year-old son, but I dont want him to grow up as a Giants fan, he said. Thats too easy.The college students and Almufti were among approximately 100 As fans to show up at the Oakland Coliseum as Kaval reached out with an open invitation as he tries to gather ideas for a proposed new ballpark and also improve the fan experience at the clubs current, rundown venue, through thoughtful communication and open dialogue on anyy and all issues -- good and bad.dddddddddddd Bathrooms in the Bar & Grille are need of changing tables, pointed out Shaun Aguilar, who drove in from the Central Valley city of Modesto and attends about 15 games a year now that he has two sons ages 3 and 2.Id love to have you at a game, Kaval said, handing the sales manager two hats for his boys while inviting him to offer more insight along the way.With a stack of pages of typed notes, Aguilar appreciated his brief time with Kaval, offering, I love the As, theyre second in my life after my family.Kaval opened shop at 3 p.m. and met with fans for 5 1/2 hours through dinnertime. People were invited on a first-come, first-served basis for short meetings with him in a suite overlooking the field -- currently rocking a Raiders logo for the AFC leaders. Peanuts, pretzels, popcorn and hot dogs with all the trimmings were provided, along with water, coffee and cocoa on a blustery December day.Hired last month in a restructuring of the As top ownership and management team, Kaval holds the same position with the MLS San Jose Earthquakes. There, he pulled off the building of the Quakes second-year, state-of-the art Avaya Stadium, which boasts the largest outdoor bar in North America.The As, with input from a variety of community leaders, are in the process of evaluating several Oakland sites with consideration to transit, parking, environment and surrounding opportunities for businesses and housing.At the end of each meeting, lasting up to about 10 minutes, Kaval handed out a postcard-sized note thanking fans for attending while providing his email address and Twitter handle for further communication. He will hold further office hours every Tuesday by appointment only.Its like a whole new image for the As starting when he came, said Mitchell, a sports management major who plays pitcher and third base on the universitys club team. New hope. ' ' '