NEW YORK -- About to contest her third Grand Slam final of the year, Angelique Kerber couldnt help but hear the part of player introductions when she was announced to the crowd as soon-to-be No. 1 in the rankings.It still sounds a little bit crazy, Kerber said a few hours later, the U.S. Open trophy by her side.Yet its also starting to feel real, she added. And deserved.Especially after Kerber rallied from down a break in the third set Saturday to edge Karolina Pliskova and clinch her second major title of 2016.The Australian Open back in January was where Kerber not only made her first Grand Slam final but won her first championship. But this U.S. Open may prove to be where the 28-year-old Kerber started to find herself comfortable with all those accolades.That it would happen at Flushing Meadows is fitting. Shell always remember the 2011 U.S. Open as the turnaround of her career.She came into the tournament ranked 92nd, never having advanced past the third around at a major. That season, Kerber had lost her opening match at five straight events during one stretch and 10 times overall -- including the years first three Grand Slams.I was just telling myself, `OK, just win a few rounds, and then you can get main draw in Australia, she recalled.Instead, she reached the semifinals, where she fell in three sets to eventual champion Sam Stosur. Kerber embraced the big stadiums, the boisterous crowds, the notion she belonged on those stages.It started growing, she said, a smile spreading across her face, and now I am here as the champion.Not that everything went smoothly those five years in between. Kerber made another semifinal at Wimbledon the following summer then didnt get back that far at a Grand Slam until this years Australian Open.And that run in Melbourne almost never happened. Kerber was on the verge of being swept out of the tournament in straight sets in the first round against 64th-ranked Misaki Doi.Kerber still remembers how she saved the match point -- with a serve out wide that forced Doi to miss a forehand.After that, everything starts this year, Kerber said. That was a really special match.She went on to stun Serena Williams in the final, though that achievement wasnt easy to handle at first. In her next major, Kerber lost in the first round to 58th-ranked Kiki Bertens at the French Open.I had so much pressure on my shoulders, Kerber said. I told myself, `OK, I will try to enjoy it now. And not going out there with the pressure, with the expectations that everybody say, `OK, now you have to win every tournament.She made another final at Wimbledon, playing well but losing the rematch with Williams because, as Kerber put it, Serena was the better player on this day.She lost the Olympic gold-medal match to 34th-ranked Monica Puig then fell to Pliskova in the Cincinnati final when a victory would have clinched the No. 1 ranking.Kerber spent two weeks at Flushing Meadows listening to -- and trying to block out -- questions about another opportunity to overtake Williams for the top spot.In the end, when Pliskova upset Williams in the semifinals, Kerber was guaranteed to be No. 1 when the next rankings come out Monday.She felt a sense of calm going into Saturdays title match unlike her experiences at the Australian Open or Wimbledon. She explained that her confidence came from knowing exactly what will happen after the final, win or lose, so she could just go out there and play.Afterward, Kerber thought back to her greatest weakness when she was a teenager aspiring to Grand Slam titles and No. 1 rankings: My fitness was the worst, she said, laughing.She faded in three-set matches. Wilted in the heat. Moved sluggishly around the court.No one watching her Saturday could have ever imagined that. There was Kerber running down every shot, looking fresh in a decisive set played in stifling humidity.Ten years later, Kerber said, my fitness is the best, and I can move forever on court. Josh Allen Jersey . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. Wholesale Bills Jerseys . 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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The NFL is re-evaluating its scheduling process in a bid to avoid the short turnaround of having teams playing on Sunday night and then travel to play on Thursday, Troy Vincent told The Associated Press.Thats tough, and well have to look at that, the leagues vice president of football operations said during a visit to Buffalo on Thursday. Ideally, thats not something that we would like to have.Vincent was referring to last month, when Washington beat Green Bay in a prime-time game on Nov. 20, and then lost a late afternoon game at Dallas four days later.He said the league prefers that both teams playing on Thursday would be scheduled to play early Sunday afternoon games the previous weekend.Vincent said the issue is on the leagues agenda and has also been raised with the NFLs senior vice president of broadcasting Howard Katz, who oversees the schedule.Thats welcome news to Washington coach Jay Gruden, who called it a no-brainer, when informed of Vincents comments.The recovery time for these players after a physical football game needs to be more than what we got.dddddddddddd And then you throw a plane ride in on top of it, it makes it pretty difficult, Gruden told The AP. It can be done because we did it. But I think the schedule maker should really look at that and not put somebody in that predicament again.Days before the game at Dallas, Gruden called the schedule unfair and said his biggest worry was the health of his teamThe shorter turnaround between games, such as what happened to Washington, is a rare occurrence. It has happened just seven times over the past 11 seasons, and only three of those instances involved a team playing on Sunday night and then again on Thanksgiving.Vincent cited league data in saying there is no indication that injuries have increased involving teams playing on three days rest.Otherwise, Vincent said, the NFL plans to continue playing weekly games on Thursday, with all 32 games being scheduled to play at least once per season. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Womens Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Stitched Jerseys Cheap NFL Black Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2020 ' ' '