PARIS – Novak Djokovic was just a few points away from losing to Milos Raonic a couple weeks ago in Rome, so it was no surprise that the No. 2 seed at the French Open lavished praise on the eighth-seeded Canadian on Sunday night after both men won their fourth-round matches easily to setup a quarterfinal showdown. "Milos is playing the tennis of his life," said Djokovic. "Hes top-10 now, an established top-10 player. He has one of the best serves in the world. Very powerful, very precise." Raonic had 17 aces when the two hooked up at the Masters 1000 event in Italy on May 17. Only American John Isner (82) has more aces than Raonic (72) at Roland Garros this year. "When he serves that well, there is not much you can do, really," said Djokovic, who entered Mondays matches as the tournament leader in break points won (29). "He puts a lot of pressure on his opponent and he has improved a lot from the baseline now. With his backhand, hes hitting down the line, hes very aggressive, which he should be, of course, for somebody of his height and his build. You know, hes powerful and he uses that serve. Forehand is also very good from back of the court. So there is an evident improvement in his game and he feels more confident on the court. You can feel that. The recent match we had in Rome, as you mentioned, was very close." Djokovic lost the first set in a tiebreaker at the Internazionali BNL dItalia before edging Raonic in a second-set tiebreaker and winning the third and deciding set 6-3. After the three-hour battle of wills, Djokovic said he could not remember the last time he felt as helpless in the return game. "I dont expect anything different now," he said after a straight-set victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Sunday. "You know, I know that Im going to have to face somebody that is going to serve over 200 kilometers per hour in average throughout the whole match. But Im ready for that." Raonic, meanwhile, is also feeling confident after becoming the first Canadian man to ever reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam singles competition (in the Open era). Raonic admitted he would not have thought his breakthrough would come on the red clay in Paris, but noted he has made some subtle adjustments this year to improve his game on the slower surface. "The biggest difference I have made this year is not really making too much of a difference when I have come to the clay," the 23-year-old explained. "Just more of an approach, knowing more balls will come back, but trying to stay close, not going too far back, and all these kind of things. I have tried to sort of keep that, I was doing it on hard courts, and its been working out well for me." But Raonic is well aware of the challenge that now lays before him. Djokovic badly wants to win the title here in order to complete the career slam. "I think its more so just a mental aspect of keeping up a certain level for that long and not allowing yourself to drift away," Raonic said when asked what the key is when facing such a strong opponent in a best-of-five format. "But he also makes that demanding of you in two out of three sets. Its just about doing it a little bit longer and bringing your best tennis. Obviously, thats important." Raonic and Djokovic have had a congenial relationship on tour due in part to their shared Serbian heritage. Born in Podgorica, Montenegro in 1990, Raonic and his family relocated to Toronto in 1994. "We have a good relationship. Very friendly. Same type of cultural upbringing and background, so we understand each other a lot, especially because of the language, as well," Raonic said. "So we get along well." Earl Averill Jersey .J. 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Toby Harrah Indians Jersey .com) - A pair of programs shooting for their 10th win of the season get together at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, as the NC State Wolfpack tangle with 22nd-ranked West Virginia during the challenge round of the Gotham Classic.WINNIPEG -- Long snapper Chris Cvetkovic is retiring from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers after 11 seasons. Cvetkovic finishes his career with 161 games, 66 special teams tackles and will retire as one of the most recognizable members of the community as a Blue Bomber. The 36-year-old came to the Bombers from the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2003 after spending his rookie season in Regina and has been key part of the Winnipeg organization both on and off the field. "The Winnipeg Blue Bombers would like to thank Chris for his boundless contributions, both on the football field, and in our community, over the past decade plus," said team president Wade Miller in a statement Monday. He was a two-time winner of the Ed Kotowich Award, which recognizes a player for football ability, team camaraderie and extraordinary effort in the community. "His tenacity, desire to win and build team camaraderie was very evident during my time playing with him, and we truly appreciate all of his efforts," said Miller.dddddddddddd Cvetkovic has lived in Winnipeg year-round since 2005 and in 2012 started a not-for-profit organization called Cvets Pets that helps local Winnipeg No-Kill Animal Rescue Programs. He also organized a trip to Mexico with other CFL players where they spent time volunteering at an animal sterilization clinic and has worked with several charities. During the winter of 2011, he was one of seven CFL players who travelled to Haiti to aide in tsunami relief efforts through a program called Huddle for Haiti. "He was a great locker-room guy and a player whose efforts both on and off the football field will be missed," said Winnipeg general manager Kyle Walters. ' ' '