Plauderecke » the Wimbledon champion said.Despite the presence of fam

PRAGUE - Tasked with leading the Czech Republic to victory in another home Fed Cup final this weekend, Petra Kvitova said the considerable pressure from compatriots is much less than what she puts on herself.The Czechs go after their third title in four years, with Germany on the other side of the indoor hard court at O2 Arena.The beautiful memories of titles in 2011 and 2012, the republics first since the end of communist rule, drives Kvitova to help set up a third victory party.Its not often we get to celebrate as a team. I love this competition and this team, the Wimbledon champion said.Despite the presence of family and friends, and huge expectations and support from fellow Czechs, Kvitova said: Its a lot of pressure on me in the Fed Cup, but its more pressure from myself when we are playing at home. Everybody is expecting that I make it two points, and thats what I will try to do.Kvitova said she was fatigued after the WTA Finals in Singapore, where she failed to advance from the group stage nearly two weeks ago. A little rest, and the comforts of home, have reinvigorated her to put an exclamation point on a stellar season including her second grand slam title, two other titles, and more than $5 million in prize money.Ranked No. 3, Kvitova is favoured to edge Germanys Angelique Kerber (10th) and Andrea Petkovic (14th), and hope either rising star Karolina Pliskova, in her Fed Cup debut, or Lucie Safarova, who clinched the 2012 final victory, or doubles player Lucie Hradecka can come through.Prague and the indoor court dont faze the Germans, who won both of their previous ties in Slovakia and Australia to reach their first final since 1992.Petkovic comes into the final having won the Tournament of Champions in Bulgaria on Sunday for her third WTA title of the year.I feel much more confident, Petkovic said.Kerber, the German No. 1, has won five straight singles in Fed Cup, and has beaten Kvitova twice on tour. Sabine Lisicki and Julia Goerges, both playing Fed Cup since 2008, are also in the team.Captain Barbara Rittner is attempting to become the fourth woman to win the Fed Cup as a player and captain. She was in the last German team to triumph, 22 years ago.The Czechs have a 6-1 winning record against Germany. Niklas Sule Bayern Munich Jersey .com) - Colorado may be ahead of the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference standings, but they are a club that the Avalanche may want to avoid in the playoffs. Sinan Kurt Jersey . -- Top-ranked Stacy Lewis birdied the last three holes and five of the final six Thursday for an 8-under 64 and a share of the lead with Mi Jung Hur in the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic. http://www.soccerfcbayernshop.com/kids-mehdi-benatia-bayern-munich-jersey/ . Footballs governing body said Tuesday that of the 2,577,662 tickets allocated for this years tournament, 1,041,418 have gone to people in Brazil. The U. Thiago Alcantara Bayern Munich Jersey . "If we could score a six in every game, obviously I would be pretty excited," Jones said. "Its a long week but a short week. Its a pretty short round robin from what were used to so you dont want to get behind the eight ball early. Dante Jersey . - Aroldis Chapman, with two black eyes, has returned to the Cincinnati Reds clubhouse four days after being hit in the face by a line drive.LAKE LOUISE, Alta. - After a fifth-place finish in a World Cup super-G, her third race in three days, Lindsey Vonn used six simple words to sum up where things stand in her comeback from major knee surgery. "I know," Vonn said, "I can win again." She also had this to say after coming within a second of winner Lara Gut of Switzerland on Sunday: "Im ready for Sochi." The 2014 Winter Games are less than two full months away, and Vonn said she might only race one or two times before then. "I know that Im skiing well," said Vonn, the 2010 Olympic downhill gold medallist and a four-time overall World Cup champion. "So I know that I dont need to push myself and try to push the limits of my knee to race as many as races as I can." Until this weekend, the 29-year-old American had not competed since a high-speed crash at the world championships last February ripped two ligaments in her right knee and broke a bone in that leg. Working her way back from that, Vonn had a setback less than three weeks ago, partially re-tearing her reconstructed right ACL. "She had a trauma about a month ago, so its very impressive that shes doing it," said U.S. teammate Leanne Smith, who was sixth Sunday. "Every one of her teammates are her biggest fans, I would say. Were happy to have her back." Vonns first race in 10 months was Fridays downhill, and she was — not surprisingly — rusty and a tad nervous, and wound up 40th, ending a seven-race winning streak at a resort in the Canadian Rockies nicknamed "Lake Lindsey." In Saturdays downhill, Vonn was 11th. The "very goood progression," as U.dddddddddddd.S. Ski Team womens speed coach Chip White put it, continued Sunday with Vonns best showing yet. She declared herself pleased with her mental and physical improvement over these past few days. "My run was pretty good. I was pushing the line really hard and I think I went a little bit too straight in some sections. But thats a good mistake to make — pushing the limits and trying to go straighter," Vonn said after finishing in 1 minute, 23.71 seconds. "Thats far from where I was two days ago. So I think it was a huge step in the right direction. I think it was a perfect way to end the weekend." Gut was timed in 1:22.86, edging Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein by three-hundredths of a second to reclaim the lead in the overall World Cup standings with her fourth victory of the young season. Shes won half of the races so far. Vonn, of course, knows how to ski rather well, to say the least. What shes needed to do of late is figure out how to do it properly with, as she joked Friday, "a little bit of ACL left." Skiing with a brace on, Vonn felt her right knee was stable and came through what amounted to a 72-hour test in good shape. Now she will huddle with her coaches and try to decide where and exactly how often to get in a starting hut ahead of the Olympics. "I do need a couple more starts," Vonn said. "I want to make sure that I get on the podium at least once, if not win, before ... Sochi. For me, mentally, I really want to have that in my back pocket." ___ Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich ' ' '