Archive October 1, 2025

After announcing his retirement at the end of the 2026 season, Gael Monfils says he feels “stupidly lucky” to have participated in a golden era of tennis.

The 39-year-old has won 13 titles in his career, including the Auckland Open title, which he won in January, making him the oldest ATP Tour member in four months.

One of the most well-known players on tour was Monfils, who was known for his athleticism and all-action displays.

However, the 53-year-old has had injuries in recent years, and he was forced to withdraw from the Chengdu Open last month due to an ankle issue.

“Life is too short,” he declared. Believe me when I state that I don’t regret anything, Monfils wrote on Instagram.

“I feel lucky, insanely lucky, stupidly lucky,” I do have this feeling. I’ve had the opportunity to play alongside some of the greatest players in tennis history: Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray.

The 39-year-old experienced his most consistent form during the mid-2010s, when Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal were at their most elite.

After being defeated by Djokovic in the semi-finals of the US Open, the Frenchman moved up to a career-high sixth in the world in 2016.

After losing to Federer in the final four of the 2008 French Open, Monfils made his second Grand Slam semi-final appearance at Flushing Meadows.

“I never did win a Grand Slam during my career,” continued Monfils.

I won’t pretend to plan for it the following year.

At the Cincinnati Open in 2024, the Frenchman blew it out to world number one Carlos Alcaraz.

However, the Spaniard and Jannik Sinner have combined won nine Grand Slams totaling more than $10,000.

Conference League: Aberdeen v Shakhtar Donetsk

Venue: Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen Date: Thursday, 2 October Kick-off: 20:00 BST

Cesc Fabregas wheeled away to celebrate a penalty shootout winner that sent Spain into the Euro 2012 final at Portugal’s expense to the symphony of ecstatic football fans in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk.

Two years later, that sound was replaced with bombardment, gunfire and explosions.

Almost 50,000 people inside the impressive Donbas Arena that night, watching stars like Andres Iniesta and Cristiano Ronaldo, would scarcely have believed that one of the most expensive stadiums ever built in Europe would be derelict with weeds growing through pockmarked concrete and shattered glass lying strewn across its pathways so soon afterwards.

Once a symbol of footballing hope, the home of Shakhtar Donetsk has sat abandoned in occupied territory since 2017, structurally damaged by shelling.

Shaktar’s final match in the stadium, which once staged grand Champions League affairs with Barcelona and Real Madrid, was on 2 May 2014, a 3-1 win over Mariupol – a football club that no longer exists from a city that barely exists following the 2022 escalation and full-scale Russian invasion.

And yet football endures in Ukraine, albeit no further east than Kryvyi Rih, which lies about 40 miles from the nearest Russian stronghold in the country, and in front of largely empty arenas.

The reminder of what is happening in the country is never far away with matches occasionally interrupted by air raid alerts, with one of the hotels the Shakhtar squad stayed in last season hit by a missile.

For eastern clubs like Shakhtar, playing in exile for more than a decade has been hugely challenging as they prepare to visit struggling Aberdeen for their Conference League opener on Thursday.

In truth, every game they have played for 10 years has been an away game, with their European ‘home’ ties taking place in the Polish city of Krakow this season, more than 600 miles from the Ukrainian border.

Their continental adventures have given a sense of escapism from what is going on at home.

An example of that reality has been Shakhtar taking part in the Ukrainian Amputee Football Championship, which was launched amid a rising number of men afflicted by the conflict on the frontlines.

It says a lot about the strength of Shakhtar Donetsk that, despite their displacement, they have continued to enjoy success on the pitch.

Although they lost out on the title last season, they have won the Ukrainian championship six times since they were forced out of their home.

The last-ever Uefa Cup winners have also continued to operate well in European competition, regularly reaching the knockout stages of both the Champions League and Europa League.

As has been the case for most of the past two decades, Shakhtar supplement local talent with Brazilian natives, although one of the latter, £14m signing Alisson Santana, will miss the trip to face the Dons after breaking a leg.

Captain and 79-times capped Ukraine centre-back Mykola Matvienko leads from the back, with exciting midfielder Artem Bondarenko a constant threat, having scored 12 goals and assisting with eight more last season.

Eighteen-year-old Brazilian midfielder Isaque, who joined from Fluminense in the summer, is looking to make a breakthrough in their maiden Conference League campaign, having scored his first goal for the club in Sunday’s 4-0 hammering of Rukh Vynnyky.

Compatriots Kaua Elias and Pedrinho are both likely to start, up front and in midfield respectively, at Pittodrie, which could be ominous for Jimmy Thelin’s side, with the latter grabbing a double at the weekend.

It is, to all intents and purposes, a Champions League team and they arrive in the Granite City as one of the favourites to win the competition.

Mary Fowler, a Manchester City player, has agreed to a new contract until 2027.

Since joining City from Montpellier in 2022, the Australia international has made 87 appearances since his previous deal expires the following summer.

The 22-year-old is currently recovering from a knee ligament rupture that is expected to keep her out until the year’s end.

Fowler, who has 64 caps for Australia, said that enjoying my football is a big part of my success. “City has created an environment where I can flourish,” he said.

Therese Sjogran, the director of football for Manchester City, described Mary as “a really significant figure for us both on and off the pitch.”

She has a lot of talent, but the way she has changed since joining City speaks volumes about her attitude and dedication off the pitch.