Jockey HENRY BROOKE says that he is "on the mend," a day after he was brought out of an induced coma following a fall at Hexham racecourse. Brooke, 25, is "believed to have broken his collarbone and suffered a suspected collapsed lung when riding Old Storm in a novices' handicap chase on Saturday" (BBC, 10/10). ... League Championship side Leeds United Manager GARRY MONK has been "given a one-match touchline ban" and a £2,000 ($2,470) fine for using abusive language in the loss to Bristol City last month. He admitted an FA misconduct charge of "using abusive and/or insulting words towards a match official." Monk will serve his ban "in Saturday's Championship match at Derby" (BBC, 10/10). ... Former Bristol City and Man City midfielder GERRY GOW has "died aged 64 after being diagnosed with cancer this year." The Scot, who also played for Rotherham and Burnley, "made 445 appearances for Bristol City," before joining Man City in '81. Gow ended his playing career "as player-manager at then non-league Yeovil Town," where he was in charge from '84-87 (BBC, 10/10). ... Former British & Irish Lions player and England captain DICKIE JEEPS "has died" aged 84. Jeeps' first Lions tour was in '55 to South Africa, and "he appeared 13 times across three separate tours." He also played for England 24 times, "captaining the side on 13 occasions, and at club level played for Cambridge and Northampton Saints." He served as Rugby Football Union president from '76-77 and was awarded the CBE in '77 (BBC, 10/10). ... NASA HATAOKA became the youngest golfer on the Japan Ladies Professional Golfers’ Association tour on Monday at the age of 17 years and eight months. Hataoka, who on Oct. 2 became the first amateur to win one of four major tournaments on the tour, broke her idol AI MIYAZATO’s record by seven months (KYODO, 10/10). ... All-time leading LPGA Tour money winner ANNIKA SORENSTAM will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2016 HSBC Golf Business Forum. She recorded 89 professional tournament victories worldwide, including 72 LPGA Tour events, 10 of them Major Championships. Since retiring in '08, Sorenstam has been involved in various business projects including course designs and a clothing line (HSBC).
FALLING OFF: Former world No. 1's RAFAEL NADAL and ROGER FEDERER "are both outside the top four in the men's world rankings for the first time in 13 years." Spaniard Nadal, 30, is fifth in the latest ATP standings, with 35-year-old Swiss Federer two places lower. Serbia's NOVAK DJOKOVIC tops the list, ahead of Briton ANDY MURRAY and Federer's compatriot STAN WAWRINKA, with Japan's KEI NISHIKORI in fourth (BBC, 10/10).
WARM WELCOME UNLIKELY: BILLIE JEAN KING will welcome MARIA SHARAPOVA back in a "high-profile charity event in Las Vegas" on Tuesday but Australia’s SAM STOSUR "has warned the Russian will receive little support on her return to the professional arena." King, "for so long the standard-bearer for fair play as well as equality in sport," will host the banned Sharapova at the World Team Tennis Smash Hits event at Caesars Palace. Stosur, the 2011 US Open champion and world No. 18, said that Sharapova would not be welcomed back into the locker room. Stosur: "I’ve spoken to a few people and we all seem to have the same idea. I wouldn’t imagine there’s a whole lot of support from the playing group" (LONDON TIMES, 10/11).
