This year features a football World Cup, a Winter Olympics, a Commonwealth Games and a historic Test match

Jannik Sinner will be aiming to become only the second man in the Open era, after Novak Djokovic, to win three consecutive Australian Open singles titles, while in the women’s draw Madison Keys will be seeking to defend the title she landed via a shock victory over Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s final. Elsewhere, Roger Federer is scheduled to return to Melbourne Park for the first time since retiring from tennis in 2022 as part of a Battle of the World No 1s match, alongside Andre Agassi, Patrick Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt. “It still makes me smile when I think about all the moments I’ve had here,” said the Swiss legend.

• Winger was described by Clough as ‘Picasso of our game’

• Scored in Scotland’s 1981 win over England at Wembley

John Robertson, the Nottingham Forest and Scotland legend, has died at the age of 72. Robertson was a hugely important part of the great Forest team that under Brian Clough rose from the second tier of English football to win multiple major honours, most famously back-to-back European Cups.

Robertson assisted the decisive goal in the first European Cup triumph in 1979 and scored the decisive goal in the second, contributions that mark him out as one of the most remarkable players in British football history. He earned 28 Scotland caps, notably scoring the winning goal in a Home Championship victory over England at Wembley in May 1981. Clough described him as “the Picasso of our game”.

Despair and disorder have engulfed the club since their title party, leaving all concerned in need of previous serenity

As Virgil van Dijk raised the Premier League trophy on a cool May afternoon at Anfield, the cap was sealed on a serenely glorious season for Liverpool. For sure there had been challenges en route to a 20th league title, but not many, and those that did arise were dealt with in a calm, orderly fashion. The ultimate prize had been captured with minimum sweat.

Cue the celebrations after a final‑day 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace: players and staff dancing on the pitch, supporters doing the same in the stands, and no sense this was as good as it was going to get for the just-crowned champions. It took less than 24 hours for everything to change and set in motion an astonishing seven‑month period in the history of a club where it was probably thought they had seen and done it all.