The Australian Open came to an end on Sunday as Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal to win his 15th Grand Slam title.
On Saturday Naomi Osaka became Asia’s first world No 1 as she beat Petra Kvitova in the women’s final.
Here, Sportsmail’s Mike Dickson reflects on a thrilling tournament.
Novak Djokovic poses with the trophy after winning the Australian Open title on Sunday
The ultimate curtain raiser
The tournament was three days from opening when what had been billed as a fitness update and sponsor announcement turned into a historic moment for British tennis.
After keeping so much to himself last year it was like the sluice gates had opened with Andy Murray. His admission that injury was overwhelming him became the first of an unusually high number of emotional press conferences.
Sung/Unsung heroes
You would need a heart of stone not to be touched by the story of Petra Kvitova, among the most natural and likeable players of recent years, getting back to a Major final barely two years after suffering a horrendous knife attack.
Largely unheralded Roberto Bautista Agut fought his way through a thicket of high grade, tough matches to make the last eight, having seen off Murray.
Petra Kvitova smiles during the trophy ceremony following her defeat in the final
Melbourne or Le Mans 24 hour race
Jo Konta and Garbine Muguruza played out a second round that began at 1230am and finished just before 315 am at this absurdly scheduled event.
The quality and drama of their tight three setter before a smattering of insomniacs was a testament to their professionalism, in fact Konta has not played so well since Wimbledon 2017.
New boys and girls go to the top of the class
Melbourne’s Greek restaurants named dishes after him while he cut a swathe through the men’s draw.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is an assured star in the making, and blew through the draw like a fresh breeze in the Aegean. The delightful Ash Barty and 17 year-old American Amanda Anisimova also confirmed their considerable talents.
Stefanos Tsitsipas plays a shot during his semi-final defeat to Rafael Nadal on Thursday
Mother of all chokes
Who would have thought that sport’s most famous parent, Serena Williams, would be the player at the centre of such a historic collapse, from 5-1 up against Karolina Pliskova?
Turning her ankle may have been a factor (to her credit she denied this was the case) but you wonder what the long-term effects of that match will be for someone already 37.
A slice of history for the Brits
The Australian Open brought in first-to-ten ‘super’ tiebreaks as the climax to deciding sets and, like the shot clock, it has been an innovation that has worked well.
It happens that the first two players to win the ten pointers were British women, Jo Konta and Katie Boulter.
Jo Konta plays a forehand during her second round victory over Ajla Tomljanovic
Australian soap opera
Less fraternal and more spiteful than some of the plotlines in Neighbours, Australian tennis descended into civil war with Bernie Tomic leading the charge against headstrong Davis Cup Captain Lleyton Hewitt.
Accusations of threats and counter threats flew both ways as the split in the hosts’ men’s ranks burst spectacularly into the open.
British soap opera
Events here conspired to make it a terrible fortnight for the Lawn Tennis Association.
It began with the unfathomable decision not to publicly salute Andy Murray like the rest of the tennis world, and got worse as various members of the dynasty lined up to question the governing body’s policies.
Dan Evans and Jamie Murray having a public spat over the status of doubles players was directly linked to that.
Andy Murray waves goodbye to the crowd after losing to Roberto Bautista Agut
Matches of the fortnight
A rich field from which to choose, as is often the case here. Karolina Pliskova’s matches against Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka would be contenders, and the women’s final was another outstanding one.
As an occasion laced with historic significance and human drama it would be hard to look further than Tsitsipas’s fluent takedown of Federer, or Andy Murray’s heroic rearguard against Bautista Agut.
Top tantrums
The curious case of Alex Zverev and his inability to deliver (so far) in Grand Slams saw the young German deliver a masterclass of racket smashing when he lost to Milos Raonic.
Perhaps the most spectacular meltdown came from the normally mild-mannered Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta, who hurled is racket bag across the court after losing a super tiebreak to Kei Nishikori, after highly disputed line call when he led 8-5.
Alexander Zverev shows his frustration during his round of 16 defeat to Milos Raonic
Antipodean blockbuster
From being the poor relation of the Grand Slams 25 years ago the Australian Open has surged to become one of the biggest events in any sport.
A multi-layered entertainment extravaganza, it attracted 780,000 people through the gate this year, and the likes of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic pronounced it the sport’s leading tournament. And all of it happening right in the heart of Victoria’s capital city.