Remember the excitement around Australia’s summer of tennis? As the work year wound down to Christmas and the summer holidays started, all Australians, it seemed, got to enjoy their time yo-yo-ing between trips to the beach or the suburban pool and television coverage of the Australian Open.

The greats of the game came alive in our living rooms as we sat in the shadow of the Christmas tree nursing our prawn and pavlova hangovers. For two weeks, Melbourne became the centre of the sporting universe.