Andy Murray's Australian Open final with Novak Djokovic captivated the nation on Sunday, with millions tuned in to see the Scot's bid for a third grand slam title.
It proved a fruitless one but the quality of the tennis, in particular the first two sets, got everyone talking.
The endurance and performance of the players even caused former Premier League footballers Robbie Savage and Michael Owen to argue on Twitter.
Savage started things off, saying: "When you watch these 2 play tennis it amazes me how modern day footballers complain of tiredness embarresing (sic) really!"
Former England striker Owen responded with: "Not having that. Ridiculous shout," and added in "You're (sic) accusation was towards footballers and they are the people I'm defending against such drivel."
The two continued to debate, but Owen tried to have the final word by writing: "Studies show only 17.5% of match time in tennis is spent actually playing. 5 hour match equates to 52 mins playing time."
While they squabbled, plenty of other stars enjoyed the action.
"Novak Djokovic is a phenomenon! A truly wonderful sportsman. He's got a decent coach too TheBorisBecker," wrote Gary Lineker, while Andy's brother Jamie asked: "2hrs 30mins for 2 sets. These guys are a different breed. Who can continue to keep this level longest? £ausopen". It wasn't the answer he wanted.
In Serbia, Djokovic's wife Jelena was watching the match with 10-week-old son Stefan.
She posted a photo of the baby watching his dad on television, captioning it with: "Everything looks so much better from this perspective.In Stefan's world daddy is always a winner!"
While Murray toiled, fiancee Kim Sears was winning admiration.
She took the front pages of the papers in the wake of Murray's semi-final win, with her apparent foul-mouthed tirade during the match making the headlines.
She took the coverage in good spirits, though, and turned up to the final wearing a black t-shirt with the message 'Parental Advisory, Explicit Content' written on it.
"Andy may have lost the first set, but Kim Sears is a set up," said prolific tweeter Lineker.
PA
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments