The outage took place in the opening stages of the third set in the blockbuster clash between Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem on Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena.

MIKE DICKSON IN MELBOURNE: Jamie Murray agonisingly missed out on the chance to become Britain's most decorated Grand Slam player after a mixed doubles final defeat.

MIKE DICKSON IN MELBOURNE: If Thiem manages to upset Novak Djokovic he will do so with the unusual distinction of having fired a high-profile coach halfway through the tournament.

The 21-year-old Moscow-born American was victorious over former world No.1 Garbine Muguruza in three sets in Saturday night's final at Melbourne Park.

MIKE DICKSON IN MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic is up to Grand Slam title No 17 and in a tearing hurry to stake his claim for being considered the best player ever.

Novak Djokovic is facing the prospect of a hefty fine for twice tapping Damien Dumusois on the foot while remonstrating with the French official during his Australian Open win.

Novak Djokovic erupted in anger during his Australian Open final win over Dominic Thiem, venting his anger directly at umpire Damien Dumosis after being hit with a second time violation.

Novak Djokovic looked like he had earned his break as he enjoyed a skiing holidat with his family in northern Italy.

Tim Howard's popularity in the United States has led to a White House petition being lodged requesting the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is renamed after him.

World Cup-winning captain Cafu has sensationally claimed that he was thrown out of the Brazil dressing room after their 7-1 thrashing by Germany.

USA captain Clint Dempsey appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman on Wednesday night in a further indication of the rise in popularity of football in America.

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone unintentionally told the wife of World Cup journalist Jorge 'El Topo' Lopez that her husband had been killed in a car crash in Sao Paulo on Twitter.

Ultimately, he couldn’t see the job through to the end. Louis van Gaal’s dreams of heading to the Barclays Premier League with the ultimate stamp on his CV were dashed by the trauma of a penalty shoot-out.

David Luiz has been lifted out of his World Cup depression by a fan letter from a young supporter. Luiz left the pitch in Belo Horizonte in floods of tears after Brazil's humiliating 7-1 semi-final defeat to Germany.

This summer, former England Under-21 team-mates Theo Walcott and Adam Johnson played golf together in Portugal. At the same time, six of the Germans they faced in the 2009 European Championship final were in Brazil heading towards the World Cup final.

Arjen Robben has revealed he turned down Louis van Gaal's advances after the outgoing Holland coach asked him to follow him to new club Manchester United.

Robin van Persie and Holland may have had to settle for finishing third in the World Cup, but their army of supporters don't seem to be fretting too much about what could have been.

Brazil's third-place play-off against Holland on Saturday was a chance for a redemption following their jaw-dropping 7-1 semi-final humiliation to Germany.

Lukas Podolski needs no invitation to take a selfie, so the Germany striker wasn't about to let the opportunity pass him by after winning the World Cup.

Holland goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen sparked a flurry of internet jokes after sitting against the post during Saturday night's third place play-off.

NEIL ASHTON AT THE MARACANA: Germany have been regarded as the best prepared team at the tournament for some time: Best players, best training ground, best coach, best everything.

There were echoes of Harald Schumacher's infamous pole-axing of Patrick Battiston as Manuel Neuer clattered in to Gonzalo Higuain in Sunday night's World Cup final.

BRIAN BARWICK: And so to Match 64, or the World Cup Final as you and I call it. And the two teams are rested, recuperated, and ready for ‘the big one’.

As the Germany players celebrated their World Cup victory, their WAGs could not resist joining the on-field party at the Maracana.

MARK WEBSTER: Mike Ingham, a familiar voice on BBC Radio 5 Live for three decades, delivered his last commentary as Germany beat Argentina to win the World Cup on Sunday night. As ever, he found the right words for the occasion.

Mario Gotze may look like he is not long out of babygrow lederhosen but his status as Germany’s wunderkind has been established for some considerable time.

Jose Mourinho says Lionel Messi should not be considered the scapegoat after Argentina's World Cup final defeat to Germany.

Fred has retired from international football at the age of 30 after Brazil's disappointing World Cup campaign came to an end. He scored 18 goals in 39 games.

There will have been plenty of Arsenal fans cheering on Germany on Sunday evening, attempting to share in the triumph of a World Cup win that seems to edge further away from England's dreams.

Lionel Messi's crowning as the World Cup's outstanding player shocked some prominent figures, but without his individual brilliance Argentina's goals dried up.

Luiz Felipe Scolari quit as manager of Brazil after the host nation tasted their first back-to-back defeats on home soil since 1940 during a humiliating World Cup.

Bastian Schweinsteiger is targeting further glory with Germany after finally winning his first major trophy with the national side. Schweinsteiger had become used to just coming up short in major tournaments.

My husband is terminally ill now. Will I receive any of his state pension when he dies? This is Money's pensions columnist, Steve Webb, explains how the rules work according to a couple's ages.

Despite putting their scouting and recruitment staff on furlough and discussions ongoing over a potential £350m takeover, club executives are pressing ahead in their attempt to sign Soumare.

Newcastle's potential new owners believe that the finances of the £300m takeover mean there will be no need to continue the controversial furlough scheme, according to the Telegraph.

Arturo Vidal is reportedly set to leave Barcelona this summer on the cheap, as his contract is set to expire in June 2021. Newcastle have emerged as contenders to sign the Chilean international.

The prospective new owners - a consortium backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund - are on the cusp of tying up a £300m that would rocket the club to the top of the financial charts.

Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik remains in talks over a new contract to stay at the club and reports linking to him an exit are 'only rumours', according to his agent.

The north-east club are reportedly on the verge of being sold to a Saudi-backed consortium which involves Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for around £300million.

Newcastle United managing director Lee Charnley has reached an amicable agreement with Amanda Staveley's Saudi-backed group that will see him depart St James' Park.

The versatile left back had impressed for Rennes this season before the coronavirus pandemic halted play, helping guide his side to third in Ligue 1 with 10 matches remaining.

The Premier League asked the United States government to keep Saudi Arabia on its piracy watch list before beginning checks on Newcastle United's Saudi-led takeover.

EXCLUSIVE BY CRAIG HOPE: Andy Carroll has beaten the mystery injury that was threatening to end his season - but is now sweating on the resumption of Premier League football.

Newcastle's first team stars have launched a bid to save boss Steve Bruce with the club's prospective new owners keen to appoint Mauricio Pochettino as manager, according to The Sun.

Joe Root became only the fifth England player to make a hundred in his first innings as Test captain. Root's runs were all the more necessary after another England top-order collapse.

TOP SPIN AT THE TEST: As he did against South Africa last month, Root has begun this series against West Indies with a century. And the clenched fist conveyed a simple truth: it was a hundred he needed.

TOP SPIN SPECIAL: England’s Ashes hopes are long gone, but here Sportsmail looks at five final Ashes Tests which were ‘dead rubbers’ but had ramifications beyond the result of the game.

Romelu Lukaku last night apologised to former manager Steve Clarke after putting Scotland to the sword in Brussels. The Manchester United superstar struck twice in a 3-0 win.

Romelu Lukaku netted a brace against Scotland on Tuesday night but he came under-fire on social media for failing to score from close range.

Manchester United held formal discussions with Inter Milan over the 26-year-old Belgium striker in London on Thursday, although it's understood that no formal offer has been made.