• Five-time champion loses 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in second round
• Jack Draper sails to 6-4, 6-0 win despite tough draw

Novak Djokovic’s difficult start to the season continued on the North American hard courts as he crashed out of Indian Wells with an extremely poor performance in his opening match, losing 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in the second round to the world No 85, Botic van de Zandschulp.

Despite producing arguably the best performance of the year in his four-set victory over Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open, Djokovic has now lost three consecutive matches since that triumph. The thigh injury Djokovic suffered during his win over Alcaraz forced him to retire from his semi-final against Alexander Zverev and then he fell in the first round of the Qatar Open last month to Matteo Berrettini.

• 23-year-old takes title one week after becoming father
• ‘It’s a huge moment becoming a European champion’

It took 6.49sec of staggering power and fluency for Jeremiah Azu to win the 60m European Indoor gold for Britain. And about the same time again for him to have a packed crowd in Apeldoorn eating out of his hand.

For no sooner had he been asked for his thoughts on his victory, the Rotterdam-born Azu began to speak in fluent Dutch: “I am here, I am in the building!” Having been foot perfect on the track, the 23-year-old proved to be word perfect off it too.

Team’s replacement forwards made the difference with the champions unable to cope with their power and speed

For this weekend at least, Dublin has a French quarter. By the time the final whistle went at the Aviva Stadium, the thousands of French fans inside, outside and all around the ground were cheering, screaming, roaring, singing, dancing, in celebration of one of the great victories.

They had travelled in huge numbers and been rewarded with five tries and 42 points, a record score for them in this city, revenge in plenty for the 21-point thrashing by Ireland in Marseille last year. France are favourites for the championship now and the Irish are squaring up to the kind of existential hangover you get by being so completely beaten in a match that had so much riding on it.

If the new manager ends up ignoring youth, a clarity of focus may turn out to be beneficial – so who should be in and out?

Football’s memory is short, particularly when it comes to national sides. The most successful resemble club teams in that they have a core of players and a clearly defined style of play. There’s always an in-form player around whom a clamour develops, but continuity is just as important, perhaps even more so, in the international game. But next week inevitably represents a new start as Thomas Tuchel picks his first England squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia later in the month.

All managers make some slightly surprising selections to start with – Sven-Göran Eriksson, for instance, began with a 3-0 friendly win against Spain in which Chris Powell, Gavin McCann and Michael Ball all played a half – but this should give at least some indication of how Tuchel plans to set about trying to win the 2026 World Cup.

The view from the top looks beautiful for Liverpool, 16 points clear after another comeback against Southampton. From Arne Slot’s elevated position up in the Anfield directors’ box, however, he could see warning signs with Paris Saint-Germain on the horizon.

“When I look at the first game against PSG, we have to go one step up in terms of intensity,” said the Liverpool head coach. “And compared to the game today, we need to go five, six, seven steps up in terms of intensity if we want to have any chance of reaching the next round.”

Natasha Jonas has had an admirable career but could not match the Olympic champion’s fire

On a night steeped in history, Natasha Jonas could not roll back the years as she was outfought and outclassed by Lauren Price who dominated their world welterweight title unification fight to add the IBF and WBC belts to the WBA bauble she already owns. Price, in her fighting prime at the age of 30, is 10 years younger than Jonas and she was just too quick, fluid and powerful as all three judges awarded her the decision by comprehensive margins of 98-93, 100-90 and 98-92.

Jonas has had an admirable career and she was the first woman to be named as British boxing’s fighter of the year in 2022. But, in the end, time ravages every fighter and Jonas could not match the fire of Price whose poise as an Olympic champion was also evident.

Saturday’s showdown in Dublin promises a ‘go hard or go home’ treat that could even surpass 2023’s classic

Not every anticipated Six Nations classic lives up to its pre‑match billing. Look no further for a prime example than last year’s opening Six Nations night in Marseille, when France launched their campaign against Ireland with all the speed and dynamism of an elderly escargot. They were also reduced to 14 players after half an hour and the visitors strolled to a comfortable 38-17 win.

But this time? Politely decline all shopping trips, walk the poodle early and make sure there’s enough Guinness in the fridge. Because some games are unmissable and this is a defining contest for both teams. Can Ireland, with successive titles already in the backpack, stay on track for an unprecedented three-peat? Or is now the time for Fabien Galthié’s France to embrace their supposed destiny?

• Favourite is fourth at European Indoor Championships
• Agathe Guillemot wins as Hunter Bell has late slump

Georgia Hunter Bell was such a huge favourite for 1500m gold that a £50 bet on her to win at the European Indoor Championships would have returned just one pound of profit. She was Britain’s banker. A cast-iron certainty. And then, with 100m to go, it all went horribly wobbly.

At that point, the Olympic 1500m bronze medallist was leading and looked to have everything under control. But just when everyone expected her to switch on the afterburners, her legs turned into spaghetti – the result, it later transpired, of an ear infection.

Visitors are encouraged to visit the training ground and first club of the Manchester City No 9 and can stay in the ‘Haaland suite’ at a local hotel

“Farmers didn’t play football,” says the lifelong supporter Geir Magnus Sandve of the fact that his beloved Bryne FK were not founded until 1926. These are momentous times for the Norwegian football club in the agricultural south-western region of Jæren. Last season they were promoted back to the Eliteserien, the top division, for the first time in 22 years in front of a capacity crowd of 5,000 and excitement is building before the start of the season at the end of March. Fans hope they can return to heights not seen since they won the cup in Oslo in 1987 – which would have been considered the club’s crowning achievement were it not for the rise of Erling Haaland.

In the brittle, banter-fuelled world of English football, it might feel as if Haaland’s star is waning this season. It is easy to forget he is second only to Mohamed Salah in the Premier League Golden Boot after winning it in the previous two seasons. At the age of 24 he is the all-time Norwegian national team top scorer (38 in 39 matches), and a Champions League, Premier League and Austrian league winner. The school playground of my six-year-old son, Ernest, is no longer consumed by the great Messi-Ronaldo debate but instead is alive to the shouts of “HAAAAARRR-LAND”.

Marcus’s style of play is in complete conflict with how the England head coach sees the game

I have a great deal of sympathy for Marcus Smith. I really feel for him because these past few weeks will have been really mentally tough to deal with. It’s patently obvious that his preferred position is fly-half but he has been asked to do a job for the greater good of the team and has done so willingly. You can dress it up however you like but going from starting No 10, to playing out of position, to the bench is a demotion and that will be tough to take.

Marcus would be forgiven for looking at the team that Steve Borthwick has picked to face Italy and wondering why he was never given that backing. Fin Smith has performed superbly well in the No 10 jersey and after two games there, Borthwick has surrounded him with Northampton players with five in the backline. It’s a credit to Saints, their style of play, their players and coaches, and it gives Fin the perfect framework in which to to operate. I’m not sure, though, if Borthwick ever built a team around Marcus in the same way.