And there was Bernard Tomic.

On the occasions when the glut of male Australian tennis brats were not further shaming their nation, there has been much to enjoy from world cups to Wimbledon.

While the likes of Ash Barty and Ellyse Perry have been attempting to restore some Australian sporting pride, other nations have also been experiencing extremes of patriotic fervour.

On consecutive nights English fans witnessed women's soccer heartbreak and men's cricket joy.

No sooner had Phil Neville's team been thwarted in the semi-final than Trevor Bayliss's team had reached the same stage courtesy of back-to-back victories over fellow semi-finalists as English fans found themselves in their default headspace of not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

A bit like a couple of world wars, the women's soccer World Cup meandered its way through to the predictable outcome of an American victory but not without causing a few European headaches along the way.

While proving themselves the world's best female footballers, the US team also established themselves as its worst sporting winners.

As if wildly celebrating a 13^th goal against a team with a gross domestic product per capita one tenth of your own isn't arrogant enough (thanks Google), the players followed their winning goal against England with a well-rehearsed and somewhat patronising cup of tea celebration - complete with raised pinky.

How to alienate yourself on your own planet, chapter one.

In Sunday's final against The Netherlands, they were clearly too caught up in the moment to remember the hilarious 'picking tulips in clogs by a windmill' celebration they had been endlessly practising at training.

The Dutch are a somewhat more humble people but it would have been lovely to see them pick on an American stereotype or two had they found the net in the final. Pretending to shoot an overweight smug person would have done the trick.

True to form the Americans accepted their 2-0 victory as graciously and modestly as their national DNA allowed - having all donned replica shirts with "Champions 19" on the back and a fourth star on the front (signifying world cup wins) and with Megan Rapinoe still celebrating her golden boot award while Dutch keeper Sari van Veenendaal was being handed the tournament's golden glove.

The Dutch team politely declined to wear the replica shirts with "Losers 19" on the back and zero stars on the front which the Americans had selflessly prepared.

Who would have thought that a nation led by Donald Trump could demonstrate such arrogance, ignorance and classlessness-ance?

Surprisingly, hosts France just pipped USA to the tournament's fair play trophy.

All of which unpleasantries rather over-shadowed a phenomenal performance by the US team which surpassed Germany's record of goals in a tournament by racking up 26 - even if half of them did come against Thailand and its minuscule $6593 GDP per capita.

With the cup won and Sam Kerr and co. long since back on home soil, the Australian fan focus crosses the English Channel for what should be a pivotal week in the nation's sporting calendar.

Barty seems destined for a Wimbledon showdown with another shy, softly-spoken American, Serena Williams [Ed's note: not any longer], while the only thing not inevitable about Steve Smith, Dave Warner and co. squaring up to hosts England in the cricket World Cup is that it's happening in the semi-final and not the final. However, the venue for Thursday's showdown suggests the planets are aligning.

Whatever the result, with the game being played at Edgbaston in Birmingham, it would be a travesty if Warner and Joe Root didn't get together afterwards to reminisce over old times at the The Walkabout Bar.

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