Lionel Messi, Rafael Nadal and Lewis Hamilton: 52 of the best sports images of 2020

We pick out some stunning pictures from the last 12 months in which the sporting calendar has been ravaged by the coronavirus

A fire breaks out near the 10th hole on the West Course during the Rose Ladies Series in the first ever ladies professional event at Wentworth Golf Club in England on August 7. Getty

Teofimo Lopez lands an uppercut during his victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko in their lightweight world title bout at MGM Grand in Las Vegas on October 17. Getty

Competitors at the UCI Road World Championships at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy, on September 27. Reuters

Nascar driver Ryan Newman is involved in a horrific crash during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Florida on February 17. The 42-year-old was rushed to hospital where it was confirmed that he suffered serious but not life threatening injuries. Two days later, he was released from hospital. USA TODAY Sports

British athlete Holly Bradshaw competes during the pole vault during the Athletissima IAAF Diamond League in Lausanne, Switzerland on September 2. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, this edition was reserved exclusively for pole vault and took place in the city centre in front of 1,000 spectators. EPA

Competitors in the Roy Nasr Memorial Triathlon in Dubai on October 16. Courtesy: Race ME

West Indies and England players take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement ahead of the the Third Test at Old Trafford in Manchester, on July 24. Getty

Triathlete Lloyd Bebbington trains in a pool in his garden at home in Newcastle-under-Lyme, England, on April 26, following the outbreak of the coronavirus. Reuters

Action during the Tokyo Olympic qualifier between Serbia and Netherlands in Berlin on January 6. EPA

Bahrain JCW X-Raid Team's Stephane Peterhansel and Paulo Fiuza during Stage 7 of the Dakar Rally in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on January 12. Reuters

Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scores a penalty to win the FA Community Shield penalty shootout against Liverpool on August 29. Reuters

A surfer in action during the big wave event at Praia do Norte, in Nazare, Portugal, on October 29. EPA

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc during Formula One testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on February 19. Reuters

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is tackled by Minnesota Vikings defensive end D.J. Wonnum at at Lambeau Field in Wisconsin on November 1. USA TODAY

Slovenian ski jumper Timi Zajc soars through the air during the 68th Four Hills Tournament in Innsbruck, Austria, on January 4. AP

St Kilda Saints' Tilly Lucas-Rodd attempts to stop Madison Newman of the Adelaide Crows during the AFLW match at the Richmond Oval in Adelaide on February 16. Getty

A gymnast during a workout in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, on July 29. EPA

West Indies batsman Kemar Roach is caught by England's Ollie Pope as the hosts clinched victory in the second test at Old Trafford in Manchester on July 20. Getty

Barcelona's Lionel Messi during the Uefa Champions League last-16 second leg against Napoli in Spain on August 8. EPA

Germany's Axel Jungk competes during the skeleton at the Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Championships in Altenberg, eastern Germany, on February 28. AP

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton celebrates after winning the Portuguese Grand Prix on October 25, to break Michael Schumacher's record of most Formula One victories. It was the British driver's 92nd win. Reuters

Milwaukee Brewers' Lorenzo Cain hits a single during an intra-squad game on July 14, at Miller Park in Milwaukee. AP

Robyn Birch, of Dive London Aquatics Club, competes in the women's 10m platform Final during the British Diving Championships at Plymouth Life Centre in south England on January 25. Getty

Left to right: Pieter Van Lankveld, Jay Schippers, Ynze Oegema, Justin Kimmann, Teun Kivit and Twan Van Gendt compete during the Dutch National BMX Championships at Olympic Training Centre Papendal in Arnhem, the Netherlands, on October 11. Getty

Australia's Nick Kyrgios during his Australian Open fourth-round match against Rafael Nadal on January 27. Reuters

Brazil's Markus Perez of Brazil kicks Dricus du Plessis of South Africa in their middleweight bout at UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi on October 11. Getty

The peloton during Stage 2 - a 186km race around Nice - of the Tour de France on August 30. EPA

Bayern Munich's Lucas Hernandez celebrates after his team beat Paris Saint-Germain to win the Champions League final at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal, on August 23. PA

An extreme cycling enthusiast performs a stunt before falling into the East Lake in Wuhan, China on August 22. Getty

Boston Bruins' Joakim Nordstrom crashes into Warren Foegele of the Carolina Hurricanes during the NHL hockey Eastern Conference Stanley Cup playoff game in Toronto on August 12. AP

A competitor leaps from Start Most (Old Bridge) during the 454th traditional diving competition on July 26, in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Getty

Guatemalan Mardoqueo Vasquez, wearing the leader's yellow jersey, during Stage 8 of the Vuelta a Guatemala cycling race in San Pablo La Laguna, on October 30. AFP

AC Milan's Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores against Udinese in a Serie A match at the Friuli Stadium on November 1. AFP

The car of Haas driver Romain Grosjean on fire after a crash at the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix in Sakhir on November 29. The Frenchman escaped with minor injuries. AFP

English golfer Steven Brown tees-off on the 7th hole during Day 1 of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at Education City Golf Club in Doha on March 5. Getty

A surfer rides a big wave at the Praia do Norte in Nazare, on February 15. AFP

Riders in Heat 2 of the men's points qualification, during the UK National Track Championships at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester on January 25. PA

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal during his fourth-round match against Nick Kyrgios of Australia at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 27. Getty

English golfer Tom Lewis after his shot from the eighth tee during Day 4 of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club on January 26. Getty

French cyclist Julian Alaphilippe crashes out after hitting a motorbike during the Tour of Flanders on October 18. AFP

Spanish driver Carlos Sainz - and co-driver Lucas Cruz - race their Mini during Stage 2 of the Dakar Rally, between Al Wajh and Neom in Saudi Arabia on January 6. AP

William H Bonney, ridden by Tom Bellamy, clears the water jump during the Ladbrokes Daily Odds Boosts Chase at Newbury Racecourse in England on November 27. PA

Ukraine's Elina Svitolina serves to Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia during semi-final of the bett1ACES at Hangar 6 of the former Tempelhof Airport in Berlin on July 18. Getty

Liverpool fans celebrate outside Anfield stadium after their team had secured the Premier League title - their first since 1990 - on June 25. Getty

Switzerland's Roger Federer after defeating Tennys Sandgren in the quarter-final of the Australian Open at Melbourne park on January 28. AP

Triathlete Olga Matyushina trains at Al Qudra in Dubai on May 26. Getty

Russia's Daria Spiridonova performs on the uneven bars during the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup at Melbourne Arena in Australia, on February 20. EPA

Olympic skateboard qualifier Tyler Edtmayer of Germany pulls a frontside air off the spine while wearing LED lights during training at The Cradle Skatepark in Brixlegg, Austria, on August 25. Getty

Australia's Nathan Crawford competes in the MX2 race during the 2020 FIM MXGP World Championships in Winchester, England, on March 1. Getty

Britain's Johanna Konta and Coco Gauff of the US during the French Open first round at Roland Garros, Paris, on September 27. Reuters

Borussia Dortmund's Erling Braut Haaland celebrates after scoring against Paris Saint-Germain during the Uefa Champions League last-16 first leg in Germany on February 18. EPA

The Pakistan team training at Queenstown Events Centre in New Zealand, on December 9. Getty

It will be a year forever remembered for the coronavirus and how the world was thrown into turmoil as the pandemic wreaked havoc across the globe.

The sporting calendar ground to a an almost complete halt in March as lockdown conditions kicked in and the pause button was pressed on major competitions and tournaments.

When, months later, restrictions were lifted and play was resumed there would be a new norm as games were played in front of empty stadiums while "bio-bubbles" became part of everyday sporting parlance.

In these uncertain times, some very familiar faces would triumph: Lewis Hamilton secured a seventh Formula One world title, Rafael Nadal won a record-extending 13th French Open and Bayern Munich sealed a sixth European Cup after beating Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.

As the New Year fast approaches, we take a look back at the action and pick out some of the most memorable images from the last 52 weeks in the photo gallery above. To move on to the next picture click on the arrows, or if using a mobile device, simply swipe.