Andy Murray's injuries, Leigh Griffiths' stunning free-kicks, World Cup anguish, historic displays in the autumn Tests... 2017 was a year full of ups and downs for Scottish sports fans.

But what lies ahead in the next sporting year?

Here we preview key dates on the calendar, including Murray's return to competitive action, the inaugural Nations League and the Six Nations.

Having finally achieved his goal of reaching world number one, 2017 was pencilled in as the year when Andy Murray would reign supreme at the top of men's tennis.

A niggling hip complaint accumulated during his surge to the summit flared as the year progressed, however, with the Scot enduring an injury-disrupted 12 months.

He pulled out of numerous tournaments over the course of the year and hobbled out of Wimbledon following his quarter-final defeat to Sam Querrey.

After suffering disappointment on home turf, Murray took the rest of the season off in a bid to recover, with a resurgent Rafael Nadal reclaiming the world number one spot in his absence.

Murray has targeted this month's Australian Open to mark his grand slam return and has been training in Abu Dhabi in a bid to fast-track his comeback.

When he does retake to the courts the 30-year-old will not only have to overcome his own personal fitness concerns but a field bustling with talent.

Nadal has rediscovered his imperious form of years gone by, Roger Federer shows no signs of slowing down, Novak Djokovic has paired up with tennis legend Andre Agassi, while Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem are now formidable opponents.

Can the Scot prove the doubters wrong?

Our World Cup woe means the Scottish national team's preparations will instead be focused on the inaugural UEFA Nations League, which kicks off in September.

All 55 European countries will participate in the new tournament, brought in by the governing body in an attempt to replace meaningless friendlies with more competitive action.

Scotland start in League C alongside the likes of Hungary, Romania, Greece and Norway, with the league to split into four groups.

The four group winners will be promoted, while in the first edition will also contest play-offs for a spot at Euro 2020 should they fail to do so via the traditional qualification method.

Dates for your diary:

Group stage draw: January 24, 2018

Matchday 1: September 6-8, 2018

Matchday 2: September 9-11, 2018

Matchday 3: October 11-13, 2018

Matchday 4: October 14-16, 2018

Matchday 5: November 15-17, 2018

Matchday 6: November 18-20, 2018

Finals draw: Early December 2018

Finals: June 5-9, 2019

League C: Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania.

Scotland ended 2017 on a high, with an impressive display against the All Blacks followed up by a record-breaking win over Australia.

Gregor Townsend's squad head into the Six Nations full of confidence as a result, with pundits eyeing them as an outside bet to claim the title.

First up is a February trip to Cardiff to take on Wales, before France visit Murrayfield.

Wins in both would set up a potentially decisive clash with holders England in Edinburgh.

Townsend has built upon the work of previous head coach Vern Cotter to establish the Scots as a force to be reckoned with.

Finn Russell and Stuart Hogg have proven their ability to mix it with the game's elite.

Given Scotland's renowned habit of looking the part in autumn before tanking in the Six Nations, it would be understandable for Townsend and co to approach the campaign cautiously.

Is this the year Scotland finally claim the Six Nations crown?

Scottish athletes head Down Under in April for the Commonwealth Games, with Team Scotland looking to build on a record-breaking medal haul from Glasgow 2014.

A total of 70 nations will compete on Australia's Gold Coast in multiple events across 11 days.

Scotland secured 53 medals as the nation hosted proceedings in 2014.

With a strong squad once again, Scotland looking to match or even surpass that lofty total.

Andrew Butchart and Callum Hawkins will look to lead from the front over the distance running events, while Eilidh Doyle seeks a third consecutive medal at the games in the 400m hurdles.

In the pool, Olympians Duncan Scott, Ross Murdoch and Hannah Miley form part of an impressive Scots swim squad.

Will Team Scotland come up trumps?

Josh Taylor took his undefeated run to 11 fights during 2017 and promoter Barry McGuigan reckons he is set for a world title shot in the year to come.

The Prestonpans boxer stopped Ohara Davies in July before making a statement when his body shot left former IBF lightweight champion Miguel Vasquez unable to make the count in November.

Such displays have left his team sceptical as to whether it is even worth vying for the British crown, with eyes instead on a bout with Sweden's European champion Anthony Yigit before a world title tilt.

Taylor is happy to let Barry McGuigan pick the route to world glory.

He said: "I'm confident in my own ability, I'm going to win a world title so I leave it to him.

"My dream is to fight at the castle on a good summer's night but we're never guaranteed the weather so it could be a disaster. That would be an iconic scene and one for the history books."

Taylor has the skill-set and mentality to reach the top.

Is he ready to burst on to the world scene in 2018?

The 42nd edition of the Ryder Cup takes place in September, with Scots vying for a spot in Thomas Bjorn's squad as Europe look to reclaim the trophy.

The event will be held at the L'Albatros course in France - only the second time in Ryder Cup history the Ryder Cup has taken place in continental Europe.

There is still a long way to go in a newly adopted qualification process, with the four highest earners on European Tour's money list and the continent's four top ranked players qualifying automatically.

They are then supplemented by four of captain Bjorn's picks from what looks to be a highly competitive field.

Scott Jamieson is, at present, the most likely Scot to make the cut having ended the year highest in the Race to Dubai in 26th place.

Europe face a daunting prospect in their mission to grasp back the title against a US squad boasting numerous major champions.

Will they be successful?

Scotland's World Cup hopes were dashed on a fateful night in Slovakia, meaning the Tartan Army's absence from major competition will reach 20 years by the time a ball is kicked in Russia.

While Scott Brown and co put their feet up, other Scottish Premiership stars will pull on their nation's jerseys for the summer showpiece.

Celtic full-back Mikael Lustig will represent Sweden after the Scandinavians shocked Italy in the play-offs.

His teammate Tom Rogic will be tasked with pulling the strings for Australia.

Fellow Aussie Ryan Edwards says while he hopes a strong end to the campaign with Partick Thistle can secure his spot in Socceroos squad, he will be heading to Moscow regardless.

Kari Arnason helped Iceland qualify for their first ever World Cup and will be striving for a regular spot in Derek McInnes' Dons starting eleven in an effort to nail down a national jersey.