ATP: The five biggest Grand Slam comebacks in 2020
The tennis traditionalists agree: the best-of-five format must remain. How else could we have enjoyed these comebacks?
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Dec 03, 2020, 09:56 am
# 1: Australian Open, Round 1, Fabio Fognini vs. Reilly Opelka 3: 6, 6: 7 (4), 6: 4, 6: 3, 7: 6 (10: 5)
When Fabio Fognini saw the draw for the Australian Open 2020, the Italian was probably not very happy. Again he had to face Reilly Opelka, against whom he had only lost at the US Open. And the service artist started in Melbourne in the usual manner, got the first two sentences. The good news for Fabio: The match had to be interrupted after the second round due to an almost biblical downpour. And could only be continued on the following day, when Fognini felt much better than at the beginning of the match. He was lucky, Fabio admitted frankly after his success. Opelka would have been better than him on the first day. It is always difficult to win against people with such a powerful service. But someone has to do it. In Melbourne he was so free himself.
# 2: US Open, Round 1, Andy Murray vs. Yoshihito Nishioka 4: 6, 4: 6, 7: 6 (4), 7: 6 (5), 6: 4
The good thing about Andy Murray was during his career: Basically, the Scot doesn't need a best-of-five format to deliver epic matches. At the US Open, however, he couldn't do anything else: After a 2-0 set deficit against Yoshihito Nishioka, Murray unpacked all his bag of tricks again. Much to the pleasure of the numerous colleagues who watched the hustle and bustle at Arthur Ashe Stadium from the boxes that the USTA had made available to the players. Murray and Nishioka worked each other for four hours and 39 minutes in the summer heat of New York City. After his victory, Murray had only one wish: an ice bath. There is one in the cabin. This ice bath is reserved for emergencies. He will claim one for himself, so Murray.
# 3: French Open, Round 1: Andrey Rublev vs. Sam Querrey 6: 7 (5), 6: 7 (4), 7: 5, 6: 4, 6: 3
He was certain that the match would be lost if Andrey Rublev reported on the record immediately after his comeback win against Sam Querrey at Roland Garros. After Rublev lost the first two sets in the tiebreak, he was 2: 5 behind in the third act. But Querrey allowed himself a few minutes of weakness and let the Russian back into the match. And Rublev, who had made a similar comeback just two days earlier in Hamburg in the final against Stefanos Tsitsipas, got stronger and stronger as the game continued. And that although he would rarely have been as nervous as he was before this first round match in Roland Garros.
# 4: US Open, Round 3: Borna Coric vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas 6: 7 (2), 6: 4, 4: 6, 7: 5, 7: 6 (4)
Speaking of Stefanos Tsitsipas : At the US Open against Borna Coric, the Greek already had his eyes on the move to the round of 16, led in the fourth set with 5: 1 and had a total of six match points, all of which he missed. Which caused Coric to find out after the game that he had been very lucky. Tsitsipas, in turn, took it sporty: This match was at the same time the saddest and funniest experience in his tennis career.
# 5: US Open, Final: Dominic Thiem vs. Alexander Zverev 2: 6, 4: 6, 6: 4, 6: 3, 7: 6 (6)
The final of this year's US Open may not have been the qualitatively best match of the tournament, but from a German-speaking point of view it was certainly the game that got on the nerves the most. Alexander Zverev looked inviolable for two sentences, played just as aggressively as the well-meaning observer of the German number one always wants. Dominic Thiem, however, fought his way back into the match in his fourth major final - and was still two points away from defeat in the decisive set. After a playing time of 4:01 hours and with the 163rd point this afternoon in New York City (Zverev had won 159 at the end) Thiem was allowed to go to the ground exhausted, relieved and happy.