Nadal, Federer, Djokovic ... and Troicki? The eight largest comebacks in the past eight years
There is hardly a sport that has such a strong impact on momentum as it has on tennis. Few points can cause an entire game to tip over. This also applies to the following eight matches, in which players have returned from the most hopeless positions.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Mar 20, 2020, 10:56 am
8th place: Novak Djokovic vs. Andy Murray, Shanghai 2012
If there is a player whose style of play is made to return from hopeless positions, it is Novak Djokovic. The Serb manages like almost no other player to completely eliminate his mistakes from one moment to the next and to force the opponent to end the match on his own. A quality that Gael Monfils had to experience firsthand in Dubai.
Andy Murray also knows how difficult it is to win a match against the 17-time Grand Slam champion. In 2012 in Shanghai the Scotsman already looked like the sure winner, was 7: 5 and 5: 4 in front and had the first match ball on his own serve. Djokovic was able to fend it off, managed the rebreak and forced Murray into a tiebreak. Again, it was Andy Murray who had the chance to win this game. The Scotsman found four more match balls, but was unable to convert any. The result: Andy Murray had to watch Novak Djokovic grab set two and thus seize the scepter: Murray's resistance was broken, Djokovic also secured set three and made the comeback perfect.
7th place: Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Dominic Thiem, US Open 2017
Juan Martin del Potro is one of Dominic Thiem's greatest fear opponents . The Austrian saw no country at the first two encounters with the giant from Argentina and had to surrender without winning the set. So not too good conditions for the Austrian in this round of 16 duel at the US Open 2017. But after the first two sentences you might have thought that Dominic Thiem had found a way to beat his opponent. Rounds one and two went to Dominic Thiem 6: 1 and 6: 2. The chilled Del Potro seemed to be on the losing side until then, but found it better in this game and won set three straight.
The reason why this game found its way onto our list is due to the fourth round. Dominic Thiem was again as dominant as in the first two sets, was quick 5-2 in the front, again Del Potro proved himself as a "stand-up male" could compensate for 5: 5. At 6: 5, there were even the first two match balls for the Austrian, which "DelPo" was able to fend off. The Austrian's resistance was broken. The following tie-break went to the Argentine with 7: 1, with the decision-making set 6: 4 a little later.
6th place: Kevin Anderson vs. Roger Federer, Wimbledon 2018
With a much wider chest than Roger Federer went into this quarter-final duel, you can hardly go into a tennis game. 8-0 sets in head-to-head, 32 set wins and 85 service games won in a row at the classic lawn in Wimbledon, Federer's impressive statistics before meeting Kevin Anderson. But this is also a tough chunk, especially on turf, because it has one of the best serves on the ATP tour.
In the first two rounds, however, it was the Swiss favorite who dominated the action on the pitch, and Federer was quickly in front with 2-0 sets. And when the Swiss found a match ball in the third set, it looked as if Federer could prolong his impressive series at Wimbledon. But nothing there: Kevin Anderson fended off the match ball, secured set three, and a little later also run number four. And even in the all-important fifth set, the South African should have the upper hand: After four hours and fourteen minutes, Anderson was able to take the big tournament favorite out of the tournament with 13:11 in the decision-making process, and thus fully deserves a place on our list.
5th place: Roger Federer vs. Tennys Sandgren, Australian Open 2020
A match involving Roger Federer is also in fifth place, but this time with a much more pleasant outcome. The Australian Open 2020, they were a roller coaster ride for Roger Federer. After the Swiss won his first two matches with great confidence, it got really hot for the first time in round three against John Millman: In fact, the 38-year-old was already back with a score of 4: 8 in the champions tiebreak of the fifth set Wall - six points en suite then secured the Swiss place among the last 16.
After Federer won his eighth final duel with Marton Fucsovics quite clearly in four sets, he was also the big favorite in the quarterfinals. But the “Werkl” did not seem to run smoothly at the Swiss, Tennys Sandgren secured round two and three after losing the first set and found the first match balls in the fourth set. Match balls deliberately in the plural, because there were a total of seven that the American missed: the score of 5: 4, the first three, followed by numbers four to seven in the tie-break - all destroyed by the Swiss a little later. Therefore it came as it had to come: Federer secured passage four in the tie break , played in the decision set with the ease that he had missed over long stretches of the match and was thus in the semi-finals of the Australian Open.
4th place: Rafael Nadal vs. Daniil Medvedev, ATP Finals 2019
It was a rarity that Rafael Nadal did not go as the big favorite in this group game at the ATP Finals 2019. The reasons for this were clear: Nadal looked tired, weak when he first appeared in the O2 arena in London, Daniil Medvedev, on the other hand, was the surprise man of the ATP tour autumn and insisted of revenge, of course, since he was the Spaniard a few weeks earlier inferior to the US Open final.
So it was really no sensation that Daniil Medvedev made the first two breaks in the decisive third set and quickly pulled away with 5: 1. When the Russian also found his first match ball at the score of 5: 1 and 40:30, hardly anyone expected that the "Taurus from Monacor" could still win his third duel with Medvedev. But Nadal was supposed to instruct the fans better, was able to fend off the match ball and equalize it to 5: 5. Daniil Medvedev should not recover from this, he forced another tiebreaker, but in the end he had to give in to Rafael Nadal's fighting spirit.
3rd place: Andy Murray vs. Tommy Robredo, Valencia 2014
These were 30 days that Tommy Robredo will probably remember for a long time. It started in late September in Shenzhen, where the Spaniard was to meet Andy Murray in the final . Robredo won the first set, had two five match balls on his side in round two. The Scot was all able to fend off Murray, when the three-time Grand Slam champion also won the decision, the comeback was perfect. But there is no question of this final here, this is the final that should take place in Valencia almost exactly 30 days later. Again Murray and Robredo faced each other, the Scots should make a sensational comeback again.
As in Shenzhen, it was the Spaniard who secured the first round. And like in Shenzhen, the Spaniard had the chance in the second set to win this final. When Andy Murray was able to fend off both chances for the title, Tommy Robredo must have had the first memories of the finale from about a month ago. This time, however, the Spaniard managed to make set three much more balanced. At 4: 5 it was Robredo, who could destroy a match point, only to find a little later three more chances in the tie-break of the decision set to reciprocate with Andy Murray. But it shouldn't be for the Spaniard, Murray fended off all match balls and a little later turned to the tournament winner in Valencia. Two comebacks in one month: third place on our list.
2nd place: Nick Kyrgios vs. Richard Gasquet, Wimbledon 2014
In Wimbledon in particular, Nick Kyrgios is an opponent that no one really wants. The Australian bad boy is extremely powerful and masters the game on the net like hardly any of his guilds. Richard Gasquet, a very inconspicuous player compared to Kyrgios, knows how to deal with the Australian: Six of the eight previous duels have gone to the French.
And even in this second round duel at Wimbledon 2014, it looked as if Gasquet had the action on the pitch under control. But in this match, the Frenchman did not want to bring home a 2-0 set lead, Nick Kyrgios forced a decision set. It was supposed to be particularly spectacular in this one: The Australian was able to fend off a whopping nine match balls before he won this match 10: 8 in the deciding set.
1st place: Atilla Balasz vs. Viktor Troicki, Heilbronn 2019
Attila Balazs made a much less known comeback at the Challenger in Heilbronn. The Hungarian was already hopelessly behind against Viktor Trocki, 1: 6 and 1: 5 spoke an extremely clear language. The Serb served to win the match, at 40:15 he had the first two chances to end this match quite quickly. But Attila Balasz did not want to be beaten so easily, the Hungarian fought off three match balls in this match: an initial spark. Attila Balasz also managed the second rebreak, was able to equalize to 5: 5.
Viktor Troicki still had a match ball in the quiver, however, when the score was 5: 6, the Serb had his fourth opportunity to win this match. But this also remained unused. This should finally inspire Attila Balasz. The man from Hungary secured set two in the tie-break and also won run number three. The comeback from the most hopeless position on this list and thus a deserved first place.