Biggest Grand Slam Comebacks Of 2016

Continuing our Season In Review Series, ATPWorldTour.com revisits the biggest Grand Slam comebacks of 2016:

4) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga d. John Isner 6-7(3), 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 19-17/3R/Wimbledon

With several second-round matches to be completed, the All England Club announced that play would take place on the Middle Sunday at The Championships for only the fourth time in the tournament’s 139-year history (also 1991, 1997 and 2004). Tickets sold-out within an hour of going on sale on the Saturday afternoon, and it was to Court No. 2 where most fans headed. John Isner, the No. 18 seed, led No. 12 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-7(5). Isner had had a night’s slept to stew over being 5-5, and two break points at 15/40 on Tsonga’s serve.

Six years on from winning the longest match in tennis history, when Isner beat Nicolas Mahut 70-68 in the fifth set, a match that lasted over 11 hours and three days, the American engaged in another tense, lengthy affair. Upon the resumption of play on the Middle Sunday, Tsonga dominated the fourth set but neither player made any impression through the first 30 games of the decider.

Isner’s chance came at 16-15, but Tsonga saved the match point prior to making the decisive breakthrough two games later to close the four-hour and 24-minute encounter. It was Tsonga’s fourth comeback from an 0-2 sets deficit – versus Philipp Petzschner at 2011 Australian Open, versus Federer at 2011 Wimbledon and versus Marcos Baghdatis at 2016 Roland Garros.

“It’s good to be alive,” said Tsonga, who tied Jean Borotra’s record of 103 for most Grand Slam match wins among French players. “I will have a good recovery from this one and tomorrow be fit to play again for sure.” Asked whether he would like to see a tie-break in the fifth set, Isner said: “I would, but I have said that a bunch… It’s fine.”

3) Steve Johnson d. Evgeny Donskoy 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-3/1R/US Open

The new Grandstand court at the US Open had already staged John Isner’s rallying win from two sets down against Frances Tiafoe, now 24 hours on it was the turn of another American, Steve Johnson, to provide the heroics.

Johnson saved six match points to storm back from an 0-2 deficit to defeat Evgeny Donskoy over three hours and 13 minutes. It was Johnson’s second comeback from two sets down in his career, following a victory over qualifier Laurent Lokoli at 2014 Roland Garros. “I have no idea what’s happening right now,” said Johnson, No. 22 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. “But I really felt the crowd was awesome. I had a blast winning and it’s something I’ll never forget. This is why you play; to get through these tough five-setters and move on.”

Johnson was on the brink when he found himself serving down 2-5 0/40 in the third set. Two return errors and a forehand unforced error from Donskoy, as well as a Johnson ace, saw the California native escape. But he was not out of the woods just yet, staring down the barrel of two more at 5-6. After Donskoy fired a return error, Johnson launched a backhand winner to save the sixth and final match point. From there, the reinvigorated American cruised to the finish line, claiming the set in a tie-break and dropping a combined six games in the fourth and fifth.

“I didn’t look so good for a while,” said Johnson. “At 2-5, I just found a way to hold. I got lucky and then we were back even. I have no idea how I got out of that game and just found a way to win those points. My mentally was that it’s not over. My goal walking out today was to win in three sets, but it doesn’t matter how it comes.”

2) Andy Murray d. Radek Stepanek 3-6, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3, 7-5/1R/Roland Garros
Andy Murray d. Mathias Bourgue 6-2, 2-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3/2R/Roland Garros

For the first 10 years of his career, Andy Murray won close to 70 per cent of his matches on clay, posting an 88-39 record (.693). But ahead of Roland Garros, the Briton had gone 29-3 (.906) on the red dirt over the past 12 months. With silverware from the Internazionali BNL d’Italia title, and a runner-up finish at the Mutua Madrid Open, on his mantelpiece at home, Murray began his ninth quest in Paris as joint title favourite with Novak Djokovic.

Visit FedEx ATP Performance Zone

World No. 2 Murray’s surge to becoming a Roland Garros title contender had stemmed from better movement on the crushed brick. But over seven hours, in the first two rounds in the south-west corner of Paris, 37-year-old Radek Stepanek and wild card Mathias Bourge, No. 164 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, caused all manner of problems.

Murray trailed Stepanek by two sets to one when play was suspended due to bad light, then endured a terrific fight against the oldest player in the draw to avoid a first-round exit for the first time since 2008. It was Murray’s ninth 0-2 sets comeback over three hours and 41 minutes. Murray had been two points from defeat at 4-5 deuce in the deciding set.

The following day, it was the turn of wild card Mathias to put the frighteners on Murray, who led 6-2, 2-0 – only to see his game collapse in spectacular fashion. Bourgue, who had not played a tour-level match prior to his Grand Slam debut and was facing a Top 50 player for the first time, won eight straight games – including 16 unanswered point.

Bourge had three opportunities to break Murray’s serve in the first game of the fourth set, but his fitness began to fail him. Murray finally clinched victory in three hours and 34 winners. “I’d been waiting for this for a long time, that’s what I play tennis for. I’m happy even if I lost,” said Bourgue. “It will remain a great memory.” Murray had now won 10 of his past 11 fifth set matches.

1) Roger Federer d. Marin Cilic 6-7(4), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(9), 6-3/QF/Wimbledon

For Marin Cilic, the opportunity to reach his first Wimbledon semi-final on his 10th straight appearance at the All England Club was close, but yet so far. The Croatian held all the aces during his eagerly awaited match against Roger Federer, but it was the seven-time former champion who held his nerve and took his opportunity when it mattered.

Federer recovered from an 0-2 sets deficit for the 10th time in his career in a classic match-up on the hallowed lawn, Centre Court. Cilic has three break points in a row in the third set to deliver the knock-out punch, something he did so easily in their 2014 US Open semi-finals en route to the trophy.

Federer initially struggled against Cilic’s barrage of big serves – winning 90 per cent of his first service points in the first two sets – and solid groundstrokes. The Swiss superstar stared down the barrel on serve at 3-3, 0/40 in the third set. Cilic earned three match point opportunities in the fourth set, including two on Federer’s serve at 4-5 and 5-6. “If we would go back to play again, I would try to be more aggressive on the chances when I had them in the fourth,” said Cilic, who missed a third match point in the fourth set tie-break. “Maybe there was a slight hesitation [during] some of them.”

Federer carried that momentum for the entire fifth set, breaking Cilic at 4-3 and ending the match with two of his 27 aces. “Today was epic,” said Federer, who advanced to his 11th Wimbledon semi-final. “Probably going to look back at this as being a great, great match that I played in my career, on Centre Court here at Wimbledon. This is huge for me, my season, my career. I’m very, very happy.” The crowd rewarded Federer with a standing ovation.