Comeback victories at Wimbledon : Top 5 men’s singles matches

Five set matches are often up and down encounters and players, who may seem in control of their bearings, find themselves struggling to maintain the level of consistency, over the duration of the match. With Wimbledon around the corner, in this article we take a look at some of the major comeback wins in men’s tennis, which showcase the grit and determination of the players even on the brink of defeat.

1. Roger Federer defeats Alejandro Falla

It seemed to be a normal first round encounter on the cards for the maestro, but it quickly turned into a marathon encounter as Falla, whose name means “fault” in Spanish, seemed to find zero faults in his game that day.  As he won the first two sets, fans were left on the edge of their seats, wondering whether this would be and early exit for Federer.

It was not to be as Roger Federer fought back to win the third set. Although Falla could have won the match in the fourth as well, after being up 5-4 and serving for the match, he failed to capitalize on the break of serve and Federer went on to win it in five sets. “I did get lucky today,” Federer said after his match, but we know it was far more than luck that pushed him into the next round.

1. Jo Wilfred Tsonga defeats Roger Federer

As questions were being raised as to if Roger Federer could add more slams to his 16, Tsonga seemed to provide a negative answer to them as he came back from two sets to love down to beat Roger Federer, and reach the semi-finals of the Wimbledon in 2011.

After Federer looked in cruise control during the first two sets, Tsonga seemed to find his rhythm suddenly in the third, and never looked back after that, as he did not face a single break point during the final three sets. This epic upset ranks fourth on our list.

1. Jimmy Connors defeats Mikael Pernfors

Who would have thought that after being down, 1-6 1-6 and 1-4 in the third, Connors would go on to win the match. A British newspaper definitely did not think so as it printed in its early edition that Connors had lost the match! Down 1-4, Connors started to hit the ball cleanly and went on to turn the set on its heels winning it 7-5. The fourth set also turned into a dog fight as he came back from a break down, to win the fourth set. The rest is, as they say, history. This epic victory ranks third on our list.

1. Roger Federer beats Marin Cilic

After being dominated by Marin Cilic in the first two sets Roger Federer seemed to be in a heap of trouble. The maestro seemed to come alive in the third set, as he seemed to get a good read on Cilic’s serve, taking the set 6-3. The fourth set went to a tie-break, with both the players playing tennis on an insane level. After saving three match points Roger went on to win the tie-break 11-9, and took the match to a fifth set. It was an emotional moment for both the players as Roger won the final set 6-3. This victory stands second on our list.

1. Andy Murray defeats Fernando Verdasco

Plenty of comeback victories have been witnessed on the centre court of the championships but none sweeter than this. After the exit of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the Scott looked to be the favorite to win the title, but he had to pass the Spaniard test before, he could reach the semifinals. The Spaniard bludgeoned forehands from every corner of the court, and Andy Murray, known for his defensive abilities, had no answer. But even though he was down he was not out, as Verdasco started to make more unforced errors in his attempt to hit clean winners, and the Scot reeled of the next three sets to mark a memorable comeback as he went on to win the Wimbledon trophy that year.