5 best sporting comebacks of 2015

Some new, some old. Several players made their playing debuts this year, while others, old hands at their sports, had less than ideal seasons.Some players, however, started off 2015 in a slump, out of form, or simply unable to achieve the results they had previously been accustomed to. Management decisions affected some others, but each of these 5 players overcame all of those odds to finish 2015 on a high:

#5 Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia)

Malaysian shuttler Lee Chong Wei is widely regarded as one of the best in the sport. He hit his highest-ever ranking of World No. 1 in December of last year, and has medaled at the Olympics, the World Championships and the Asian Games.

Lee has excelled on the international stage, taking a staggering four gold medals at the Commonwealth Games over his career so far. After a strong number of years until 2013, Lee suffered a significant slump in form, starting the year off with a fourth straight loss to Chinese shuttler Chen Long.

At the time, although he won the Malaysian Open for a record tenth time, he announed he was contemplating retirement immediately following that year’s Asian Games as he felt that he had lost his form.

He won the All-England and India Opens as well, but saw himself upset at the 2015 Singapore Open.

The rest of the year saw him suffer subsequent losses to Chen Long in straight sets, and ended the year losing to Chen’s compatriot Lin Dan just a few days afterward.

2015 brought shocking news to the badminton world, which was shaken by the news that the Badminton Association of Malaysia had run tests on the samples of one of the country’s top shuttlers, and the samples had tested positive for banned drug dexamethasone. It was eventually revealed to be Lee Chong Wei, and the results led Lee to be handed an 8-month ban from the sport by the Badminton World Federation.

Lee bounced back with a vengeance after serving his ban, winning each of his three matches at the Sudirman Cup. On the back of this, he won titles at the US Open and Canada Open, and after a short lull, came back yet again to take the title at the French Open, his maiden China Open and the Hong Kong Open.

Making a comeback first from a drug ban and then a returned lull in form, Lee showed true grit in 2015.

#4 Borussia Dortmund (18th to 7th to 2nd )

The heart rending footage of Roman Weidenfeller and Mats Hummels apologizing to angry Borussia Dortmund supporters after a last minute loss to Augsburg in February, was the nadir of Dortmund’s year as the club plunged to the foot of the Bundesliga table. Their beloved manager Jurgen Klopp looked bereft of ideas, as his gegenpressing style of play had been figured out. Die Borussien seemed like a club that was on the precipice of disaster.

Klopp took the hit, changing his tactics from a previously gung-ho style to a relatively balanced one, which was aided by a change in personnel. Klopp also managed to rally his troops one final time, as he confirmed his departure from the club at the end of the season, where some determined performances saw Dortmund climb back all the way to 7th.

Thomas Tuchel came in and completely revamped and reenergized the club, instituting a new dietary regime coupled with a renewed focus on fitness. A switch of tactics to a more possession based style has seen Dortmund climb to the top echelons of the Bundesliga again, as players like Aubameyang and Reus have thrived to take their club to 2nd as the year comes to an end.

#3 Steven Finn (England)

Having last featured in the 2013 Ashes series in England, Steven Finn made a return to the longest format of the game in the 2015 Ashes, which was also in England. After the first two Test matches, the series was tied at 1-1.

Finn was brought into the Test squad for the third Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham. It was probably one of the best comebacks a bowler could hope for as Finn ended up picking eight wickets in the match – six in the first innings and two in the second innings. Finn, deservedly, was named as the man of the match after England won the match by eight wickets.

In the four Test matches Finn played in 2015, he picked up 18 wickets at an outstanding average of 20.05. His bowling exploits – picking up six wickets – in the recently concluded first Test against South Africa in Durban also helped England win comprehensively and end the year on a high.

#2 Francis Coquelin (Charlton to Arsenal)

At the start of the year, Francis Coquelin had just returned to Arsenal from a loan spell at League 1 side Charlton Athletic. The French midfielder's career was petering out after a highly promising start, and Coquelin was 'unhappy' to return to Arsenal, by his own manager's admission.

The 24-year-old midfielder feared a lack of playing time would hinder his development, but Arsenal's perennial injury crisis meant that Coquelin was thrust into action immediately. The Frenchman did not disappoint - his tough-tackling, energetic performances at the heart of the Gunners midfield were representative of a player playing for one last shot at a top-level career.

From a journeyman outcast, Coquelin has risen like a phoenix from the ashes to become the first name on Arsene Wenger's team sheet. The midfielder has visibly grown in stature and footballing nous over the course of the year, and is now the defensive lynchpin of a team that tops the Premier League table.

#1 Grant Elliott (New Zealand)

One of the greatest comebacks of recent times in cricket was that of Grant Elliott to New Zealand cricket team. After having played in the 2010 New Zealand tour of India, he made a brief comeback in 2013 after which he did not play again for 14 months.

Cricket fans would definitely have been surprised with the inclusion of Elliott in the New Zealand World Cup squad, considering that he was only playing just two series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan before the start of the World Cup.

However, Elliott proved all his critics wrong as he scored a hundred in just the third innings of his comeback. He had a fabulous run at the World Cup, helping the Kiwis reach the finals of the tournament for the first time in their history.

In the eight innings that he played at the World Cup, Elliott scored 310 runs at an average of 44.28 and a strike rate of 105.44. His unbeaten 84 against South Africa in the semi-finals was one of the best innings of the World Cup. Needing five off two balls, Elliott smashed a six off Dale Steyn over long-on to send Eden Park into delirium.