Top 10 comeback matches of the year in men's tennis

Everybody loves to see a comeback while watching a match, especially if it is your favourite player making the comeback. These type of matches might be the most interesting and nail biting to watch, but they do take a toll on the players who have a tough time on the court. We have seen brilliant tennis played over the 2014 season by extremely talented players from all around the world. It surely has been a memorable year for players and fans alike. With the year coming to an end, we take a look at the top 10 comebacks matches from the ATP Tour. This includes Grand Slams as well as ATP 250, 500 and 1000 Masters Series.

#10 Martin Klizan Vs Rafael Nadal - China Open Quarterfinals

Martin Klizan fought his way to the quarterfinals of the China Open. He was staring at defeat in the first round against World No. 927 Xin Gao. But after coming back from being 1-5 down in the second set, he saved five match points to win the match.

He went on to win his second and third round before coming up against Rafael Nadal, who was trying to make a comeback to the tour after his injury problems. In a dramatic encounter, Klizan trailed Nadal by a service break in both the second and third sets, but found a way to win in two hours and 37 minutes for a place in his first ATP World Tour 500 semi-final.

It was only the third time in his career he got the better of a Top 10 player.

"I think my tennis is now great," said Klizan. "I think I can beat anyone on tour. For me this victory, that was the best night in my life. I'm just very happy that I beat Rafa. He's a legend. I'm just very happy that I beat a legend.” said Klizan after his win. He was eventually defeated by Tomas Berdych in the semifinal.

Score : Martin Klizan def. Rafael Nadal 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-3.

#9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Vs Sam Querrey - Wimbledon Second Round

World no. 12 and French no. 1 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has been performing exceptionally well at Wimbledon over the past few years, reaching the semifinals in 2011 and 2012. 2014 was not too good for him, as he was on the brink of elimination in the first and the second round at SW19.

After battling back from a two-sets-to-one deficit in a first-round encounter with Jurgen Melzer, Tsonga found himself trailing by the same margin in a second-round tilt with American Sam Querrey. Play went on for three hours after which it had to be suspended for the day at 9:23 p.m due to lack of light with the score being 9-9 in the fifth set . Tsonga saved a match point at 5-6, serving at 30-40.

The overnight break did Tsonga good as he found his rhythm on the next day. He was finally able to break Querrey’s serve in the 25th game of the decider after which he served out the set to take the match. Tsonga went on to lose to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the fourth round.

Score : Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Sam Querrey 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 6-3, 14-12.

#8 Tommy Robredo Vs Lukas Rosol - Australian Open First Round

Tommy Robredo is known for making comebacks at Grand Slams. This year, he became only the seventh player in history to have won after being two sets down in all four Grand Slams. This match was just another one of those days for the Spaniard.

The 32-year-old Robredo was made to work in his first match of the 2014 season, turning in yet another Houdini act in saving three match points against Lukas Rosol at the Australian Open. Robredo breezed through the first set, winning it comfortably after breaking Rosol’s serve twice.

Rosol made a brilliant comeback and fought hard to take the second and the third set. It looked like Rosol would walk away with the victory, but Robredo clawed his way back into the match as he forced a tiebreak in the fourth set which he eventually won. The fifth set was just as tense an affair as the fourth one. After saving three match points, Robredo finally closed out the match in the 14th game of the 5th set.

Score : Tommy Robredo def. Lukas Rosol 6-1, 6-7(7), 3-6, 7-6(5), 8-6.

Note : No Video was available for this match

#7 Roger Federer Vs Leonardo Mayer - Shanghai Masters First Round

In a dramatic first round match which should have been a walk in the park for the Swiss Maestro against Argentinian Leonardo Mayer, Federer managed to pull something out of the bag and save five match points before winning the match in three sets.

Nerves got the better of Mayer quite a few times in the match. He was serving for the first set, but errors from the Argentinian saw Federer break back and take the set 7-5. Mayer bounced back in the second set after breaking Federer’s serve once.

Federer found himself in a similar situation like he did with Monfils at the U.S Open, serving at 15-40 while down 4-5, giving Mayer two match points. The Argentine had an incredible opportunity to win the match, but his backhand which he should have easily dispatched went right into the net. Federer escaped and won the game.

In the tiebreak, Mayer was leading 5-2. He had three more match points at 6-4 and 7-6, but again was not able to hold his nerve. Federer eventually took the tiebreak and the match with an amazing lob.

Score: Roger Federer def. Leonardo Mayer 7-5. 4-6, 7-6(8).

#6 Gael Monfils Vs Paul Henri Mathieu - BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy, Bucharest quarter-finals

Gael Monfils is the most entertaining player to watch on the ATP Tour. He made an amazing comeback on the clay courts at Bucharest in tournament named after two of Romania’s finest players Ilie Nastase and Ion Tiriac.

He recovered from a 0-5 and 2-6 deficit in the second set tie-break against his compatriot Paul-Henri Mathieu, to win 3-6, 7-6(8), 6-2 for a place in the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy semi-finals. Monfils was not on top of his game making a lot of unforced errors and allowed Henri-Mathieu to control the play. Mathieu had six oppurtunities to take the match, but he was not able to keep his nerve. Monfils took full advantage and staged an amazing comeback to win the match.

"I played very poorly today. I was too defensive, but I got lucky. On two or three of the match points he got tight. I am very frustrated. I managed to win, which is the only good point. I did not deserve this match, one of the worst I played this year." said Monfils

Score : Gael Monfils def. Paul Henri Mathieu 3-6, 7-6(8), 6-2.

#5 Roger Federer Vs Stan Wawrinka - Barclays ATP World Tour Finals (Semifinals)

Roger Federer came into the semis of the ATP World Tour Finals having won all three of his round robin matches, including a crushing victory over Andy Murray in his previous match. Wawrinka on the other hand came into the semifinals after two wins and a loss, with the loss coming at the hands of Novak Djokovic.

Federer’s red hot form made him the favourite, but Wawrinka had other plans in mind as he took Federer all the way.

Wawrinka looked in control for most of the match, but a few crucial errors from him along with a few brilliant points by Federer saw the Swiss No. 1 take the match. Wawrinka had the opportunity to win the match on four occasions, but was unable to do so.

Federer saved three match points when Wawrinka was serving for the match at 5-4. That game went on for 10 minutes after which Federer finally broke Wawrinka. The fourth match point which Federer saved came in the deciding tie-break when Federer was serving at 6-7. The World No. 2 finally won the match with a brilliant drop shot.

Score: Roger Federer def. Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(6).

#4 Roger Federer Vs Gael Monfils - U.S Open Quarter-Finals

Roger Federer is used to making brilliant comebacks, after making three such comebacks in 2014. This one against Monfils will be remembered for years to come by all Federer fans over the world.

The match started off with Federer making a lot of mistakes and Monfils thus taking full advantage and controlling the play from the start. The Swiss made 26 unforced errors in the first two sets, and Monfils played some brilliant tennis to take a two set lead. But Federer played a nearly flawless third set as he made only one unforced error and took the set.

In the fourth set which saw breaks being exchanged between the two in the opening games of the set, Federer was serving at 4-5 to stay in the match. He found himself in a very sticky situation, with Monfils having two match points at 15-40. Federer held his nerve with two big serves and aggresive play to take the game. It was all Federer after that as he broke Monfils in the 11th game and held his serve after that to take the set 7-5.

The fifth set saw Federer continue from where he left off. With some agressive tennis, he broke Monfils in the first and fifth games and eventually took the set 6-2. Federer ended up losing to eventual champion Marin Cilic in the semifinals.

Score: Roger Federer def. Gael Monfils 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2.

#3 Andy Murray Vs Tommy Robredo - Valencia Open Final

Robredo’s priceless reaction after losing the epic match. It was all in good spirit though.

Andy Murray was on song one month before the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, winning three tournaments. This was probably his toughest win of them all. Murray was playing to qualify for the Tour Finals, whereas Tommy Robredo was playing for pride in his hometown.

They had faced each other for the second time in two months, with Murray winning their previous encounter at the Shenzen Open final after saving a few match points. It was to be the same story this time around as well. The Brit saved five match points before defeating the Spaniard in three sets in a gruelling 3 hour 20 minute Valencia final, making it the longest ATP tour match of the year. It was a match that contained high-quality shot-making and incredible drama, but one that ended in heartbreak for local hero Robredo.

The circumstances of Murray’s two victories over Robredo could not have been more eerily similar. Robredo’s reaction after losing to Murray was priceless.

Score: Andy Murray def. Tommy Robredo 3-6, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (8).

#2 Gilles Simon Vs Daniel Brands - Australian Open First Round

Frenchman Gilles Simon has saved match points on multiple occasions to win a match this year. This victory in the Australian Open First Round was probably his most hard fought one.

The 29-year-old Frenchman saved seven match points in overcoming Daniel Brands in a four-hour and 32-minute marathon at Melbourne Park and 10 months later he was forced to stave off six match points in a first round encounter with Roberto Bautista Agut in Tokyo.

Simon fought valiantly against Brands, as he was on crutches the previous day recovering from an injury. He also managed to serve a career best 32 aces in the match, while his opponent hit 41 aces.

“I needed fast conditions," said Simon. "I didn’t want to run so I knew that serving would be very effective. I’ve never served that many aces in a match.”, said Simon after the victory.

He also managed to come back from a two sets to one deficit a few days later against Marin Cilic to defeat the Croat in just under 4 hours.

Score : Giles Simon def. Daniel Brands 6-7(4), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 16-14.

Note : No Video was available for this match

#1 Nick Kyrgios Vs Richard Gasquet - Wimbledon Second Round

There was a lot of drama on the court no. 2 during the men’s second round of WImbledon. After Tsonga’s match point saving victory against Sam Querrey, fans got to witness what could be called as one of the best matches of the tournament.

19-year old Nick Kyrgios from Australia was up against the experienced Richard Gasquet. Gasquet was expected to win the match with ease and he was on his way to do so, but Kyrgios kept fighting throughout the match. In this nail biting encounter, Kyrgios tied a Grand Slam record in saving nine match points, as he came back from two sets down to upset Gasquet in three hours and 53 minutes.

Gasquet had 16 break points against the teenager, but was able to convert only two of them. Kyrgios took full advantage of this as he cruised on to his best victory of his career, until he defeated Rafael Nadal a few days later in the fourth round.

Score : Nick Kyrgios def. Richard Gasquet 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5, 10-8.