The Greatest Comeback of All-Time?

I've been watching tennis for over 50 years and that is one of the greatest comebacks in a major final/semi-final I have ever seen.

Djokovic was dead and buried. He looked as if he was out on his feet. His opponent had an answer to every question he asked. And then...

What the hell happened in the toiletbreak? I genuinely can't believe what happened today.

Tennis? Bloody hell!
 

Wooly

Rookie
I think its simply focusing you´re self and just fight until it´s over ... something that Djokovic, Federer & Nadal can do better then the rest of the field, and still making the difference ... they just refuse to let go .... in this Roland Garros especially. Novak had so many clutch games & moments, and he simply refuses to loose ... even to Nadal ... and after that, i really liked the idea of him winning the whole thing ... he just earned it. Congrats to him, a real warrior and i hope he and Nadal will go on to produce such a Level of Tennis the next Years to come. Players like Tsitsipas are the Future, and he was very close, but not yet ... ;-)
 

FiddlerDog

Hall of Fame
Stefanos stole the first set after getting dominated that first set.
Match was still up in the air after 2nd set.
I knew Novak was going to win the entire time.
 

Edgecrusher

Professional
I've been watching tennis for over 50 years and that is one of the greatest comebacks in a major final/semi-final I have ever seen.

Djokovic was dead and buried. He looked as if he was out on his feet. His opponent had an answer to every question he asked. And then...

What the hell happened in the toiletbreak? I genuinely can't believe what happened today.

Tennis? Bloody hell!

no new „Djokovic‘s opponent was injured“ thread today??
 

GhostofPetros

Semi-Pro
I've been watching tennis for over 50 years and that is one of the greatest comebacks in a major final/semi-final I have ever seen.

Djokovic was dead and buried. He looked as if he was out on his feet. His opponent had an answer to every question he asked. And then...

What the hell happened in the toiletbreak? I genuinely can't believe what happened today.

Tennis? Bloody hell!
But wait, Tsitsipas is a Mug, unlike Baghdatis, Blake, Roddick, Kiefer, Gonzalez, and Ljubicic!
 
D

Deleted member 771911

Guest
In a final? Slam final? It was good, but Nole was never in danger of losing as he pretty much took control of the whole thing after the break. I would Graf over Novotna was greater as Novotna was leading in the final 4-1.
 

Mustard

Bionic Poster
Other great Connors comebacks at the 1991 US Open. Against Patrick McEnroe in the first round, Connors was down 4-6, 6-7, 0-3 (2 breaks) and 0-40 down on serve. Connors came back to win 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. Mary Carillo said at 4-6, 6-7, 0-3 that Connors has had some great comebacks in his career, but has no chance here. Her smile of admiration in the studio at the end when he proved her wrong sticks in the mind.

Later in the same tournament. Down 2-5 in the fifth set against Aaron Krickstein, yet won in a fifth set tiebreak. In the quarters, Paul Haarhuis served for a 2-set lead at 6-4, 5-4, and Connors won 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2.
 

Sunny014

Legend
But wait, Tsitsipas is a Mug, unlike Baghdatis, Blake, Roddick, Kiefer, Gonzalez, and Ljubicic!

Tsitsipas was never ranked 1
Roddick was ranked 1 and is a multiple time slam finalist and 1 time winner.

So compared to Roddick indeed Tsitsi is a mug, pretty sure Roddick would not have lost in the final after being 2 sets up to love.
 

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
I’m shocked, shocked I say that the OP with his vaunted observational powers didn’t detect any injuries suffered by Tsitsipas as he did with Nadal in the last round. In spite of the fact that Tsitsipas actually got a medical timeout for a back rub after the third set unlike Nadal who seemed fine the whole match. Glad that the OP is giving credit to Djokovic as he deserves finally.
 

BGod

G.O.A.T.
Novak is just Rogue from X-Men. The more tired his opponent becomes the stronger he gets. I also feel like after losing the first set and getting down a break in the 2nd he was already resigned to winning in 5 and he did.
 
Are you new to tennis? Just asking because if you had followed a little bit of tennis you would have known that it's always the same script in matches between the big 3 and the rest. It was obvious and predictable Tsitsipas would choke the last 3 sets.
 

GhostofPetros

Semi-Pro
Other great Connors comebacks at the 1991 US Open. Against Patrick McEnroe in the first round, Connors was down 4-6, 6-7, 0-3 (2 breaks) and 0-40 down on serve. Connors came back to win 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. Mary Carillo said at 4-6, 6-7, 0-3 that Connors has had some great comebacks in his career, but has no chance here. Her smile of admiration in the studio at the end when he proved her wrong sticks in the mind.

Later in the same tournament. Down 2-5 in the fifth set against Aaron Krickstein, yet won in a fifth set tiebreak. In the quarters, Paul Haarhuis served for a 2-set lead at 6-4, 5-4, and Connors won 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Not to putdown Jimmy's achievement which is surely historic, but proving Mary Carillo wrong isn't exactly hard is it?
 

duaneeo

Legend
The problem with calling this comeback great is that there shouldn't have been the need for a comeback. Nole should've served out the first set, which would've changed the whole dynamics of the match. But this is typical of Nole. He fails to serve out a set or match, is pushed to a decider that shouldn't be happening, and when he wins it, the fans say "Ooo, he's so clutch!".
 

The Guru

Legend
The problem with calling this comeback great is that there shouldn't have been the need for a comeback. Nole should've served out the first set, which would've changed the whole dynamics of the match. But this is typical of Nole. He fails to serve out a set or match, is pushed to a decider that shouldn't be happening, and when he wins it, the fans say "Ooo, he's so clutch!".
Mentally strong is more apt than clutch here I agree.
 

celito

Professional
Nah ... Tsitsipas basically quit not long after the 3rd set. Djoko didn't even have to work hard.
 

daphne

Hall of Fame
I've been watching tennis for over 50 years and that is one of the greatest comebacks in a major final/semi-final I have ever seen.

Djokovic was dead and buried. He looked as if he was out on his feet. His opponent had an answer to every question he asked. And then...

What the hell happened in the toiletbreak? I genuinely can't believe what happened today.

Tennis? Bloody hell!
When he goes onto a toilet break he looks in the mirror and seeks the beast from within. Then he screams his lungs out to scare the Croatian part in him. Once the Serb in him awakens he walks back onto the court to destroy anyone standing between him and the trophy in the most barbaric way!
 

Antonio Puente

Hall of Fame
I thought it was the least suspenseful comeback in a major final I've seen. A player winning 3 sets in a major final on clay without facing a break point is unprecedented(it happened a few times on grass and hard)

Great comeback? Tsitsipas just went away. Djoker tried to choke it away like he did in 2015, but Tsitsipas wouldn't let him.
 

Sudacafan

Bionic Poster
I've been watching tennis for over 50 years and that is one of the greatest comebacks in a major final/semi-final I have ever seen.

Djokovic was dead and buried. He looked as if he was out on his feet. His opponent had an answer to every question he asked. And then...

What the hell happened in the toiletbreak? I genuinely can't believe what happened today.

Tennis? Bloody hell!
Gaudio over Coria was better and more challenging.
 

Raul_SJ

G.O.A.T.
I've been watching tennis for over 50 years and that is one of the greatest comebacks in a major final/semi-final I have ever seen.

Djokovic was dead and buried. He looked as if he was out on his feet. His opponent had an answer to every question he asked. And then...

What the hell happened in the toiletbreak? I genuinely can't believe what happened today.

Tennis? Bloody hell!

Down 0-5 to a player with a 105-2 record is just as great of a comeback.
 

Kralingen

Bionic Poster
I’m almost 100% sure that every minute of his break is monitored by officials and he’s not allowed to speak to anyone from his team. Or get any drinks/food that isn’t in his tennis bag (which is also reviewed by officials). It seems to be a mental re-centering and breathing exercise more than anything else.
Officials follow you into the rest room and watch you pee. All eyes are on you.
 

Mustard

Bionic Poster
Boris Becker at 1994 Wimbledon famously went to the bathroom during his match against Javier Frana, to do some stretching exercises with his physical trainer. Alan Mills (Wimbledon referee from 1983-2005) personally caught them, apparently. John McEnroe said Becker should have been thrown out of the tournament. Becker was involved in several controversies at 1994 Wimbledon, also against Andrei Medvedev and Christian Bergstrom later in the tournament.
 

Raul_SJ

G.O.A.T.
I’m almost 100% sure that every minute of his break is monitored by officials and he’s not allowed to speak to anyone from his team. Or get any drinks/food that isn’t in his tennis bag (which is also reviewed by officials). It seems to be a mental re-centering and breathing exercise more than anything else.

Technically a toilet break means you are supposed to take a pee. This is why Sinner got penalized... Almost certain that Rafa did not need to use the toilet after the second set but he needed a mental break after Djoker took control of the match. Rafa seemed to use the break for refreshments and breather... Probably faked the pee.
 

SonnyT

Legend
Djokovic came back from 2 sets down twice, to win the title. The 1st time it has been done in the Open Era.

It might have been done in the pre-OE, more than 70 and 100 years ago, respectively.
 

duaneeo

Legend
Is this win more impressive than Feds AO17?

Nah. #17 seed Federer not only came back from a break down in the 5th to beat his nemesis Nadal (who he hadn't beaten at a slam since 2007 Wimbledon, and was 0-3 against at the AO), but also survived 5-setters against #5 Nishikori and #4 Wawrinka.
 

Beckerserve

Legend
I've been watching tennis for over 50 years and that is one of the greatest comebacks in a major final/semi-final I have ever seen.

Djokovic was dead and buried. He looked as if he was out on his feet. His opponent had an answer to every question he asked. And then...

What the hell happened in the toiletbreak? I genuinely can't believe what happened today.

Tennis? Bloody hell!
Lets just say you not only one with raised eyebrows judging from various comments in various quarters.
Are you going to try gluten free?
What a comeback. Greatest ever as you say for sure. Unbelievable.
 

SonnyT

Legend
Federer is too old to go 5 with just about any decent player. Nadal runs out of energy if he has to go 5 with any good player.

And yet, no player, from decent to good to very good, wants to go 5 against Djokovic, because the guy is just too consistent.

'20 RG final is the way to beat him. Catch him on the day he's totally out of sync, and beat him in 3 sets, with a bagel thrown in.
 

ttwreader

Hall of Fame
“To be honest, I was never really vocal when I speak to myself. I keep those internal conversations internally in my head,” Djokovic revealed in his post-match press conference. “There's always two voices inside: one [is] telling you that you can't do it, that it's done, it's finished. That voice was pretty strong after that second set.

“I felt that that was a time for me to actually vocalise the other voice and try to suppress the first one that was saying I can't make it. I told myself I can do it [and] encouraged myself. I strongly started to repeat that inside of my mind, [and] tried to live it with my entire being.”

“Once I started playing in that third set, especially in the first few games, I saw where my game [was] at, it kind of supported that second voice that was more positive, more encouraging,” he added. “After that there was not much of a doubt for me.”
 
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