Top 10 comebacks in women’s tennis

Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: A desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have late minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill. – Muhammad Ali.

True, champions refuse to wilt even under insurmountable pressure. It is that insatiable hunger, unflinching passion and unwavering will that pull them out from the deepest of dungeons and push them to the pinnacle of glory. How many times have we seen a champion reeling under a challenger’s blows yet magically finding a way out to safety? We have admired, we have revelled and needless to say, such magnificent comebacks have made us love the world of sport even more.

Here’s a look at 10 such amazing moments from the world of women’s tennis in the past 20 years.

10. Azarenka def Cibulkova 1-6, 7-6, 7-5 – 2012 Miami 4th round

Victoria Azarenka was sitting pretty at the top, enjoying a lavish year which showered her with her first Grand Slam title, the No. 1 ranking and an immaculate streak of 25 unbeaten matches. Yet shockingly to all, the two-time Miami champion was facing a whitewash, thanks to some audacious winners by pocket dynamo Dominika Cibulkova. Down 1-6, 0-4, Azarenka started her incredible fightback. But the drama was far from over. Cibulkova got an opportunity to serve for the match but that is where her jangling nerves got the better of her. Azarenka ultimately managed to pull herself out of the hole and later on expressed: “You just have to keep fighting until they call it game, set and match.” It showed Azarenka had come a long way since her nervy, tempestuous days.

9. Clijsters def Li 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 – 2012 Australian Open 4th round

For defending champion Kim Clijsters, it was more of an emotional battle, and for Li Na it was a grand chance to avenge her 2011 final defeat. Li Na, who traditionally does well in Australia and is a popular figure Down Under, clinched the first set as Clijsters’ fortune looked doomed with a left ankle injury in the seventh game. But Clijsters was riding on a surge of emotions that day with the 2012 Australian Open being her last time at the ‘Happy Slam’. At 4-6, 1-3, she called on her inner fighting spirits and staunch self-belief to wriggle out a tie-break. As Li Na squandered each of her four match points in the tie-break, there was no looking back for the Belgian.

8. Henin-Hardenne def Serena Williams 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 – 2003 French Open semi-final

The match will be remembered more for the simmering tension between the two ladies and the acrimony that strained their relations. Serena was chasing Steffi Graf’s incredible record of five consecutive Grand Slam wins and had pretty much looked invincible. Justine Henin-Hardenne, who had been rising as Serena’s biggest challenger for some time, had pierced into Serena’s aura of invincibility and had taken the lead in the match. But the American No. 1, never one to bow out without a fight, retaliated and was 4-2 up in the decider which is when the Belgian’s infamous ‘hand-incident’ occurred. The repercussions were huge. The defending Roland Garros champion lost five of the next six games, was booed and jeered off the court and reduced to a sobbing wreck.

7. Graf def Hingis 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. – 1999 French Open final

A teenaged Hingis was the then World No. 1 and Steffi Graf had announced that this would be her last French Open appearance. Graf, bothered by injuries, hadn’t won any major for the past three years. Hingis, who had won every Slam except the French by then, was adamant to add that one last missing silverware to her cabinet. Cruising at 2-0 in the second set, she would go on to display a shocking example of teenage brashness that would eventually decide the course of the match. Her down-the-line forehand was ruled out and Hingis was determined to prove it otherwise. To the horror of the spectators, an impudent Hingis argued with the umpire and walked over to Graf’s side of the court which led to a penalty being imposed on her. That was very much the end of Hingis’ dream. A vociferous French crowd chanting for Steffi inspired the German to make it a fairytale end to her Roland Garros journey.

6. Graf def Sanchez Vicario 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 10-8 – 1996 French Open final

Defending champion Steffi Graf was undergoing testing times with her father being jailed since August 1995. This was her first major of the year after missing the Australian Open with injury. And for Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, no court was better to prove her tenacity and dogged fighting qualities than the hallowed Court Philippe Chatrier where she had already reigned supreme twice. And the two determined warriors gave it their all. Graf was one point away from slipping to 2-5 down in the final set but the fire within her never stopped burning. She had done it numerous times before and this would be no exception. When after a three-hour marathon, it finally ended, an emotional Graf acknowledged it as the ‘most spectacular’ match of their rivalry. Graf’s 19th Slam conquest also propelled her past Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert into the record books.

5. Henin-Hardennne def Myskina 7-5, 5-7, 8-6 – 2004 Athens Olympics semi-final

2004 was a historic year as it witnessed the Russian hegemony over the majors in women’s tennis. On the other hand, Justine Henin-Hardenne, who began the year in majestic fashion by clinching the Australian Open, had slipped into obscurity with illness, injury and losses. The Belgian was faced with the prospect of duelling with Anastasia Myskina who was having a stellar year and had become Russia’s first ever women’s singles major champion. Trading blows for blows, the match would be split with both women taking one set apiece. What ensued in the decider was unthinkable. Myskina, growing in confidence, raced to a 5-1 lead which is when the petite Belgian staged the magic recovery to win seven of the next eight games. The loss was a crushing blow for the Russian who was close to tears, and she went on lose her bronze medal match tamely.

4. Capriati def Hingis 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2 – 2002 Australian Open final

Jennifer Capriati was one who well and truly knew what a ‘comeback’ meant. A teenager with precocious talent, Jennifer’s teenage troubles made as much headlines as did her sensational comeback the year before. As for the Swiss Miss Martina Hingis, Melbourne Park was her happy hunting ground and this was the sixth straight final for the three-time Australian Open winner. Under the sweltering conditions, the American’s game melted and fizzled out and the defending champ looked ready to crash out. But Jennifer was the comeback girl. Falling behind 0-4 in second set and then four match points down, she remained unperturbed and produced a performance that stunned everybody including herself. “I couldn’t believe finally that I won,” she later on confessed in utter disbelief.

3. Serena Williams def Dementieva 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 8-6 – 2009 Wimbledon semi-final

This was a classic which illuminated the Wimbledon Centre Court. As much as the seething battle gave a true testament of Serena Williams’ indomitable fighting spirit, it also slammed shut the door on what could have been Elena Dementieva’s last chance at grabbing a Grand Slam title. In a topsy-turvy match, the Russian was the one who steered her ship and inched ahead by virtue of some scintillating forehands. Scrambling all over the court and being compelled into numerous errors, Serena somehow managed to pull out the second set. The decider was even more dramatic with the svelte blonde breaking Serena to lead 3-1 and then holding a match point at Serena’s serve at 4-5. But a brave backhand volley at that crucial juncture by the American was what sealed the fate of the match, and Dementieva’s destiny.

2. Graf def Novotna 7-6, 1-6, 6-4 – 1993 Wimbledon final

This would go on to produce a heart-melting image that would be remembered for years in the world of tennis. A crestfallen Jana Novotna broke down and sobbed on the shoulders of the Duchess of Kent. Just few minutes before, she had a point to go up 5-1 in the final set but watched despairingly as she double-faulted and her game crumbled to pieces from there. This was the glimmer of hope that Steffi Graf needed in the 100th women’s Wimbledon championship match to produce a blitzkrieg. Within 10 minutes, it was all over as Graf captured her fifth Wimbledon crown. Graf afterwards commented: “You’ve got to play every point.” True, it’s never over till it’s over.

1. Henin-Hardenne def Capriati 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) – 2003 US Open semi-final

‘Fortune favours the brave’ – Justine Henin-Hardenne validated this in a riveting 183-minute survival tale. In a throbbing atmosphere, the 2003 French Open winner faced Jennifer Capriati who, backed by a boisterous Arthur Ashe crowd, was two points from victory as many as 11 times. But the sheer mental stamina of the Belgian refused to buckle under pressure even though her physical strength almost did. After erasing the Belgian’s 4-1 lead, Capriati snatched the first set and was soon 5-3 up in the second when an exquisite half-volley followed by lobs brought things back to level. At 2-5 down in the third, Justine served and soon clutched her cramping left thigh and grimaced in pain. But that is where the resolute Belgian’s incredible resilience and steely nerves resurfaced. Capriati could hardly believe the outcome and honestly admitted: “I had the match in my hands. It was my match to win. I beat myself.”