The best of 2023
Best ATP Tour Comebacks of 2023: Relive Murray’s Doha Magic and More
Along with Rune, Felix, De Minaur and Molcan also appear
Karim Jaafar/AFP via Getty Images
Along with Rune, Felix, De Minaur and Molcan also appear
By ATP staff
Tennis’ unique scoring system means that a match is never really over until it’s over. That fact has been proven time and time again this season, never more emphatically than in the matches listed below — they all had match point saves.
As we continue our look back at the 2023 season, ATPTour.com is counting down the biggest comebacks of the year on the ATP Tour. Tomorrow we will see the best Grand Slam comebacks.
5) Beijing R32 & Paris R64, De Minaur d. Murray
A comeback so good he did it twice. In a month, Alex de Minaur found himself trailing Andy Murray 2-5 in a final set on two occasions: first in Beijing and then again in Paris. The Australian’s never-say-die attitude helped him save a total of four match points in the two matches to improve his perfect Lexus ATP Head2Head record against the Brit to 6-0, including four wins this season (also in Monte-Carlo and Queen’s Club).
In Beijing, De Minaur saved two match points on serve at 2-5 in the final set and another at 5/6 in a deciding tiebreak to claim a 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(6 ). In a match the Australians dubbed a “scrap fest”, both players struggled to consistently find their best tennis. But that didn’t stop De Minaur from giving his best effort, which proved enough to get him over the line after two hours and 53 minutes.
Four weeks later it was a similar story at Paris-Bercy. This time, the match point came on Murray’s serve at 5-4 in the final set. But coming on court at the crucial moments, De Minaur won that game as part of a five-game streak to steal the match from 2-5 down with a final score of 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-5.
4) Indian Wells R4, Auger-Aliassime d. Paul 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6)
Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced to the quarter-finals at his sixth consecutive ATP Masters 1000, saving six match points to beat home favorite Tommy Paul in Indian Wells.
The Canadian battled from behind throughout the evening match, dropping the first set and trailing 0-3 in the third. He clawed his way back to level the deciding set at 3-3 only to go down triple match twice in the closing stages. At 5-6, 0/40, Auger-Aliassime’s serve came to his rescue as he won five straight points to force a tiebreak. Down 3/6 in the tiebreak, the eighth seed went on a five-point run again, with that latest upset sealing his place in the quarters close to midnight.
“I always stayed positive, I kept my hopes up, I kept thinking, ‘OK, I’m not that far, I can come back,'” a relieved Auger-Aliassime said of his great escape. “At the end, when you’re down 0/40 on your serve, you know that… ‘OK, if I win that first one, serve well, then again, then again, we’re back on even terms.’
“You just take it one at a time. It’s so cliché to say it, but it still works; that’s the proof. I’m really happy that I’m doing it. It’s a crazy feeling.”
3) Munich Final, Rune d. Van de Zandschulp 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(3)
Holger Rune overcame a hand injury, a twisted ankle and four championship points against him to complete a successful title defense in Munich. Struggling with a problem in his dominant right hand, the exhausted Dane fell behind 2-5 in the final set, with Botic van de Zandschulp taking the first two points of the match at 40/15 in that game.
Rooney blasted his way through several long rallies to break, only to tweak his ankle later in the set. After battling to 5-5, Rune broke again, giving his Dutch opponent a third chance to serve out the match. But after blowing off two more match points, a third straight break for the defending champion boosted his confidence heading into the deciding tiebreak. Rune raced to the title behind the clear hit in the closing moments.
“I felt really exhausted, but I fought until the end and tried my best to get back into the race,” Rune said after claiming his fourth tour-level title. “I think for the people it was the perfect final. We really pushed each other to the limit and I’m really happy to defend the title today.
“It could have helped me a little to not get hurt. It was a struggle, but I managed to do it.”
2) Kitzbühel R16, Molcan d. Offner 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(5)
Alex Molcan had one foot in the locker room, losing to home favorite Sebastian Ofner 4-6, 0-5 and facing two matches in Kitzbühel. But what was shaping up to be a routine midweek clash turned into one of the craziest matches of the ATP Tour season thanks to a sensational comeback from the Slovak.
Two match-point saves on serve sparked a nine-game winning streak for Molkan, who came from the brink of defeat to take a 2-0 lead in the third set. As Offner saw his confident victory turn into a battle again, the Austrian seemed increasingly frustrated by his left-handed opponent’s steady ground game.
But that wasn’t the last twist in this clay fairy tale. Offner rediscovered his serve and regrouped to win three straight games, lead 3-2 and later saved a break point to hold for 6-5.
After the scale of Molcan’s heroics up to that point, 0/30 at 5-6 and the 0/2 deficit he faced in the deciding tiebreak were just minor bumps in the final stretch of his road to a stunning victory.
“To be honest, I don’t really know what happened today,” he mused, looking just as stunned as the packed crowd in Kitzbühel. “I started playing faster and won the second set, which is a miracle for me. But I’m so happy that I did it in the end.”
1) Doha, Murray saves 8 combined match points to reach final
Andy Murray has given us a lot of “Murray Magic” over the years, but the most fitting phrase for the former world No.1’s start to 2023 was “Marathon Murray”. After playing a trio of epics at the Australian Open, Murray needed a maximum of three sets for all four of his victories in Doha en route to his first ATP Tour final since 2019. In total, he saved eight match points at the ATP 250, where he two-time former champion.
His dramatic run in Doha began with a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4) win against Lorenzo Sonego, in which he saved three match points. Murray saved those match points at 4-5 in the final set and later overcame a 0/3 start in the tiebreak to win seven of the last eight match points, his comeback fueled by his cross-court success his backhand pattern.
A three-hour battle with Alexander Zverev followed. Although Murray did not have to face a match, he came within two points of defeat on two occasions deep into the final set of an eventual 7-6(5), 2-6, 7-5 victory. Another comeback, this one from a set against Alexandre Muller in the quarters, set up a semi-final showdown with Jiri Lehecka.
Murray made a blistering start to take the opening set 6-0, but any hope of an uncharacteristically straightforward victory vanished when Lehecka took the second. The Czech’s strong play brought him to the brink of a famous victory with a 5-3 lead in the third set. The next two games would see five match points, including three from 40/0 at 5-4, but Murray’s resolute defense denied Leheka his first final at tournament level. Final score: 6-0, 3-6, 7-6(6).
“I do not know [how I won]” said a disbelieving Murray, who hit just 17 winners to his opponent’s 44. “That was one of the most amazing turnarounds I’ve had in my career. You obviously had the three match points at 5-4, but also [two] when I was serving at 5-3, and then I don’t know.
“I knew it was his first time serving for a final, so I knew I had to try and keep the pressure on at the end. I know how hard it is to serve out matches like that, but I don’t know how he managed to turn that round to be honest.”
Read all the stories in our Best Of 2023 review