Five-set tennis remains one of the sport’s best stages when it comes to chaos, courage and the kind of momentum swings that can stick in the memory for years to come. During the 2025 majors, the dramatic comebacks came thick and fast.
As part of our ongoing Best of 2025 season review, today we look back at five of the most dramatic comeback wins at the majors this year.
5) Wimbledon R1: Jarry d. Rune 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4
When Nicolas Jarry fell two sets behind eighth seed Holger Rune, it looked like his stay at Wimbledon would end almost as quickly as it began. But the Chilean refused to go quietly and dug deep to earn his first five-set win after previously going 0-5 in deciding sets at majors.
Competing as the No. 143 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Jarry advanced through qualifying to reach the All England Club. He struggled at first to impose his aggressive play against Rune, but once he found his range on the slick grass, the 6-foot-4 powerhouse caught fire. He launched 63 winners, including 31 aces, in a stunning turnaround that marked his first main-draw win at a major since the 2023 US Open.
That victory lit the fuse for an inspired Wimbledon run. After ousting Rune, Jarry eliminated #NextGenATP talents Learner Tien and Joao Fonseca before battling home favorite Cameron Norrie in the fourth round – his joint-best performance at a major tournament.
Nicolas Jarry defeats Holger Rune in five sets at Wimbledon. Photo: Dan Istitene/Getty Images
4) Roland Garros R1: Monfils d. Dellien 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-1
Leave it to Gael Monfils to turn a painful collision into the spark for another late-night Paris spectacle. After crashing into a billboard on just the fifth point of the match against Hugo Dellien in his Roland Garros opener, the Frenchman slowly shook off the shock and braced himself for battle.
Dellien took control of the first two sets and silenced the crowd with a clean display of clay tennis. But then the ‘La Monf’ mode kicked in. With renewed energy, the then 38-year-old danced around Court Philippe-Chatrier, building up the power and feeding the roaring House faithful.
A dazzling backhand winner sealed the fourth-set tiebreak, and from there Monfils advanced to his 40th Roland Garros victory, tying 1983 champion Yannick Noah for the most French in the Open Era.
“Every time I play at Roland-Garros, it’s magical,” Monfils told the audience afterwards. “The energy was high and the moment the Marseillaise sounded I knew it had turned. It’s moments like that when I know I’ve gained the momentum and then, with this community with you, I know it’s won.”
Gael Monfils beats Hugo Dellien in five sets at Roland Garros. Photo: FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images
3) Roland Garros R2: Public d. The 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
Sometimes a comeback simply starts with waking up. That’s exactly how Alexander Bublik described his emphatic rally against then world number 9 Alex de Minaur at Roland Garros – and after winning just four games in the first two sets, he suddenly came alive.
Once he broke free, the Kazakhstani unleashed his signature mix of daring drop shots and raw power, completely reversing the momentum and catching De Minaur off guard. The Australian, usually the one to set his opponents up for failure, found himself outwitted as Bublik wrapped up the final three sets with surprising ease to complete the turnaround.
“I was a little sleepy in the first two sets,” said Bublik, who competed as world No. 62. [the] key to wake up and then play one of the best Slam matches I’ve ever played in my life.
Bublik entered 2025 with just 21 tour-level victories on clay, but his victory over De Minaur created an inspiring wave. He then defeated fifth seed Henrique Rocha and Jack Draper to reach the quarter-finals of Roland Garros – his best major performance – despite clay being his least proven surface. The 28-year-old then added titles in Gstaad and Kitzbühel and finished the season with a 16-5 clay-court record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
Alexander Bublik beats Alex de Minaur in five sets at Roland Garros. Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
2) Australian Open R2: Davidovich Fokina d. Auger-Aliassime 6-7(7), 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-1, 6-3
Few matches reflected the chaos of Melbourne’s evenings as well as Alejandro Davidovich Fokina’s thrilling five-set victory against Felix Auger-Aliassime, which lasted four hours and 51 minutes.
After just seven games, both players agreed to switch courts due to the thunderous roar of the adjacent Jacob Fearnley-Arthur Cazaux clash. The stoppage did not bother Auger-Aliassime, who returned focused and took a pair of tie-breaks to earn a two-set lead.
But Davidovich Fokina responded with resilience and poise. He took back the next two sets with his gritty all-court style, forcing a decider until after midnight. Not even a point penalty for a time violation at 3-2 in the fifth – which was followed by a four-minute delay – could derail him; he quickly reset, surged forward and completed the dramatic comeback at 1:15 am
“It was a match in which we both played at a high level,” said Davidovich Fokina, who came back from two sets against Jakub Mensik just two days later. “It is definitely one of the matches of my career that has given me the most satisfaction. I have never been able to win by two sets behind. The strength I got from this match is enormous.”
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina beats Felix Auger-Aliassime in five sets at the Australian Open. Photo: PAUL CROCK/AFP via Getty Images
1) Wimble R1: Fritz d. Mpetshi Perricard
Trailing by two sets to one, two points away from defeat, and staring down a man who had just broken the Wimbledon speed record, Taylor Fritz looked set in the first round. But what followed became one of the defining turnarounds of the season and ultimately helped him progress to the SW19 semi-finals for the first time.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who led 5/1 in the fourth set tiebreak and had two serves at 5/2, looked ready to end the turmoil. Earlier, the 6ft 1in Frenchman had fired a 150mph bomb that eclipsed Taylor Dent’s 2010 tournament record. He drew screams from the crowd with his explosive portion as he took full control of the encounter.
Then Fritz turned the tables. With unwavering belief – and after titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne – he took seven of the last eight points of the fourth set tiebreak and unleashed a roar that signaled the match was far from over. The 11pm curfew at the All England Club meant the American had to finish the job the next day, but he did so in style to emerge victorious in the first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between two of the Tour’s most prolific servers.
“It was a really crazy match. I thought it would all be over last night in the fourth set tiebreak,” Fritz said. “He came back on me in the first two tiebreaks, so I thought I had one in me. I’m just super happy I got through it.”
Wimbledon. Photo:
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