ATP Tour
Fritz headlines 2025’s best Grand Slam comebacks
Davidovich Fokina, Bublik, Monfils, Jarry all feature in Top 5 list
December 06, 2025
Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Taylor Fritz defeats Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in five sets in the first round at Wimbledon.
By Jerome Coombe
Five-set tennis remains one of the sport’s greatest stages for chaos, courage, and the kind of momentum swings that can stick in memory for years. Across the 2025 majors, the dramatic comebacks came thick and fast.
As part of our continuing ‘Best of 2025’ season review, today we look back on five of the most dramatic comeback victories at this year’s majors.
5) Wimbledon R1: Jarry d. Rune 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4
When Nicolas Jarry fell two sets behind to eighth seed Holger Rune, it looked like his main-draw stay at Wimbledon might end almost as soon as it began. But the Chilean refused to leave quietly, digging deep to earn his maiden 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 came through qualifying to reach the All England Club. Early on, he struggled to impose his aggressive game against Rune, but once he found his range on the slick grass, the 6’7” 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 took out #NextGenATP talents Learner Tien and Joao Fonseca before bowing out to home favourite Cameron Norrie in the fourth round — his joint-best showing at a major tournament.
Nicolas Jarry” style=”width:100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2025/11/27/13/28/jarry-2025-wimbledon-comebacks.jpg”>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 Parisian spectacle. After crashing into an advertising board on just the fifth point of the match against Hugo Dellien in his Roland Garros opener, the Frenchman slowly shook off the scare and braced for battle.
Dellien took control of the opening two sets, silencing the crowd with a clean display of clay-court tennis. But then ‘La Monf’ mode kicked in. With renewed energy, the then-38-year-old danced around Court Philippe-Chatrier, amping up the power and feeding off the roaring home faithful.
A dazzling backhand winner sealed the fourth-set tie-break, and from there, Monfils surged through to his 40th Roland Garros victory, tying 1983 champion Yannick Noah for the most among Frenchmen in the Open Era.
“Every time I play Roland-Garros it’s magical,” Monfils told the crowd afterwards. “The energy was high and I knew the moment the Marseillaise rang out that it had turned. It’s moments like that, when I know I’ve gained the momentum and then, with this communion with you, I know it’s won.”
Gael Monfils ” style=”width:100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2025/11/27/13/32/monfils-2025-roland-garros-comebacs.jpg”>Gael Monfils defeats Hugo Dellien in five sets at Roland Garros. Photo: FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images
3) Roland Garros R2: Bublik d. De Minaur 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
Sometimes a comeback starts simply with waking up. That’s exactly how Alexander Bublik described his emphatic rally against then-World No. 9 Alex de Minaur at Roland Garros — and after winning just four games across the first two sets, he suddenly snapped to life.
Once he loosened up, the Kazakhstani unleashed his signature blend of audacious drop shots and raw power, completely flipping the momentum and catching De Minaur off guard. The Australian, usually the one scrambling opponents into errors, found himself outfoxed as Bublik rattled off the final three sets with surprising ease to complete the turnaround.
“I was a bit sleepy in the first two sets,” said Bublik, who was competing as the World No. 62. “It was [the] key to wake up and then play one of the best Slam matches that I ever played in my life.”
Bublik entered 2025 with just 21 tour-level wins on clay, yet his triumph over De Minaur kickstarted an inspired surge. He then defeated Henrique Rocha and fifth seed Jack Draper to reach the Roland Garros quarter-finals — his best major showing — despite clay being his least-proven surface. The 28-year-old then added titles in Gstaad and Kitzbuehel, wrapping the season with a 16-5 clay record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
Alexander Bublik ” style=”width:100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2025/11/27/13/36/bublik-2025-roland-garros-comebacks.jpg”>Alexander Bublik defeats 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 captured the chaos of Melbourne nights like Alejandro Davidovich Fokina’s thrilling five-set win against Felix Auger-Aliassime that lasted four hours and 51 minutes.
After just seven games, both players agreed to shift courts due to the thunderous roar from the neighbouring Jacob Fearnley-Arthur Cazaux clash. The interruption didn’t bother Auger-Aliassime, who returned focused and clinched a pair of tie-breaks to earn a two-set lead.
But Davidovich Fokina responded with resilience and poise. He clawed back the next two sets with his gritty all-court style, forcing a decider past midnight. Even a point penalty for a time violation at 3-2 in the fifth — which was followed by a four-minute delay — couldn’t derail him; he reset quickly, surged ahead and completed the dramatic comeback at 1:15 a.m.
“It was a match where we both played at a high level,” said Davidovich Fokina, who rallied from two sets down against Jakub Mensik just two days later. “It’s definitely one of the matches of my career that has given me the most satisfaction. I had never been able to win from two sets down. The strength I have gained from this match is immense.”
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina” style=”width:100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2025/11/27/13/34/davidovich-fokina-australian-open-2025-comebacks.jpg”>Alejandro Davidovich Fokina defeats Felix Auger-Aliassime in five sets at the Australian Open. Photo: PAUL CROCK/AFP via Getty Images
1) Wimbledon R1: Fritz d. Mpetshi Perricard 6-7(6), 6-7(8), 6-4, 7-6(8), 6-4
Trailing by two sets to one, two points from defeat, and staring down a man who had just shattered the Wimbledon serving-speed record, Taylor Fritz looked finished in the first round. But what followed became one of the defining turnarounds of the season, ultimately helping him on his way to the semi-finals at SW19 for the first time.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who led 5/1 in the fourth-set tie-break and had two serves at 5/2, seemed poised to close out the upset. Earlier, the 6’8” Frenchman had fired a 153 mph bomb that eclipsed Taylor Dent’s tournament record set in 2010. He drew gasps from the crowd with his explosive serving as he took full control of the encounter.
Then Fritz turned the tables. With unwavering belief — and after titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne — he reeled off seven of the final eight points of the fourth-set tie-break and unleashed a roar that signalled the match was far from over. Due to the All England Club’s 11 p.m. curfew, 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 was about to be all over in the fourth-set tie-break last night,” said Fritz. “He came back on me in the first two tie-breaks, so I thought I had one in me. I’m just super happy to get through.”
Taylor Fritz” style=”width:100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2025/11/27/13/37/fritz-wimbledon-2025-comebacks-1.jpg”>Taylor Fritz celebrates against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at Wimbledon. Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
