The best comebacks in tennis in honor of the Patriots

Tom Brady led the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history for the New England Patriots’ thrilling win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night. While the stunning overtime win, which earned the Patriots their fifth Super Bowl, was impressive, there have been plenty of stunning comebacks in tennis’ storied history as well.

1

Gaston Gaudio def. Guillermo Coria, 0-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 8-6

The world No. 44th-ranked Gaudio had his back against the wall, down two sets to none in his first and only Grand Slam final (the only time he made it past the fourth round at a major). The Argentine then put together one of the most unexpected comebacks in the history of tennis, saving two match points in the fifth set before going on to win.

''When I was match point down,” Gaudio said afterwards. “I was thinking, 'This is done, it's over.''' But the Argentine found a way to pull off the upset over the third seed, who was never quite the same after this.

2

Serena Williams def. Maria Sharapova, 2-6, 7-5, 8-6

It's hard to remember (or even fathom) this particular saga now given their 19-2 head-to-head record, but Sharapova won two matches against Williams in 2004, including the Wimbledon final. So there was no doubt that when the Russian held three match points in this semifinal, she could pull off the victory.

Sharapova served for the match in both the second and third sets, only for Williams to find a way to defeat her rival and eventually win her second of seven crowns at the Australian Open.

4

Novak Djokovic def. Roger Federer, 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5

After blowing a two-sets-to-none lead, Federer had another appearance in the US Open final on his racket. On his own match point, the Swiss hit a wide serve to Djokovic’s forehand, which the Serbian slapped crosscourt for a winner. On the next point, Federer missed an inside-out forehand. He would lose his serve and the match.

"To lose against someone like that, it's very disappointing, because you feel like he was mentally out of it already," Federer said. "Just gets the lucky shot at the end, and off you go."

“I would lie if I say I didn't think I'm gonna lose,” Djokovic said.

From there, Djokovic didn’t look back, beating Rafael Nadal for his first title in Flushing Meadows.

4

Steffi Graf def. Jana Novotna, 7-6, 1-6, 6-4

German legend Graf went from winning the opening set against Novotna to being down 6-1, 4-1, seemingly on her way to a runner-up finish. Novotna even had a point to make it 5-1, but in a flash, everything went wrong for her and right for the eventual 22-time Grand Slam champion.

Feeling bad for Novotna? Despite the match haunting her still, she did eventually win Wimbledon in 1998 and earned induction into the Hall of Fame in 2005. However, she was not done with being on the wrong side of incredible comebacks...

5

Chanda Rubin def. Jana Novotna, 7-6, 4-6, 8-6

It is hard to say whether it is tougher to blow a 5-0, 40-0 lead in a third set or to lose nine match points in one day. But Novotna will forever be able to say that she did both in Paris back in 1995.

Novotna's unraveling came less than two years after she lost the Wimbledon final to Graf, a match that Rubin remembered.

"I started thinking about that a little bit during the match,” Rubin said. “I just wanted to stay mentally tough and keep fighting, no matter what the score.

6

Roger Federer def. Rafael Nadal, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3

This classic five-setter gets extra credit for being the most recent. After losing a two sets-to-one lead against his greatest rival, it looked like Federer’s 18th major crown was slipping away. The Spaniard immediately broke in the fifth set and staved off break points to edge ahead for a 3-1 advantage.

But from there, Federer not only recovered: He found some of his best tennis when he needed it the most, eventually securing the title after a challenge on match point.