By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday July 7, 2024
We’re only four days into Wimbledon 2024, and already we have a record for comebacks from two sets down. Ten players have rallied from a two sets to love deficit to win, with Holger Rune becoming the most recent, as he surged back to defeat Frenchman Shang Juncheng on Day 6.
That number – ten – breaks the Open Era record for most comebacks from 0-2 down in a year at Wimbledon - passing 1974, 1990 and 1997. Last year at Wimbledon, there were only four comebacks from two sets down during the whole Wimbledon fortnight.
Here are the ten that we’ve seen thus far:
Seyboth Wild d. Paul Jubb 1-6 3-6 7-6(6) 6-4 7-5 round 1
Machac d. Goffin 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-1 7-6(5) round 1
Safiullin d. Cerundolo 6-7(5) 3-6 7-5 6-3 6-4 round 1
Kokkinakis d. Auger-Aliassime 4-6 5-7 7-6(9) 6-4 6-4 round 1
Bublik d. Mensik 4-6 6-7(2) 6-4 6-4 6-2 round 1
Thompson d. Kotov 5-7 5-7 6-4 6-4 6-4 round 1
Tiafoe d. Arnaldi 6-7(5) 2-6 6-1 6-3 6-3 round 1
Harris d. Michelsen 3-6 4-6 7-6(5) 6-2 7-6(9) round 1
Dimitrov d. Shang 5-7 6-7(4) 6-4 6-2 6-4 round 2
Holger Rune d. Quentin Halys 1-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-1.
Eight of 64 men’s singles first-round matches were comebacks from two sets to love down, which is a whopping 12.5 percent.
The most comebacks from two sets down at any Grand Slam in the Open Era is 14, at the 2002 Australian Open.
Additionally, there have been 34 five-setters already at Wimbledon, which ties the Open Era record for the most five-set matches at Wimbledon (34, set in 1969). The record for most five-setters at any Slam in the Open Era is 35
The Open Era record for most five-set matches at a Grand Slam through the final is 35 – at the 1983 US Open and 2024 Australian Open.
Photo credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport