Roger Federer Scripted A Brilliant Comeback But He's Not The Only Sportsperson To Do So
Some big names in this list.
Roger Federer stunned the tennis world when he defeated Rafael Nadal to clinch the Australian Open. It was a brilliant comeback from injury by the former World No. 1.
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But he's not the only one to make such a return. There are some others who deserve special mention in this list:
1. Curt Schilling (baseball)
After severely injuring his ankle, the only way to play on it was to have sutures inserted through his skin to hold the tendon in place. So he had the procedure done, pitched on this ankle and led the Red Sox to their first World Series championship in 86 years.
2. Willis Reed (basketball)
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He tore his thigh muscle and missed Game 6 of the 1970 NBA Finals, in which he was playing for the New York Knicks against the Los Angeles Lakers. All of New York expected him to miss Game 7, but Willis came out to start the game, scored the Knicks' first four points and inspired the team to its first ever championship.
3. Kirk Gibson (baseball)
He severely injured both of his legs during the 1988 NLCS, but led the Los Angeles Dodgers to the World Series against the Oakland A's. He was unable to play, but during the bottom of the 9th in Game 1, the man insisted on pinch hitting, as the Dodgers were behind. What followed is history as he hobbled to the plate and hit a game-winning home run which cemented Gibson as a hero and spurred the Dodgers on to win the World Series.
4. Kerri Strug (gymnastics)
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In the 1996 Olympics the US Women's Gymnastics Team was locked in a close competition with Russia. Kerri Strug badly injured her ankle on her first vault and due to other mistakes, the winner of the gold medal would be determined by the last two vaults, one of which was due to be Strug. Hampered by what would later be determined to be a severe ankle sprain and damaged tendon, Strug performed one last vault onto her ankle, winning the gold medal for the US.
5. Monica Seles (tennis)
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After being stabbed by a crazed fan in 1993, she was out of the game for two years and eventually returned to win the 1995 Canadian Open.
6. Yuvraj Singh (cricket)
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He won his battle with cancer, before making a return to the Indian team. Now after a lot of hard work, he is back in the ODI setup and a strong contender for the 2019 World Cup.