Top 5 men's singles comebacks at the French Open ft. Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer

It's only a matter of days before the French Open commences. This year's tournament, while highly anticipated, may feel a little different considering Rafael Nadal will not defend his title as he is yet to recover from the injury he suffered during the Australian Open. It will be the first edition of the clay-court Major since 2004 to not feature the Spaniard.

However, there will be a lot of other top players who will be participating, with Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic being the heavy favorites to win. The likes of Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas are also among the title contenders given their performances on clay over the past month.

Over the years, several players have produced some scintillating moments at the French Open. However, many of them did not have it easy and had to grind their way to winning matches at the Stade Roland Garros.

On that note, let us take a look at the top 5 men's singles comebacks at the French Open.

#5 Roger Federer vs Tommy Haas, 2009 French Open 4R

Rafael Nadal's 31-match winning streak at the French Open ended after he lost to Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009. The following day, Roger Federer faced Tommy Haas, with a place in the quarterfinals up for grabs.

Haas was unseeded at the tournament and took a solid lead in the match against Federer by winning the first two sets 7-6(4), 7-5. Federer fought back hard in the third set and won 6-4 before dominating the fourth to win it 6-0 and force the match into a decider.

The Swiss had the momentum and rode on it, taking the final set 6-2 to book his place in the quarterfinals. Federer eventually beat Gael Monfils and Juan Martin del Potro before defeating Robin Soderling in the final to win his only French Open crown.

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#4 Andre Agassi vs Andrei Medvedev, 1999 French Open Final

Andre Agassi was seeded 13th at the 1999 French Open and made it to the final with wins over Franco Squillari, Arnaud Clement, Chris Woodruff, then-defending champion Carlos Moya, Marcelo Filippini and Dominik Hrbaty.

Here, the American faced Andrei Medvedev, who beat Pete Sampras in the second round.

The Ukrainian started the match strongly and won the first two sets 6-1, 6-2. However, Agassi fought back hard and won the third set 6-4. The American gained momentum and won the next two sets 6-3, 6-4 to win his only French Open title and complete the Career Grand Slam.

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#3 Novak Djokovic vs Stefanos Tsitsipas, 2021 French Open Final

Novak Djokovic did not have the easiest of runs to the French Open final in 2021 as he survived scares against Lorenzo Musetti and Rafael Nadal. The Serb took on fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the title clash and found himself two sets down.

The Greek won a tight opening set via a tie-break before dominating the second to win it 6-2. The chips were down for Djokovic but as the Serb has often showed throughout his career, he found a way out.

Djokovic won the next three sets 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to win his second French Open title.

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#2 Gaston Gaudio vs Guillermo Coria, 2004 French Open Final

Gaston Gaudio was unseeded at the 2004 French Open but had a dream run to the final as he beat Guillermo Canas, Jiri Novak, Tomas Enqvist, Igor Andreev, Lleyton Hewitt, and David Nalbandian.

Here, Gaudio faced third-seeded compatriot Guillermo Coria, who was then arguably the best claycourt player in the world. Coria started the match in the best possible manner, winning the opening set 6-0. He then took the second 6-4 to take a two-sets-to-love lead in the match.

Gaudio bounced back into the match by taking the next two sets 6-4, 6-1 and forcing a decider. The-then 25-year-old saved two championship points in the final set and won it 8-6 to win his only Grand Slam title.

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#1 Ivan Lendl vs John McEnroe, 1984 French Open Final

Ivan Lendl had lost four Grand Slam finals by the time he entered the 1984 French Open. Seeded second, the-then Czech reached the final with wins over Andres Gomez and Mats Wilander, respectively.

Here, he was up against top seed John McEnroe, who has having the season of his life. McEnroe won the first two sets 6-3, 6-2 and looked on course to win his maiden French Open title.

Lendl showed some resistance in the third set and won it 6-4 before taking the fourth 7-5 to force the match into a decider. McEnroe was unable to keep his composure and his opponent made the most out of it to win the final set 7-5 and clinch his maiden Grand Slam title.