There were many exhilarating and shocking moments in sports this year, but some of the most thrilling happened when we least expected it. From tennis matches to NFL and WNBA games, to the madness of March in college basketball, 2022 gave us rallies, resurgences and downright return-from-the-dead’s that we’ll never forget. Year after year, Yogi Berra’s adage still holds true: “It ain’t over til it’s over.” Below, we recount some of the biggest comebacks in sports in 2022.
Nadal recovers from two sets down to beat Medvedev at 2022 Australian Open
After more than five hours on the court, Rafael Nadal mounted a historic comeback in the Australian Open final in January. The Spaniard trailed Daniil Medvedev 2–3, 0–40 in the third set before he rallied back from two sets down to win 2–6, 6–7, 6–4, 6–4, 7–5 and claim a men’s record 21st major title. The victory marked the first time in 15 years he had won a best-of-five match after dropping the first two sets and broke a three-way tie with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic for the most major singles titles in men’s tennis history.
Kansas completes historic comeback in NCAA tournament final
The Big Dance never fails to deliver on exciting moments and this year, college basketball’s season was capped off with a sweet comeback in the men’s final. Kansas trailed North Carolina by 16 points in the first half, before completely changing the momentum of the game and turning the tides with a 31–10 run to start the second half. With a 72–69 victory, the Jayhawks completed the largest comeback in NCAA national championship history, surpassing Loyola Chicago’s resurgence in the 1963 title game to overcome a 15-point deficit against Cincinnati.
Celtics make history with double-digit comeback win over the Warriors in NBA Finals
Even though the Warriors ended up winning the NBA title, the Celtics still made league history in Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals. After being outscored in the first and third quarters, Boston rallied in the second quarter and then closed out the game with huge fourth quarter performance, outscoring Golden State 40–16 and going on to win 120–108. The victory made the Celtics the first team in history to win an NBA Finals game by double digits after being down by double digits in the fourth quarter.
Sky make WNBA history with 28-point comeback against Aces
In June, the reigning league champs took on the Aces in Las Vegas and got out to an extremely slow start, giving up a WNBA record 41 points in the first quarter. Despite the poor performance, Chicago didn’t give up. The Sky fought back from a 28-point deficit to defeat the Aces 104–95, setting a record for the biggest comeback in the league’s 26-year history. (The previous mark was a 25-point deficit comeback, which had been done three times before.)
UCLA women’s soccer storms back from two-goals down to win NCAA title in OT
The 2022 Women’s College Cup gifted sports fans one of the most incredible comebacks of the year. UCLA trailed North Carolina by two goals and the Tar Heels looked to be on their way to their 23rd national title with only 10 minutes remaining in regulation. But in the 80th minute, UCLA’s Lexi Wright scored off a rebound. Then, with just 16 seconds left, Reilyn Turner netted a corner kick to force overtime. In the 107th minute, Maricarmen Reyes scored the game-winner to become the first team to win the women’s soccer championship after trailing two goals—and gave UCLA it’s second national title in program history.
Vikings erase a 33-point deficit to beat the Colts in OT
A week before Christmas, the Vikings gifted fans the biggest comeback in NFL history. Trailing 33–0 to the Colts at halftime and 36–7 with 4:59 remaining in the third quarter, Minnesota mounted an unbelievable comeback. Touchdowns from C.J. Ham. Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen put them closer, but with 5:34 left in the game, the Vikings still trailed 36–28. Quarterback Kirk Cousins found Dalvin Cook for a 64-yard touchdown pass, and then T.J Hockenson caught the two-point conversion to force overtime. Kicker Greg Joseph completed the biggest comeback in NFL history with a 40-yard field goal with three seconds left in OT to secure the 39–36 victory for the Vikings.
