Sport's greatest ever comebacks: Marc Marquez' 2184 day journey

2184 days after he last lifted the MotoGP crown, Marc Marquez is back on top of the world. His seventh MotoGP World Championship already puts him in an exclusive club in this sport, but the journey from his last crown and this makes it not just one of the greatest comebacks in MotoGP – it’s the greatest comeback in sport. But that’s a big debate, so let’s look through the contenders.

Niki Lauda: F1 legend who rose from the flames

For many, the place to start is likely Niki Lauda. The Austrian F1 driver came back from his horror crash at the 1976 F1 German Grand Prix to win even more titles. After taking his first crown in 1975, the affectionately nicknamed ‘Rat’ was reigning Champion when the incident happened at the Nurburgring mid-way through 1976. Despite receiving serious burns in the crash, after which he almost lost his life, he would return to the fray just six weeks later.

Once back in action, he still took that legendary title fight against James Hunt to the wire – and chose to pull in during a rain-soaked season finale in Fuji, saying the risk was too great. Lauda underlined his comeback in 1977 with his second title, and then made another when he was tempted back to the sport to race again, taking a third and final world crown in 1984 by just half a point.

Michael Jordan: Basketball GOAT’s triumphant return

From the world of basketball, superstar Michael Jordan is who Pedro Acosta named as another example alongside Marc Marquez recently. He had to return to the court following numerous injury setbacks, but his biggest was leaving the sport that had made him a household name to play a different one – baseball.

He announced his retirement from basketball before the 1993-1994 season, before making one of the most iconic sporting comebacks in history - returning to the Chicago Bulls in 1995. He led them to titles in 1996, 1997, and 1998, adding more achievements to one of the most unbelievable CVs ever achieved in any sport, including Olympic glory and a never-ending reel of NBA records.

Monica Seles: Tennis's story of courage and triumph

Tennis has also seen its fair share of major injury comebacks. The three most successful male players of all time – Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic – have all been hit by injury during their illustrious careers. However, the story of Monica Seles is one to tell.

She became the youngest ever French Open winner at 16 years old. By 1993, three years later, she’d already won eight major championships. That April, at the height of her success, she was then victim of a shocking on-court attack as a fan of rival Steffi Graf entered the court and stabbed Seles in the back. Sidelined for over two years to recover from the physical and mental trauma of the attack, she nevertheless made her return – and won her fourth Australian Open in 1996, her ninth Grand Slam. She also claimed bronze at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and helped the US Team to win the Federation Cup three times.

Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning: American icons

Then there’s Tiger Woods. His victory at The Masters is one of the great sporting comebacks. Suffering from long-term back problems, the American became the oldest golfer to win The Masters since 1986. That was his fifth Masters title and 15th major overall.

Fellow American Peyton Manning, the NFL’s legendary Quarterback, saw his time with the Indianapolis Colts end in 2011 after neck problems saw him go under the knife four times. He signed with the Denver Broncos, with whom he would play his last four seasons as a professional, saying goodbye in style with his second Super Bowl title in 2015.

Marc Marquez: World Champion 2184 days later

Last but by no means least, we put forward Marc Marquez. If you’re reading this article you probably already know what the #93 has been through. After winning the MotoGP World Championship as a rookie in 2013, he won six in seven years. The elbow down arrived in the sport. And then he broke his arm in Jerez, in 2020, and so began the longest road back to the top our sport has ever seen.

Where before, Marquez’s continued success could have seemed like a formality, the 2184 days since he was last World Champion have been anything but. Three teams, two manufacturers, multiple surgeries, double vision, a shoulder injury, a hand injury. Months on the sidelines. All-in on a career-saving operation. Comeback wins after hundreds of days. Now it’s a comeback Championship, making him a seven-time MotoGP World Champion. There are only two of those, and only one rider has more.

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