Sport's comeback kings

The greatest sporting comebacks of the year.

Oracle Team USA's comeback to win the America's Cup

Few challenges seemed as hopeless as that facing Larry Ellison's Team USA when trailing Emirates Team New Zealand 8-1 in the best-of-17 series in San Francisco Bay in September.

The Jimmy Spithill-skippered Team USA kept their heads, however, and after replacing their tactician with Olympic champion Ben Ainslie, displayed vastly improved tacking and teamwork to ride a huge wave of momentum into a winner-takes-all showdown.

Team USA duly crushed Team New Zealand in the decider to retain the trophy they won three years before and reinvigorate a once-troubled regatta.

Rafael Nadal's brilliant season

Diagnosed with a tear in his patella tendon and inflammation in his left knee, Spaniard Nadal was unable to defend his Olympic title last year and missed the second half of 2012.

Stomach flu delayed his comeback further and saw him miss the year's first Grand Slam at the Australian Open, but after a low-profile re-entry at a tournament in Chile in February, Nadal won an astonishing 10 titles, including an eighth French Open crown and the US Open.

The Mallorcan also recaptured the world No1 ranking from Novak Djokovic and though the 13-times Grand Slam champion was pummelled by the Serb in the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals, he finished the year with the top ranking for the third time in his career.

All Blacks comeback win over Ireland to complete perfect rugby season

A shining season by a world champion team attained mythical status when New Zealand came back from the brink to defeat Ireland 24-22 in the final Test of the year last month to complete the first perfect season of the professional era.

New Zealand trailed 19-0 after 18 minutes and 22-7 at halftime, but stormed home to win in the most dramatic of circumstances.

A stoppage-time try by replacement back Ryan Crotty left Aaron Cruden, who had replaced the injured Dan Carter at flyhalf, with the conversion to seal the win.

The kick sailed wide but agonisingly for the Irish, they were penalised for rushing out too quickly at the kicker, allowing Cruden to coolly slot it on the second attempt and secure the All Blacks their 14th win from 14 for the year.

Adam Scott shrugs off British Open disappointment to win US Masters

Pundits had consigned Australia's Adam Scott to a life on the psychiatrist's couch after he blew the biggest chance to win his maiden Major at the British Open at Lytham last year, when he gave up a four-stroke lead with four holes to play to gift Ernie Els the trophy.

Long regarded an unfulfilled talent, Scott shrugged off the meltdown and when presented with his next chance at Augusta in April, he sank a 25-foot birdie putt to force his way into a play-off with Argentine Angel Cabrera and closed out victory, the first by an Australian at Augusta, with a 15-foot putt on the second extra hole.

Australia take Ashes back from England

Unfancied Australia entered their home series against England last month after a tumultuous year marked by abysmal performances on the field and strife off it.

Australia had lost the first of back-to-back Ashes series 3-0 to England in August, after a 4-0 drubbing in a Test series away to India.

Marshalled by new coach Darren Lehmann and fired up by the renaissance of seamer Mitchell Johnson, Michael Clarke's team stunned England with a 381-run victory in the series-opener in Brisbane before confirming their dominance with a 218-run win in the second Test in Adelaide. They sealed the five-Test series two matches early with a 150-run victory in the third match in Perth on Tuesday, completing a stunning revival from one of their lowest ebbs in the modern era.