Phil Taylor has confirmed his return to darts eight years after stepping away from the oche. The 66-year-old is set to team up with Adrian Lewis as part of the MODUS Super Series International Pairs Tournament in November. The 16-time world champion previously announced his retirement in 2018. However, the opportunity to once again team up with Lewis, with whom he won four World Cup of Darts, was enough to convince Taylor to make a comeback.
Taylor on his decision
Discussing his decision, Taylor said: “I've been asked plenty of times about coming back, but it would have to be for the right reason. Adrian is one of the very few people I'd come out of retirement to play alongside, and the MODUS Super Series is the place I wanted to do it. We've got a lot of history together, we know each other's games inside out and I'm looking forward to getting back up there with him.”
Other sporting comebacks
While Taylor prepares to come out of retirement, Mirror Sport takes a closer look at 12 stars who made notable comebacks.
Paul Scholes had been retired since May 2011 when he re-signed for Manchester United during a midfield injury crisis in January 2012, making his return against rivals Manchester City. Scholes made 42 appearances during his comeback before bowing out alongside manager Sir Alex Ferguson at the end of the 2012/13 campaign after leading the club to the Premier League title.
Tyson Fury has retired on multiple occasions throughout his boxing career but his most dramatic return came after vacating his heavyweight titles in 2016, amid mental health struggles and battles with drugs and alcohol. The boxer made his return in June 2018 and later climbed back to the summit of the division by claiming the WBC title with the first of two wins over Deontay Wilder in February 2020.
Tennis and other sports returns
Serena Williams recently returned to tennis, four years after hanging up her racket. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion paired with prospect Victoria Mboko at Queen’s in June, though the team were forced to withdraw at the quarter-finals due to her partner suffering an injury. Williams, 45, continued her comeback at the Berlin Open, played a singles match at Wimbledon and teamed with sister Venus at the US Open.
Margaret Court shares the record for most Grand Slam titles with Novak Djokovic but won 11 of her 24 majors after coming out of retirement. Court left the sport in August 1966 before returning in November 1967. She subsequently won all four open titles in a calendar year in 1970, with the Australian ace later retiring for a second time in 1977.
F1 legend Michael Schumacher earned seven world championship titles, including five consecutive triumphs with Ferrari from 2000 until 2004. Initially leaving the sport in 2006, Schumacher made a remarkable return with Mercedes in 2010 but failed to match his previous success, claiming only one podium in his three-year stint.
Olympic and boxing comebacks
Swimming great Michael Phelps retired after the 2012 London Olympics. However, he was back competing two years later and was later selected for Rio 2016, adding another five golds and a silver to complete his incredible career haul of 28 Olympic medals.
After winning his fourth Olympic gold in 1996, rowing icon Steve Redgrave said: “Anybody who sees me in a boat has my permission to shoot me.” However, he soon changed his mind and was part of the team that won the coxless four gold in 2000, becoming one of Britain’s most successful Olympians.
Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey announced her retirement from mixed martial arts in 2016 after suffering back-to-back losses and spent a decade out of the sport. The 39-year-old made a high-profile comeback in May, defeating Gina Carano in 17 seconds in a bout that was broadcast live on Netflix.
The legendary quarterback planned to retire in February 2022, aged 44, but reversed his decision a little over a month later for one last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The seven-time Super Bowl winner helped lead his team to the NFC South title but lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the wildcard round of the playoffs.
In a sport that has seen many eye-catching comebacks over the years, boxing icon George Foreman experienced an unbelievable return to the ring. Initially retiring in 1977, Foreman spent 10 years away from boxing before donning his gloves and fighting his way back into world title contention. In November 1994, he defeated Michael Moorer to win the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles, aged 45, with his final bout coming three years later.
Michael Jordan announced his shock retirement from basketball in 1993, briefly competing in baseball before returning to the Chicago Bulls in 1995 and leading the team to three consecutive NBA titles. He attempted a second retirement comeback with the Washington Wizards in 2001 but his two-year spell proved unsuccessful.
The American swimmer enjoyed two comeback spells that belong on this list. Having competed in three Olympic Games, Torres returned from a seven-year hiatus to claim five medals, including two golds, at the Sydney Games in 2000. In her second comeback, Torres qualified for the 2008 Beijing Games, where she won three silver medals at age 41.
