Who can bounce back in 2012

While some were haunted by persistent injuries, others were done in by poor form. There were several sportspersons and teams that struggled to find their mark in 2011. But as they say, 'form is temporary, class is permanent'. Here is our pick of people who we think will come back stronger in 2012.

Yuvraj Singh: The swashbuckling batsman started the year on a high after being the man of the series in India's World Cup winning campaign. But, it went all downhill from there. First he was forced out of action during the England tour with a finger injury and then diagnosed with a non-malignant lung tumour that has seen him sidelined for months. Yuvraj, however, is now back training and hopes to make a comeback in the tri-series against Australia and Sri Lanka Down Under in February.

Praveen Kumar: A tennis elbow kept him out of India's World Cup squad. He returned to the team for the tour of England but was ruled out of the fourth Test due to an ankle injury. Back in the team for the West Indies' ODI series, injury came back to haunt Praveen as a fractured rib put him out of that series as well as the Tests against Australia. But a fit again Praveen won't have a hard time getting back into the team which is short on experience in the bowling department.

Ricky Ponting: For many he has gone from being the most reliable Australian batsman to a player who is a liability to his team. Age is no longer on the 37-year-old's side but his lack of form has doubled the pressure with many former players and experts asking him to retire. However, Punter has always been a fighter and his century against India in the second Test was enough to prove his credentials. The former captain should hit back at his critics the way Rahul Dravid has in 2011.

David Villa: Barcelona's celebrations of winning the Club World Cup were marred by a serious injury to striker David Villa in the semi-final of the tournament. The Spaniard suffered a fractured shin and is likely to be out of action for 5-6 months, putting him out of the rest of the season for Barca and also casting doubts on his participation in Euro 2012. However, Spain's record goal-scoring striker will not give up easily and will work hard to comeback stronger and also fight against time to be fit for the European tournament.

Fernando Torres: At least Chelsea and their fans would hope so. His lack of form has given the London club 'the blues'. Signed for a record British transfer fee of £50 million in January 2011, the Spanish striker has had a torrid run at Stamford Bridge. He is no longer the first-choice striker at Chelsea although manager Andre Villas-Boas has ruled out selling him. 'El Nino', as he is fondly called, although has the chance to get back in favour with a strong showing for Spain in Euro 2012, especially in the likely absence of David Villa.

Rafael Nadal: His tally of titles in 2011 is 3, the least since 2004. He was dethroned as World No.1 by Novak Djokovic, who beat him in six finals. He admitted to having "a little bit less passion for the game" after his early exit from the ATP World Tour Finals. The year has definitely not been one of his best but the Davis Cup victory after the end of the ATP season could well act as the motivation and confidence booster the Spaniard missed in the 2011 season.

Roger Federer: He did not win any of the four Grand Slams in 2011 - the first time this has happened since 2002. He also dropped out of the top 3 for the first time since June 2003 after being briefly displaced at No. 3 by Andy Murray. However, Federer ended the year on a high, winning the Swiss Indoors, his first Paris Masters, a record sixth ATP World Tour Finals title and claiming back his No.3 spot. A 17th Grand Slam trophy does not look far-fetched in 2012.

Williams sisters: Women's tennis saw three new Grand Slam champions in 2011. But that was hardly a surprise as the WTA tour badly missed the competitiveness of Serena and Venus, who both battled health issues throughout the season. Venus has played just once since pulling out of the US Open because of Sjogren's syndrome, which can cause fatigue and joint pain. Serena also missed many tournaments after dealing with foot surgeries and blood clots in her lungs. However, the sisters now look ready to reclaim their lost crowns.

Kim Clijsters: She started the year with a bang when she won the Australian Open, her fourth Grand Slam title. She soon overtook Caroline Wozniacki as World No. 1. However, an ankle injury forced her out of most of the clay-court season and she returned only before the French Open. She next missed Wimbledon owing to another ankle injury. Clijsters returned to the tour at the Rogers Cup but pulled out in the first match with an abdominal injury. That put an end to her season. But she will now be back in action and we expect her to have little problem in getting back into groove.

Sania Mirza: The tennis ace missed the post US Open season this year due to a knee injury and underwent a surgery in her left knee in October. She is now focussed on making a comeback at 2012's first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, that starts on January 16.

Lewis Hamilton: The 2011 F1 season was all about Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull. When Hamilton did make news it was mostly for the wrong reasons. His feud with Ferrari's Felipe Massa went on through the season as did his habit of getting on the wrong side of race stewards. But the 2008 world champion has set high standards for himself and a fifth place finish this time does not match that. Expect him to bounce back hard.

Ferrari: The Italian team's last title came in 2007 when Kimi Raikkonen, who returns to F1 with Lotus Renault in 2012, was crowned champion. Ferrari have since struggled to compete with the pace of the Red Bulls and McLarens. But you can't keep the prancing horse quite for too long. The drought of titles would have got not only the top brass impatient but also double world champion Fernando Alonso, who is itching to get a race-winning car.

Tiger Woods: The champion golfer battled injuries, controversies and lack of form for most part of the season. He did not play the US Open and British Open and missed the cut at the PGA Championship. He also fired his longtime caddie, Steve Williams. In November, he fell as low as No. 58 in the rankings, his lowest since October 19, 1996. Woods, however, recovered some lost ground with a win at the Chevron World Challenge in early December. It broke his career-long winless streak of 107 weeks and things for him should only get better from here.