Veteran tennis players Matt Ebden and John Peers, sporting their evergreen-and-gold colors, have achieved a remarkable and unexpected gold medal victory, marking them as the second pair of Australian tennis champions in Olympic history.
These unseeded 36-year-olds, long-time fixtures in the doubles game, celebrated a magnificent late-career triumph by defeating the American duo of Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram, who were seeded fourth.
The thrilling three-set match concluded with a score of 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (7-1), (10-8), granting them a nail-biting victory in the Roland Garros men’s doubles event on Saturday, ultimately resolved by a tiebreaker.
They joined the ranks of Australian gold medallists in Olympic tennis, following in the footsteps of ‘The Woodies’, Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, who secured the title in the same event back in 1996.
Collectively, the Aussie pair boast numerous titles, yet none quite match this unforgettable moment, celebrated with their wives and children cheering from the stands of Court Philippe Chatrier, one of the most prestigious tennis venues worldwide.
‘I anticipated this question,’ Ebden remarked when reflecting on the beginning of his Olympic journey. ‘I thought about it last night. I even envisioned a social media post that said: `How it started; how it´s going.` … Swipe right for the gold medal photo.’
After trailing a set and 4-2 in the second, Ebden and Peers rallied back by breaking Ram’s serve, igniting their comeback.
‘It’s surreal. It’s beyond any dream I had. Winning a gold medal wasn’t something I envisioned as a child,’ Ebden expressed.
‘Over the past few years, I’ve found great success in doubles, which fueled my belief and confidence leading into this competition.’
The three set match secured a tense Roland Garros men’s doubles victory on Saturday for Ebden and Peers
The gold medal marks the first for Australian tennis since 1996’s ‘The Woodies’
Team Australia celebrating match point during the Men’s Doubles Gold Medal match against the USA at the Paris 2024 Olympics
