Paris Olympics: Australian tennis veterans Ebden and Peers roar to unexpected gold medal in doubles

Veterans Matt Ebden and John Peers, who have always won gold, have unexpectedly won a gold medal, making them only the second Australian tennis champions at the Olympics.

The two unseeded 36-year-olds, who have been stalwarts in doubles for so long, enjoyed a late career highlight when they defeated American fourth-seeded players Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.

The three-set match (6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-1) (10-8) gave them a thrilling victory in the men’s doubles at Roland Garros on Saturday, after a tiebreak.

They became the only Australian gold medalists in Olympic tennis, after ‘The Woodies’, Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, won the title in the same event in 1996.

Together, the Australians have won countless titles, but never before have they experienced a moment like this, with their wives and children present at Court Philippe Chatrier, one of the largest tennis amphitheatres in the world, to witness their finest moment, when they won three times after the most entertaining final.

“I knew this was going to happen,” Ebden said when asked about the way his Summer Games started. “I was thinking about it last night. I actually dreamed of an Instagram post, like, ‘How it started; how it’s going.’ … Swipe right and you’ll see a picture of the gold medal.”

Ebden and Peers were down a set and 4-2 in the second set, but managed to break Ram’s serve and thus make a comeback.

“It’s trippy. It’s more than a dream. I didn’t even dream of winning a gold medal growing up or anything like that. The last couple of years I’ve had a lot of success in doubles. That gave me a lot of belief and confidence coming here,” Ebden said.

The three-set match gave Matthew Ebden and John Peers a nail-biting victory in the Roland Garros men’s doubles on Saturday

The gold medal is the first for Australians in tennis since ‘The Woodies’ in 1996

Peers, who won bronze in mixed doubles with Ash Barty at the Tokyo Games three years ago, said his eldest daughter has been saying she wants gold for a while. Now she can take it to school to show and tell.

“They’ll keep talking about this until we’re 100,” Peers said.

Peers won mixed doubles bronze with Ash Barty at the Tokyo Games three years ago. He was ranked No. 2 in doubles and has one Grand Slam title each in men’s doubles – which he won by beating twins Bob and Mike Bryan in the final of the 2017 Australian Open – and mixed doubles.

The 40-year-old Ram, who lives in Indiana, was aiming to become the oldest player to win an Olympic gold medal in tennis — men’s or women’s, singles or doubles — since the sport returned to the Summer Games in 1988.

He and Krajicek, a 34-year-old who lives in Florida, were also trying to become the third American duo to win gold in men’s doubles, the most recent being the Bryans in London in 2012. The brothers were in the stands Saturday — Bob is the tennis coach for the country’s men’s team in Paris, and Mike is a hitting partner and helps coach doubles.

Instead Ram and Krajicek – who knocked out Nadal and Alcaraz in the quarterfinals – go home with silver.

Team Australia celebrates match point during their Tennis Men’s Doubles Gold Medal match against Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram of Team United States on day eight of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games