One of the great comebacks in Olympic tennis, on the storied Roland Garros clay, can be traced back to the humble streets of suburban Perth. There, the families of Australian gold medal winners Matt Ebden and John Peers mingle, their kids sharing birthday parties and play dates, their wives regular catch ups.
And so when Ebden – among the top-ranked doubles players in the world – had to choose a partner for Paris, he thought Peers might be the one. Despite other Australians ranking higher. Despite Peers having lost more than he had won on the tour this year. And despite Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt, when discussing the choice with Ebden, raising other options.
“A few months ago I started thinking about this, it’s a bit strange as we both live down the road from each other, our wives are friends, the kids are friends,” Ebden said.
There was still a wrinkle of doubt for Ebden until he put the idea to Peers in May. “He said ‘I would do anything to be at the Olympics again’, and that was all I needed to know,” Ebden said.
Peers – who won bronze with Ash Barty in Tokyo and appeared at Rio – was for a long time a top 10 player in doubles, but the last title he won was last year. On the cut-throat tour, it means he must be careful about what tournaments he plays to he can maintain enough points to compete at the bigger events.
“As soon as Matt said, ‘do you want to play Olympics? Have you thought about going?’, [I said] ‘I’m doing anything I can to be there,” Peers said. “I didn’t care what my ranking was going to be at, I’m doing everything I can’.”
Three months later, on Saturday afternoon in Paris, rankings were the furthest thing from Peers’ mind. He wore a broad smile alongside his partner, gold medals draped around their necks, their families sharing the grand occasion after their doubles final gold medal victory against Americans Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek. “Some miracle work happened here and somehow we’ve now got a gold medal for our streets,” Ebden said. “And Australia.”
The see-sawing contest finished, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (1), 10-8, the match made memorable by a comeback from a set and a break down. It is the first time Australia have won a gold medal in Olympic tennis since the “Woodies” Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge triumphed in Atlanta in 1996. “It’s an absolute honour anytime I get mentioned in the same breath as those two, they paved the way for us,” Peers said. “They’ve always been there for us.”
The Australians had to dig deep in the second set, but found a way against the American doubles specialists who had knocked out Spanish pair Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz in the quarters. The comeback began when Peers finished a volley at break point when the score was at 3-4. One game later it was Ebden at the net with the winner, and in the blink of an eye, the duo was up 5-4. The Australians maintained the momentum, working up the Roland Garros crowd into a frenzy. “The crowd lifted us big time when we got the break back,” Ebden said.
They took the second set and raced out to an 8-3 lead in the super tie-break. They had won 15 out of 19 points, and the match had turned on its head. “We were able to ride the wave and really keep pushing, hanging in there, hanging around,” Peers said. “And then we came home strong at the end which was when it really counted.”
Despite the crowd coming alive with “U-S-A” chants, the Australians held on to win the super tie-break 10-8, taking the title on their fourth match point. “Somehow we’re gold medalists,” Ebden said. “It’s more than a dream.”
And those that doubted Ebden’s decision to choose Peers have been silenced. “I mean, he answered,” Ebden said. “He answered with a gold medal, so it was the right choice.”
Their families watched from the stands, and were brought down to celebrate the medal. It was a sight not so different from a summer afternoon in the backyard in their suburb of Sorrento, connection and gratitude obvious among them. “I wouldn’t be up here without him,” Peers said, looking at his neighbour after the victory. Ebden replied, “right back at you.”
