Wimbledon: Australian pair Matthew Ebden, Max Purcell win men's doubles title in five-set thriller
Jul 10, 2022
London [UK], July 10 : Australian pair Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell defeated defending champions Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in a five-set thriller to claim their maiden Grand Slam title in Saturday's Wimbledon final.
The Aussies, who saved eight match points across two matches in reaching the championship match, recovered an early break in the fifth set against Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in a thrilling 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(10-2) triumph.
"People say as a kid they dreamed of winning Wimbledon. I don't even know if I did that," the 34-year-old Ebden said in the champions' post-match press conference.
"I wanted to be a professional tennis player, I wanted to get to the Top 10. I started believing these last years we could win Slams and I could do it. But you never know if it will actually happen," Ebden said
"To fall on our back and know we've won Wimbledon. I said to [Max], he's only 24 and he's won Wimbledon, I was like, 'If life's done, I'm done. I'm good," he added.
"We've tried to win every match in straight sets," Ebden said.
"Every team since the first round, we've had a bloody tough draw, played unbelievable teams every match. Multiple Grand Slam winners, other title winners. The level of doubles is super strong. We're sitting here [having] won the title, but first-round we could have been out with one point. The level is insane," he said.
In Saturday's title-deciding tie-break, a Purcell return winner cut the line to open up a dual mini-break lead at 5-2, and another made it 9-2 as the Aussies flew through the finish line. An Ebden ace -- the team's fifth of the match -- sealed the deal after four hours, 11 minutes, leading the Australians to celebrate with a synchronized fall to the Centre Court turf.
