- John Peers and Matt Ebden won gold in Paris
- Peers’ daughter Ellie melted hearts in the stands
- Australia’s first Olympic doubles title in 28 years
John Peers and Matt Ebden became the new Olympic golden boys of Australian tennis at Roland Garros, and no one was rooting for them harder than Peers’ daughter Ellie in the stands.
The two unseeded 36-year-old veterans, long-time stalwarts of the doubles scene, enjoyed a career-high moment when they rallied to beat American fourth seeds Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-1) (10-8) in a thrilling doubles gold medal match on Saturday.
They became the only Australian gold medallists in Olympic tennis after ‘The Woodies’, Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, who lifted the 1996 title at the same event in Atlanta.
Between them, Peers and Ebden have won numerous titles, including Grand Slams, but they have never had a moment like this.
Their wives and children were on hand to embrace them on Court Philippe Chatrier, one of the world’s great tennis amphitheatres, after they prevailed in three tie-breaks in the most entertaining of encounters.
Images of her 7-year-old daughter Ellie in the stands with her fingers crossed went viral, with fans loving the heartwarming support.
“This was a very exciting match to watch. An impressive win by these two. John Peers’ daughter made me cry a little,” wrote one fan on Twitter.
“I think that beauty is Peers’ daughter, fingers crossed for daddy to get the gold. Beautiful,” said another.
Australia claimed its first men’s doubles gold medal since 1996 with Matt Ebden and John Peers winning a thrilling match
Peers’ daughter Ellie (pictured) captured the hearts of those watching at home.
‘John Peers’ daughters are so cute,’ posted a third.
Asked if it was his finest tennis moment, Ebden smiled: “It probably is. Winning Grand Slams, winning Wimbledon, we’ve been to the Davis Cup finals the last two years… but I mean, the Olympics? Gold? Really?”
“It only happens once every four years and the mere fact that we play it is ridiculous. Winning a gold medal seems folkloric to me. I don’t understand it.”
And doing it with Peers, a friend from Melbourne who now lives a street away from him in Perth, and whose wives and children have also become best friends, was even more special.
Ellie was nervous and crossed her fingers as she watched her father from the stands.
Peers said she hopes she can inspire her daughters to dream big.
“A miracle has happened and in some ways we now have a gold medal for our streets,” Ebden smiled.
The children were then taken onto the court to celebrate with their dads, and Peers said he hopes to inspire his partner.
“From a very young age, looking up at all the Australian athletes, no matter what sport it was – Olympics, Boxing Day Test, football – I loved watching sport and I dreamed big and decided that was what I wanted to do,” Peers said.
“I hope I can instill a little bit of that in my daughters. I hope they can dream big one day and know that the sky is the limit for them.
“They can do anything they set their mind to.”