Mark Woodforde moved to tears as new Aussie Olympic stars claim tennis gold: ‘I welled up’
- Woodforde became emotional as he watched the Aussies win gold
- Peers and Ebden secure tiebreak victory in tennis doubles
- The only gold for the event since The Woodies in 1996
Mark Woodforde said he was moved to tears as he watched John Peers and Matt Ebden become Australian tennis’ new Olympic gold boys at Roland Garros.
Woodforde, who along with Todd Woodbridge is part of the ‘Woodies’ team, the only Australian tennis champions ever to win in Atlanta 28 years ago, told AAP he felt like he had struck gold again after watching the veteran doubles player triumph on Saturday.
And although he had to remain strictly neutral as vice-president of the International Tennis Federation, Woodforde couldn’t help but secretly express his delight that when he was asked to take part in the medal ceremony, he was handing out the victory gifts to another Australian duo on the podium.
Peers and Ebden, the 36-year-old friends who live a street apart in Perth, spoke after their thrilling victory in the gold medal match over Americans Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek about how honoured they felt to join ‘the Woodies’.
They found the old doubles greats to be a constant source of help and inspiration. ‘They paved the way and set the bar so high, I can’t believe I’m in the same category. For me. It’s just an absolute honor to be mentioned in the same breath,’ Peers said.
But Woodforde, now 58, felt the honour was entirely his. ‘I feel like I’m on top of the world, like I’ve won, when I see that,’ the 17-time Grand Slam doubles champion explained.
“Todd and I, we totally understand what Matt and John have been through this week. It’s not easy, it’s survival. But this is just the icing on the cake to win such a close game and then actually stand on that podium and see your flag go up.
‘I saw them downstairs just before we walked in to do the ceremony, and I literally got tears in my eyes, I cried.
Australia secured their first gold medal in the men’s doubles since 1996 with Matt Ebden and John Peers winning a stunning encounter
Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde pictured winning gold in Atlanta
“Rajiv and Austin were there, so I try to be respectful to them. It’s heartbreaking for the guys who finished second, but for me it was super emotional.
“I’m so happy that Todd and I now have other gold medalists so we can celebrate the Olympic fever.
“When I got to Matt and John’s ceremony, I had a lump in my throat. What came out was me saying, ‘This is truly memorable.'”
Meanwhile, as they prepared for a ‘wild’ party night, Ebden and Peers were asked if they would play together more often now.
“All he has to do is ask,” laughed Peers, who has had to deal with a variety of playing partners over the years, with Ebden recently reaching the world No. 1 position with his regular partner, the seemingly ageless 44-year-old Rohan Bopanna of India.
“It’s definitely possible,” said Ebden, who revealed they had thought about teaming up before.
‘Logistically it hasn’t quite worked out yet, but if they ever need us for the Davis Cup or if there are ever tournaments where we’re both looking for a partner, we know we work very well together.’