Former world No.1 doubles participant and Davis Cup legend John Fitzgerald hails Max Purcell, Jordan Thompson, Matt Ebden and John Friends for his or her doubles heroics in 2024.
Melbourne, 10 September 2024 | Dan Imhoff
Australia’s doubles renaissance on the largest phases in 2024 is music to nine-time Grand Slam champion John Fitzgerald’s ears and presents a helpful predicament for the nation’s Davis Cup marketing campaign, in response to the previous world No.1.
Fitzgerald, who accomplished the doubles profession Grand Slam and picked up two blended doubles crowns between 1982 and 1991, hailed the state of the nation’s doubles shares following Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson’s first main title collectively on the US Open.
The 2-time Davis Cup winner and 2003 successful captain hailed Australia’s latest kind, which included Matt Ebden and John Friends’ Olympic doubles gold medal in Paris and Ebden’s Australian Open triumph in January with Indian associate Rohan Bopanna.
> READ: Australia opens Davis Cup marketing campaign in opposition to France
With Australia resulting from face France, Czech Republic and Spain within the Davis Cup group stage in Valencia this week, it meant Australia was blessed with three high 10 doubles gamers within the staff.
“I feel Max Purcell is arguably the very best first-courter on this planet, if he places his thoughts to it on that first courtroom,” Fitzgerald stated in an interview with The Sit-Down. “A part of what made that gold medal win of Ebden and Friends so nice ultimately, one among them needed to transfer to the primary courtroom.
“So, John Friends confirmed quite a lot of versatility to have the ability to transfer throughout from that facet he performed on, underneath stress on a clay courtroom and enjoying in that first courtroom. He deserves quite a lot of credit score for that… It was nice to see the Aussies doing properly. Historically now we have on this nation.”
Having let championship factors slip within the Wimbledon remaining, Purcell and Thompson atoned for the frustration at Flushing Meadows the place they denied German pair Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz for Thompson’s first main doubles trophy and Purcell’s second, having claimed Wimbledon with Ebden two years in the past.
It marked Purcel and Thompson’s fifth title collectively this season following Dallas, Los Cabos, Houston and the Madrid Masters.
“I really feel like Australian doubles has all the time had good gamers,” Purcell stated. “We had Peersy earlier than us form of going deep in Slams, and Ebby final 12 months had a very good run after which into the beginning of this 12 months, myself and Ebby a pair years earlier than that.
“I simply suppose we’re such well-rounded gamers that when we have to play doubles and work out how one can win doubles matches, we’ve obtained greater than sufficient courtroom craft to try this.
“I assume the camaraderie of Australian gamers, all of us form of stick collectively, Thommo and I particularly. That’s an enormous think about why we win.”
Fitzgerald, who additionally rose to a career-high No.25 in singles, relished the identical bond between his countrymen and praised the platform for staff success that Davis Cup supplied.
“I feel to play on a Davis Cup staff and win a few instances after which be captain was, that for me is probably the most memorable factor in my profession,” he stated. “The nerves that you simply expertise enjoying on your nation is unparalleled for me. The stress that you simply discovered to take care of and generally not deal so properly with is the very best studying curve {that a} younger tennis participant can have.”
