As Australians Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell contemplated their loss in an epic Wimbledon doubles final on Saturday, the former admitted feeling broken.
Asked on Centre Court for his reaction following a 6-7 (7) 7-6 (8) 7-6 (9) defeat to Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten in a decider lasting 2hr 49min, Thompson declared he felt “beyond devastated”.
One suspects the laughter that followed from the Centre Court crowd was more sympathetic than malicious, but Purcell was determined to protect his heartbroken mate, interrupting with a rebuke.
“Don’t laugh at him,” he warned the fans.
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To suggest the Australian combination was unlucky would be an understatement, for not only did they play the entirety of the final without facing a break point, they were also in front in every statistical category except the one that ultimately mattered.
In short, a net cord that fell in the favour of the Finnish-English combination when trailing a set and 5-2 in the second set tiebreaker proved the most pivotal point in the match.
But the Aussie combination also had break point chances in the third set and match points as well, which added to the woe.
“Plain and simple, it just sucks,” Thompson said later.
“Being one point away from being a Wimbledon doubles champion (is tough), but (we were) 5-2 up serving in the second-set buster, and I had the ball right in front of me, and it’s just clipped the net cord and gone over me – and that turned things around. It can change quickly, but we had other chances.”
Purcell, who won the title with Matt Evden a couple of years ago, arrived at his press conference with a couple of beers in hand and suggested there was a big night of contemplation ahead of him.
He is confident they would have clinched the title had it been played under the best-of-five format that was changed only a couple of years earlier.
“After a few minutes, it’s a tennis match. They played well, they deserved it,” Purcell said.
“I thought we played pretty well, we didn’t get broken all match, didn’t face a break point – there’s nothing we could do … a couple of pretty lucky returns from their part, which saved it, but that’s tennis, that’s luck, that’s doubles especially. It’s a s— show out there in doubles.
“I’m proud we made the final. It’s the best run Jordan and I have had in a slam, so we can’t be mad.”
There was success for the Australians remaining in the tournament elsewhere.
Gold Coast teenager Emerson Jones will bid to become the first Australian since Ash Barty in 2011 to win the girls singles at Wimbledon on Sunday when she plays world junior No. 1 Renata Jamrichov.
It is a rematch of their Australian Open junior final earlier this year.
Barty, meanwhile, will play for the Legends doubles title alongside Casey Dellacqua, while Lleyton Hewitt and Mark Woodforde are also vying for doubles titles in the exhibition event.