The Australian duo triumphed on the clay courts of Roland-Garros, overcoming third seeds Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram of the USA in a thrilling final, 6-7(6) 7-6(1) [10-8].

This gold medal is John’s second Olympic medal, following his bronze in mixed doubles with Ash Barty at Tokyo 2020. For Matt, it marks his first Olympic medal on his debut.

“For me, representing Australia, it's what I play tennis for; it's what I've played sport for and always dreamed of when I was a kid,” John said.

“We play four Slams a year. I've played in three Olympic Games, and to be able to come away with a medal, then come away with gold. You can't even dream it up.

"To be able to do that and say that we're gold medallists, doing it for the green and gold in Australia and the people back home, that's what we play the sport for."

The men’s doubles gold medal match on Philippe-Chatrier court was a dramatic affair. Both teams maintained their serves, leading to a tense tie-break in the first set.

Despite a strong start by Matt and John, Krajicek and Ram fought back to level at 6-6 and ultimately secured the set with a 7-6(6) tie-break win.

The second set mirrored the competitiveness of the first, with both teams trading breaks and keeping the scoreline close. Another tie-break was required to determine the set. Matt and John took charge this time, winning 7-6(1) to level the match.

“We knew they were going to fight back and respond hard. We knew we had to keep pushing those points," said Matt.

The match tie-break was a fittingly dramatic conclusion to a closely contested encounter. Krajicek and Ram challenged the Australians after they built an early lead, bringing the score to 9-8.

Matt and John held their nerve, securing a 10-8 victory with a decisive forehand volley winner.

Matt expressed his excitement about playing the doubles final on the iconic Philippe-Chatrier court in front of a packed crowd, stating how crucial the crowd's influence was to the outcome.

“We had to hang tough in the second, and I thought to myself, 'Hey, let’s use this crowd’, Matt said.

"We got the crowd going and rode the wave.

"They lifted us and changed the match and momentum, so 'merci beaucoup’ to the French crowd. I don't think we could have done it without them.”

John echoed Matt’s appreciation for the crowd’s support.

“The crowd lifted us, and Matt played an unbelievable game to get us back on serve. Then, we just rode the energy of the wave. The crowd was just electric.”

This gold medal marks Tennis’s sign-off from France with the program concluded for Australia.

Sarah Dyce