Australian duo Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell suffered a heartbreaking loss in the Wimbledon 2024 men’s doubles final.
London, Great Britain, 14 July 2024 | Leigh Rogers
Tennis is a game of fine margins, as Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell were cruelly reminded in the Wimbledon 2024 men’s doubles final.
The Aussie pair had three championship points to close out a straight-sets win, only for Finland’s Harri Heliovaara and Brit Henry Patten to fight back and triumph 6-7(7) 7-6(8) 7-6(9).
Purcell and Thompson won 10 more points, hit 19 more winners and did not face a break point across the two-hour and 49-minute battle at Centre Court. But ultimately, it was not enough to take home the Grand Slam title.
“Plain and simple, it just sucks,” Thompson said. “You know, we had match points, one point away from being a Wimbledon doubles champion.”
The unseeded Heliovaara and Patten, contesting only their second major tournament together, put up an incredible fight, much to the delight of a partisan British crowd.
They saved a championship point at 5-6 in the second set, then a further two in the second-set tiebreak.
Their efforts denied 26-year-old Purcell’s quest to win a second Grand Slam doubles title and 30-year-old Thompson’s attempt to win his first.
“It couldn’t have been a closer match,” Patten said, as he congratulated the Australians on their efforts during the trophy presentation.
It was only Purcell and Thompson’s fifth loss of the year, from the 30 matches they have played together.
“They did it the hard way, they deserved it,” Purcell said.
“I’m proud we made the final. It’s the best run that Jordan and I have had at a Slam, we can’t be mad.”
A silver lining for Purcell and Thompson is that they are set to rise to new career-high rankings next week.
Purcell is projected to climb from world No.31 to make his top-20 debut, with Thompson slated to improve from world No.32 to just outside the top 20.
Aussies in action – Wimbledon
RESULT
Men’s doubles, final
Harri Heliovaara (FIN)/Henry Patten (GBR) d [15] Max Purcell (AUS)/Jordan Thompson (AUS) 6-7(7) 7-6(8) 7-6(9)
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