Wimbledon doubles champion Matt Ebden already planning for future success after fairytale run with Max Purcell

The shine of winning Wimbledon is yet to wear off, but men’s doubles champion Matt Ebden is already planning for his next title tilt.

The West Australian and partner Max Purcell became the first Australian duo since Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde to win the Wimbledon doubles title when they outlasted Nikola Mekti and Mate Pavi on Saturday.

Far from resting on his laurels, Ebden, who returned home with wife Kim and five-month-old son Harvey on Tuesday afternoon, said he and Purcell had already discussed their next challenge.

“I said ‘there’s the first one, let’s enjoy it and celebrate it’ and then I said ‘if you want, I’ll map out how we win the next ten’,” Ebden said. “I’ve said that since the beginning, at the Aussie Open they were asking a similar question and I said of course this is part of the plan. Of course we envisaged this, believed this.

“We don’t want to just win the Aussie Open, we want to win ten slams. I want to try and spend the rest of my career going for big titles, slams, trying to get to world No.1.”

Ebden and Purcell were beaten by Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis in the all-Australian doubles final in Melbourne Park this year, but a shock first-round loss at the French Open triggered a four-hour soul-searching session.

However, Ebden said he was proud of how Purcell responded during the final , in which he described his partner’s efforts as “God-mode”, and throughout the tournament, where five of their six matches went to five sets.

The duo became the first pair in doubles history at Wimbledon to save match points in multiple matches and go on to win the title.

“You’ve got to give (Max) credit as a 24-year-old, taking that all on the chin, opening up and building and growing as a person and developing as a team,” Ebden said.

“I don’t know if it’s luck. I said in our press conference I believe in God, I pray. Max said ‘I believe in Matt Ebden’.

“Whatever it was, there was some sort of divine intervention, you couldn’t script it.”

Ebden, who also made the mixed doubles final at Wimbledon with Sam Stosur, will enjoy family time in Perth before re-joining Purcell in the US. After his doubles win, Ebden watched the men’s final and supported Kyrgios against Novak Djokovic.

“I don’t condone a lot of what he does, but as an Aussie I was supporting him. I wanted another Aussie to win,” Ebden said. “He was messaging me when I was at the Wimbledon evening ball, saying ‘we’re at a nightclub up in Mayfair, come join me after’.

“I said ‘I’ve got a baby and I’m flying out in eight hours, I’m not sure I’ll make it’.”