'DON'T TAKE ANY YEARS FOR GRANTED': TWO 36-YEAR-OLDS PARTNERING FOR BREAKTHROUGH WEEKS IN PARIS

John-Patrick Smith and Fernando Romboli in round-two Roland Garros action, The First Serve

John-Patrick Smith and Fernando Romboli are both enjoying career-best weeks at Roland Garros, and it comes at the ripe age of 36.

A perfect example of the contrasting journeys that tennis players go on, the pair came together just three months ago, and their partnership is now seeing both break new ground.

For the Australian, it’s been a long wait for a men’s doubles victory in Paris, having first played the event in 2013, and lucking out in his six previous first-round clashes.

“It’s been one of those surfaces I don't play a lot on...I had a singles win before my doubles win at Roland Garros,” Smith jokingly told The First Serve.

“It's good to finally get that off the back there and get two in a row.”

And for Romboli, the Brazilian born in Rio de Janeiro, the two victories are his first at Grand Slam level, after turning pro back in 2006.

"I'm just super happy with everything that we are achieving together. It has been a great year for us," he said.

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Smith and Romboli, each seasoned by the highs and lows of professional tennis over two decades, are cherishing these moments at a major.

"Right now, we don't take any years for granted," Smith said.

"We’ll just keep having fun, that's the number one thing, and then just playing with a lot of freedom out there."

And this approach has shone through in their opening two clashes at Roland Garros, firstly scoring a three-set victory over the Tsitsipas brothers (Stefanos and Petros), before taking down local pair Harold Mayot and Arthur Cazaux 7-5 6-7(9) 6-4 on Saturday.

And that second-round battle was played in front of a full-house French crowd, with many fans queuing up outside the court and unable to get in.

“It was an electric atmosphere…playing against the locals here,” Smith said.

“Very proud of 'Romo' today. He served it out after being down love-30. It just goes to show his maturity and his development," the Aussie said of his partner.

And that experience has been a key to the duo's success, helping overcome their limited time as a doubles pair.

“We’re gelling together right now...we really haven't played that many events, in the grand scheme of a lot of teams," Smith said.

Smith and Romboli paired up for the first time in Indian Wells this year and are playing just their fifth event together this week in Paris, but their bond stretches further.

“We’re the same age. We've known each other for so long…juniors and then all the way through to here now," Smith said.

Romboli, who, like 'J.P.,' has played with a variety of partners in his career, is loving this pairing, not just for the on-court results.

"Sometimes you team up with someone and the results don't come, but I feel like if this was the situation with J.P., we would still be playing together," Romboli shared.

"Because it's not only about the results that we are getting, but also the way we play together, the vibe that we have. We are in a very similar moment of our careers, same age, and everything is working, so let's just keep it going.”

And when asked something new they've learnt about each other, Smith was quick to praise his partner's linguistic abilities.

"[Fernando] is a genius with languages. I'm telling you. Like, you need Italian, you need Portuguese, you need Spanish, you need English, probably more, I'm forgetting, he's your guy," the Australian said.

Smith himself is attempting to learn Spanish, but like me, is struggling with the transition from Duolingo to conversation with native speakers.

More importantly, Smith and Romboli will be back on the courts of Roland Garros today, as they bid to continue their run and reach the quarterfinals in Paris.

Third on Simone Mathieu (likely starting around 10:30 pm AEST Sunday evening), the third stadium arena at Roland Garros, the pair are facing Ivan Dodig and Orlando Luz in a battle of doubles specialists.

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