Rajeev Ram Ends Career After US Open Men’s Doubles Semifinal Loss
New York — Former doubles world No. 1 Rajeev Ram played the final match of his career in the US Open semifinals, where he and Joe Salisbury fell to sixth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz.
Ram and Salisbury, who won the US Open three straight years from 2021 through 2023, made another deep run at the season’s final major before losing 6-3, 6-4 to the German pair, the 2024 ATP Finals champions.
After the match, USTA CEO Craig Tiley, Ram’s college coach at the University of Illinois, and US Open Tournament Director Eric Butorac, his former doubles partner, paid tribute to Ram during an emotional ceremony.
Ram and Salisbury are the only duo in tournament history to win three consecutive US Open men’s doubles titles. Ram’s 26 straight appearances in the tournament’s men’s doubles draw are also the most in history.
Despite the semifinal loss, Ram said he could not have imagined a better way to end his career. He became emotional while addressing a crowd that included family, friends and his childhood coach.
“Honestly, it couldn’t have been better,” he told USOpen.org. “The whole thing, to me, couldn’t have been any better,” said the three-time champion. “My family was there. My wife and my mom were there. My college coach was there. My former partner Eric Butorac was there, and now he is the tournament director. My longstanding partner (Joe Salisbury), with whom I’ve shared so many good memories, was there with me as well.”
Ram finished his career with six Grand Slam titles, including four in men’s doubles and two in mixed doubles, along with 32 ATP doubles titles.
He reached the No. 1 doubles ranking in 2023, won six Masters titles, earned two Olympic silver medals and was a key contributor to the U.S. Davis Cup team.
Ram enjoyed some of his greatest success at the US Open, where he and Salisbury won 20 consecutive matches and captured three straight titles from 2021 to 2023, a feat no other men’s doubles team has achieved.
“Hopefully somebody will do it at some point, but I guess we can say we had it for a while,” Ram said.
Krawietz and Puetz will face reigning Australian Open champions Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski in the final. The fifth seeds defeated top seeds Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten 7-6(4), 6-2 in the other semifinal. (Source: IANS)
