For Indian tennis followers, Rajeev Ram without delay appears a detailed cousin and a distant relative. The 41-year-old’s dad and mom had been from India and his greatest doubles successes — Australian Open 2020 and a hat-trick of US Opens from 2021 to 2023 — have resonated within the sub-continent.
However he’s additionally proudly American, and is mentoring the subsequent era there. He sat courtside as fellow Indian-American Nishesh Basavareddy, then 19, took on Novak Djokovic within the first-round of the 2025 Australian Open.
By the way, Rajeev and Venus Williams beat Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza in a detailed semifinal on the Rio 2016 Olympics, and Rajeev [with Joe Salisbury] additionally overcame Bopanna [and Matthew Ebden] within the 2023 US Open closing.
The six-time Grand Slam champion and two-time Olympic medallist spoke to The Hindu on his tennis journey, the state of doubles, the blended doubles rejig on the upcoming US Open and extra. Excerpts:
How do you assess your yr to this point?
In skilled sport, it’s a whole lot of up and down. My outcomes this yr haven’t been what I’ve gotten used to over the previous couple of years. However I’m 41 and have been very lucky to have performed at a fairly excessive degree for the higher a part of 20 years. So, I’m taking it in my stride. The US Open is my favorite event, so I’m actually wanting ahead [to it].
Base shift: Doubles has ‘modified during the last three or 4 years’, Rajeev observes, with extra groups discovering ‘consolation from the baseline’.
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What has stored you going for thus lengthy?
I performed singles as a precedence till 2017. We, as tennis gamers, start with aspirations to play on the high degree in singles. I’m very happy with the truth that I turned a top-60 participant and gained two titles on the Tour. My doubles-only profession began in 2017, and although it was a lot after I turned professional, it nonetheless was recent when Joe and I gained the Australian Open in 2020.
It’s lots about perspective. The factor that’s all the time been vital is persistently making an attempt to enhance. In case you have that perspective, you may typically take even losses as a optimistic. As heartbreaking as a few of them are, typically they’re the most important motivators. I used them as fireplace and gasoline. I’ve really needed to be extra conscious of myself after I’ve been profitable lots since you get just a little bit glad.
How has the doubles recreation advanced?
It’s modified lots. After I began, gamers, particularly those that transitioned from singles, would attempt to develop their internet recreation a bit extra. Within the final three or 4 years, I’ve seen a giant shift the place that’s actually not the case. Most groups now have at the very least one participant who serves and stays again on a regular basis. There’s extra consolation from the baseline. Loads of the gamers don’t actually fear about serving and volleying anymore. From the returner’s perspective, it’s much more about tempo, being aggressive and making an attempt to get a maintain on the purpose immediately. Whereas, after I began enjoying, there was just a little bit extra really feel, extra finesse.
Doubles could be very entertaining and standard as a leisure sport. However it doesn’t get good broadcast slots or matches on the present courts, particularly within the first week of a Main. Are these hindering the expansion?
Completely. Something that’s placed on the back-burner by way of promotion and advertising and marketing goes to be handled that manner by individuals who watch it. I’m not saying by any stretch that it must be on the similar degree as singles. However there are positively tales that could possibly be marketed much more. Like Rohan having a lot success at such a late age [World No. 1 and 2024 Australian Open title]. Croatia’s Mate Pavic gained the French Open final yr and accomplished the profession Golden Slam [along with Tokyo 2020 Olympics gold]. However I don’t assume it obtained the push {that a} really uncommon achievement in our sport ought to have gotten. Subsequent is to spotlight the partnerships. There could possibly be fairly a bit extra of that, simply to get to know the gamers on the private degree.
In such a state of affairs, how does the transfer by the US Open to utterly rework its blended doubles really feel? It’s being performed within the week earlier than the Slam and has extra singles gamers than doubles.
It’s two elements for me. I applaud their concept to innovate. As a lot as doubles was on the back-burner, blended doubles was behind much more. So placing it in its personal week, with fanfare, is nice. Tennis may use blended doubles because the flag-bearer, as women and men play women and men for Olympic medals and Grand Slam titles.
However they [US Open] made it such that doubles gamers couldn’t even enter. You’ll be able to’t until you have a singles rating. That’s the place I really feel opposed. They need to [have] simply let all people enter. Loads of the gamers that obtained in from singles would have nonetheless gotten in. It might have been a bit extra official to offer a Grand Slam trophy for.
Extra of this please: Rajeev believes that extra individuals could be drawn to doubles if tennis does a greater job of showcasing the format and its tales.
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For those who had been ready of energy, what would you do to extend traction for doubles?
I discussed Rohan profitable so late. Joe and I gained three US Opens on the trot. So the tales are there. They only should be instructed. Secondly, social media is such a giant a part of our world. Now we have thrilling factors occurring on daily basis. They don’t should be essentially in the primary stadiums and even on TV. If we may do a greater job of showcasing them, individuals could be drawn to the sport. Most of those that are watching are doubles gamers themselves they usually can have just a little little bit of a relationship there. The third factor is to simply inform the story of the partnerships. Joe and I performed collectively for six years. We are able to perform a little bit extra of getting exterior tennis and highlighting the personalities.
You’ve gotten been mentoring Nishesh, among the many brightest skills to emerge from the US. What do you assume India can do to develop such a participant?
I want there was some magic recipe. Nishesh and I… our relationship is exclusive. Of all of the locations within the US, he moved to the little city that I’m from [Carmel, Indiana]. Now we have the identical coach, Bryan Smith, and I’ve to offer him a whole lot of credit score. He not solely teaches us to be good tennis gamers but in addition teaches us to offer again to the subsequent group. It was all the time one thing I used to be going to do for him [Nishesh] and some others. Additionally, coming from the very same background as I’ve, an America-born child with Indian heritage… a whole lot of items got here collectively.
What India can do… I feel it is extremely vital for a participant to really feel that she or he will not be alone and never really feel like they’ve to achieve a sure degree for it to achieve success. Simply the trouble of making an attempt to be the perfect you will be is success in itself. I used to be actually fortunate that my dad had the foresight to grasp that within the US, sports activities can really open doorways. I’d have by no means gone to the universities that I went to if I wasn’t a tennis participant. So, possibly, only a slight shift in mentality for what it actually means to be a high-level athlete and what success actually is [can help India].
Printed – August 16, 2025 01:03 am IST
