"I put in a lot of hard work to help the team get there" - ATP Finals Champion Rajeev Ram blasts Team USA for not picking him for Davis Cup Finals
Rajeev Ram of the US and Joe Salisbury of Britain added yet another big title to their cabinet on Sunday by winning the 2022 ATP Finals in the doubles category.
In a press conference after the match, Ram, when asked if he was disappointed at being left out of Team USA for the upcoming Davis Cup Finals, stated that he played an instrumental part in the team's path to the knock-out stage and expressed his displeasure after being ignored.
"Very disappointed. I put in a lot of hard work this year to help the team get there. I felt like I had earned the spot, if you will. So I was quite surprised when I wasn't picked, and even more surprised to be honest that they only went with four players instead of five. That was the choice. But, yeah, I was hoping to be on the team for sure," Ram said.
The Davis Cup Finals are all set to be played from November 22 to 27 in Malaga, Spain. The last eight teams to fight for the title are the USA, Germany, Canada, Italy, Australia, Spain, Croatia, and the Netherlands. The former World No. 1's first contribution to his team's cause came in the qualifier match against Colombia, where he and Sock downed Nicolas Barrientos and Juan Sebastian Cabal 6-3, 6-4.
In the group stage held in September, Ram and Sock beat Great Britain's Andy Murray and Joe Salisbury 5-7, 6-4, 7-5. They followed it up with another win against Wesley Koolhof and Matwe Middelkoop of the Netherlands, beating them 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-4.
The four players in Team USA for the knock-out stage are Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Jack Sock, and Tommy Paul as they look to win the title for their country for the first time since 2007. The USA will face Italy in the quarterfinals on November 24. Italy will take to court without Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini, who are recovering from injuries.
Rajeev Ram is 18th American to win ATP Finals Doubles
Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury downed Croatia's Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic 7-6(4), 6-4 in the ATP Finals title clash on Sunday. While the Brit was the first from his country, Ram joined the likes of John McEnroe and Arthur Ashe to become the 18th American to win the year-end championships in the doubles category.
In a post-match press conference, Ram stated that winning the tournament was among his biggest goals and that he and Salisbury would savor the moment.
"It was one of our biggest goals, to win this title. I think it gives us huge momentum going into next year. But just we're going to enjoy this as long as we can because it's just such a special tournament to play in and to obviously win," Rajeev Ram said.