"Why not trust them?" - Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton replacing 'doubles specialists' in USA's Davis Cup loss upsets former Wimbledon champion
Team United States crashed out of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals after a controversial choice to nominate Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton to play the deciding doubles match. The decision to pit Paul and Shelton instead of doubles specialists Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek drew widespread criticism from many tennis experts, including WTA doubles World No. 12 Nicole Melichar-Martinez.
United States was one of the pre-tournament favorites at the 2024 Davis Cup, given their lineup, and were drawn against 2023 runners-up Australia in the quarterfinals. Ben Shelton and Thanasi Kokkinakis kicked off the tie, and the Australian narrowly defeated the American 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(14). Taylor Fritz restored parity for the Americans by trouncing Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4.
The fate of the tie was to be decided by the doubles match between two experienced doubles teams. However, minutes before the clash, the United States and its team captain, Bob Bryan, chose to replace Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek with Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton. The Americans paid dearly for their decision as Matthew Ebden and Jordan Thompson emerged victors 6-4, 6-4 and sent Australia to the semifinals.
The choice to go with Paul and Shelton over Ram and Krajicek drew criticism from across the tennis world, including from Serena Williams' former coach Rennae Stubbs. Nicole Melichar-Martinez, currently the third-highest-ranked American in WTA doubles ranking, also joined the growing chorus.
In a post on X, the 2018 Wimbledon mixed doubles champion questioned why doubles specialists like Ram and Krajicek, who have won five men's doubles Grand Slams between them, were not trusted to guide the team to victory. She also noted that both the players were former ATP doubles No. 1 and clearly a better choice for the job at hand.
"Doubles players are “specialists” for a reason… they’re good at what they do. Why not trust in them?? Especially when you have 2 former #1s…" Nicole Melichar-Martinez tweeted.
"I opted for the fire power" - US captain Bob Bryan defends controversial doubles decision at Davis Cup Finals 2024
Team USA captain Bob Bryan was asked about his decision to choose two singles specialists for a do-or-die doubles match at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in the post-match press conference. Bryan is a former ATP doubles World No. 1 and 16-time doubles Grand Slam champion.
The 46-year-old noted that he had many great options at his disposal and opted to forego Ram-Krajicek after the second singles match. Bryan hoped to surprise the Aussies with Paul and Shelton's "firepower," but ultimately, the plan failed.
“We had great options for doubles but I opted for the fire power of the singles players to surprise them. It was a match up decision. I decided in the 15 minutes between the singles and the doubles match. The idea was to surprise them,” Bob Bryan told reporters at 2024 Davis Cup Finals.
Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton are not a recognized doubles team. Meanwhile, their opponents, Matthew Ebden and Jordan Thompson, are seasoned doubles pros. Ebden is a two-time Grand Slam doubles champion and the men's doubles gold medalist at the Paris Olympics. Meanwhile, Thompson is the reigning US Open doubles champion.