Venus Williams is an amazing player and a fantastic competitor, says Rajeev Ram

Williams and Ram with the silver medal

A gold was in sight. However, a small error and Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock created an upset victory over fellow American Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram 7-6 (3), 6-1, 10-7. In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Rajeev Ram, 32, spoke about the 2016 Rio Olympics and what it was like pairing up with Venus Williams

Q: The Games comes once in four years, the silver medal should definitely mean a lot to you

Rajeev Ram (R): It surely does. It absolutely it means a lot. Every time we play for our country, it will always be special to us. On top of that to come out with a medal makes it all the more sweet.

Q: To reach the final, Venus and you beat three mixed teams that each had at least one player with a Grand Slam doubles title. You guys were just a couple of shots away from the gold. What went wrong?

R: We had a great run and played some great tennis. All the matches were decided just by a few points and unfortunately it didn't go our way in the final.

Q: How was it been playing with one of the well-known players in the world, Venus?

R: I've known Venus for a long time but never played with her before. She's an amazing player and a fantastic competitor. The Williams sisters are fighters. Venus does let anything affect her game. Her will to win out on the court was inspiring.

Q: How has this tennis calendar year been for you?

R: It's been a good year for me. I've reached career highs in singles and doubles. And to come home from Rio with a medal just adds to that. Also, so far it’s been a fantastic journey. I've been very fortunate to have a long career, mostly injury free. I hope to continue the same.

Q: Apart from playing professional tennis what else keeps you busy?

R: Besides tennis, my biggest focus right now is on finishing my bachelor’s degree.  It's something that I always wanted to do. I also just got married in March, so I am enjoying traveling with my wife.

Q: Which event intrigues you more – singles, mixed doubles or men’s doubles?

R: All the three events have their own ways of being special. Singles is certainly the most prestigious event. Every player dreams of being the top singles player. With doubles and mixed doubles, it's different because you are actually in court with a partner which is a little different for us tennis players.  It can be nice sometimes to share the ups and downs of tennis with someone else. Mixed is actually the most rare because generally we only play four times a year