Ram and Salisbury retain doubles title
JOE SALISBURY and Rajeev Ram became just the second team to repeat as men’s doubles champions at the US Open in the professional era with their 7-6 (4) 7-5 victory over Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski.
Salisbury, who slammed down an overhead to clinch the title, raised his arms and hugged partner Ram.
There wasn’t much of a celebration beyond that with Brit Salisbury playing after the death of the Queen. “I think it didn’t feel appropriate to be overly celebrating or at least showing that too much, because everybody back home and around the world is in mourning at the moment, and it’s a very sad time,” Salisbury said last Friday (9).
“Definitely feels a bit strange to be in this situation. Obviously, we are very happy with the success that we have had, but, yeah, it’s a sad time at the same moment.”
Salisbury wore a black band around the left sleeve on his shirt, while Skupski, who is also British, wore a black ribbon on his chest. “I haven’t really seen much of the news. But incredibly sad for the country and the world for what she did,” Skupski said.
“It was a bit strange, us playing when the country is in mourning. She was a great servant and we will remember that she was an incredible woman.”
Salisbury and Ram, the top-seeded team, are the only pair other than Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde to go back-toback in New York since 1968. The Hall of Fame duo from Australia won in 1995 and 1996. “If you can kind of emulate them in anything in tennis, it’s pretty good company to keep,” Ram said.
“I’m sure we will have a discussion about that at some point. It’s pretty good for us, I’d say.”