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Rajeev Ram (right), and Joe Salisbury celebrate with the trophy after defeating Wesley Koolhof, of the Netherlands, and Neal Skupski, of Britain, in the final of the men's doubles at the the US Open tennis championships. (AP)
Jannik Sinner’s illness at Cincinnati Masters cataclysmed into the assumption that the Italian would not play at the US Open mixed doubles. The unintended fallout was calls for men’s doubles World No 1 Rajeev Ram to be included in his stead.
A Sports Illustrated journalist, Jon Wertheim, tweeted, “No way is Jannik Sinner pulling out of @CincyTennis today and then playing a mixed doubles event tomorrow…. We renew our appeal to give Rajeev Ram a @usopen a mixed wild card!” The comment drew an acerbic dismissal from former Top 10 player Mardy Fish, who replied, “How bout another actual tennis player.”
Old Feud
Tennisworldusa.org traced back the obnoxious interjection, to an old feud, and wrote ‘Mardy Fish threw brutal shade on Rajeev Ram, pretty much declaring him “not an actual tennis player” after a tennis journalist suggested that the former doubles world No. 1 should replace Jannik Sinner if the Italian withdraws from the US Open mixed doubles.’
How bout another actual tennis player
— Mardy Fish (@MardyFish) August 18, 2025
According to tennisworldusa.org, when Fish was United States Davis Cup team captain in 2022, he had passed over Ram, choosing not to select him for the Davis Cup finals. Ram had been furious, thewebsite reported thereafter, and publicly criticised Fish. He even said Fish had blocked him on social media.
“That year, we had three players competing in the World Tour Finals. We had Taylor Fritz, Austin Krajicek and myself, and we left two on the bench. I don’t think any other country would have done that. Mardy’s blocked me on social media, so I’m gonna say no (laughs). We’ve not had a conversation since that day,” Ram was quoted by the website as saying, in one of his interviews.
The throwing of shade ties in with the greater debate raging at the US Open on whether the American Grand Slam has shut the door on doubles specialists for commercial reasons, dragging singles players out to make more dough and get more eyeballs in a prelude spectacle to the actual event.
Both Carlos Alcaraz (who will pair with Emma Raducanu) and Novak Djokovic who will partner Olga Danilovic are on the draw Arthur Ashe stadium, so is Iga Swiatek who will play with Casper Ruud. But the bona-fide doubles specialists have been frozen out, and Fish was stirring the pot, labelling Ram not an “actual tennis player.”
Ram had been restored in the Davis Cup team after famous half-twin, arguably greatest doubles player Bob Bryan, replaced him as US captain in 2023. But he wasn’t exactly Fish’ choice for the US Open, despite being a doubles World No 1.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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