Rajeev Ram
Encyclopedia
Rajeev Ram is an American professional tennis player on the ATP Tour. Rajeev is a tall, lanky player with a serve-and-volley style who is known best as a doubles specialist. He has advanced as far as the quarter-finals in doubles at three Grand Slams, most recently with Scott Lipsky
at the 2011 French Open
. He has won two ATP singles tournaments. One in Newport, Rhode Island, and the other in Eckental, Germany.
His career high singles rank was No. 78, achieved on November 16, 2009. He reached as high as No. 33 in doubles on February 22, 2010.
. His parents are from Bangalore
, India.
doubles and the Target Cup tournaments. In addition to his nine junior titles, Ram played high school tennis at Carmel High School
, earned All-State honors, became the state singles champion, and earned a scholarship in both 1998 and 1999.
Ram then delayed enrollment at the University of Illinois
until the second semester so that he could continue to play tennis as an amateur on the pro circuit. During his one semester at Illinois, he won the national doubles title with Brian Wilson and helped the Fighting Illini
go undefeated (32–0) and win the NCAA team championship.
Rajeev earned a wild card
entry into the Juniors' 2001 US Open. Ram participated in all of the Grand Slam
junior tournaments http://www.itftennis.com/juniors/players/player.asp?player=30022039. He was the runner-up in juniors doubles at the 2002 Wimbledon
, partnered with Brian Baker
.
. At the 2006 US Open, he lost in the second qualifying round to former college teammate Amer Delic
. Rajeev made the 2007 Wimbledon
doubles quarterfinals as qualifiers with Harel Levy
before losing to eventual champions Arnaud Clément
and Michaël Llodra
. Along the way, Ram and Levy upset the 15th seeded team of Martín García and Sebastián Prieto
. In 2007, he won 5 doubles challenger titles partnering Bobby Reynolds, and reached 3 other finals on his way to a career high doubles ranking of 62.
On July 5, 2008, Ram won the Nielsen USTA Pro Tennis Championship in Winnetka, Illinois for his first career challenger-level singles title.
He won his first ATP doubles title in Chennai
, India 2009 with compatriot Eric Butorac
.
On July 10, 2009, Ram accomplished the unusual feat of winning four professional-level tennis matches in one day. At the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Rhode Island, the tournament had been rained out early in the week, pushing back many scheduled matches. On July 10, Ram advanced to the singles semi-finals with wins over Samuel Groth
and Jesse Levine
and then partnered with Jordan Kerr
to advance to the doubles semi-finals with wins over Arnaud Clément
/Olivier Rochus
and Nicolas Mahut
/Fabrice Santoro
. Mahut, Santoro, and Rochus each played three matches that day, though none of them won all their matches. Ram then went on to beat Rochus and world no. 39 Sam Querrey
on consecutive days to capture his first ATP title. He also captured the doubles title, thus doubling up at the event.
In his return to Newport in July 2010, Ram lost to 417th-ranked qualifier Raven Klaasen
after defeating Iván Navarro
in the first round. Having raced to a 5–0 lead in the third set, Ram wasted several match points while serving at 5–1 before eventually losing 7–5 1–6 6–7(3).
In Atlanta in July 2010, partnering with American Scott Lipsky
, the two won their first doubles title together defeating Rohan Bopanna
and Kristof Vliegen
for the outdoor hard court Atlanta Tennis Championships
. In the semifinals, Lipsky and Ram had defeated John Isner
and James Blake
, 7–6 (5), 7–6 (5). In November, they won a tournament in Eckental
, Germany.
Ram started 2011 strong, partnering with Lipsky in February to take the indoor hard court San Jose Open (over Christopher Kas
from Germany and Alexander Peya
from Austria) and the outdoor hard court Delray Beach
titles (over Alejandro Falla
from Colombia and Xavier Malisse
from Belgium). In March, he and Lipsky won the Challenger of Dallas
. In June, he and Lipsky advanced as far as a Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance at the 2011 French Open
, before being defeated.
2.
10-31-11
Eckental, Germany
Carpet
Karol Beck
6-4, 6-2
3.
11-7-11
Ortisei, Italy
Carpet
Jan Hernych
7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (6)
Scott Lipsky
Scott Lipsky is a professional tennis player from the United States. He is primarily a doubles specialist....
at the 2011 French Open
2011 French Open
The 2011 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 110th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
. He has won two ATP singles tournaments. One in Newport, Rhode Island, and the other in Eckental, Germany.
His career high singles rank was No. 78, achieved on November 16, 2009. He reached as high as No. 33 in doubles on February 22, 2010.
Personal
Rajeev is the son of Raghav and Sushma Ram. Ping pong, cricket (in particular, off spin bowling), and music are some of Ram's pastimes. His favourite cricket batsman is Lala AmarnathLala Amarnath
Nanik Amarnath Bhardwaj was an Indian Test cricketer. He was the first cricketer to score a Test century for the Indian cricket team, which he achieved on debut...
. His parents are from Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India.
Before professional career
In his junior career, Ram won a total of nine national junior titles, including singles and doubles. Amongst his titles were the National Claycourt 14-and-under singles title, the boys 16 and under national championship, the 18 and under Easter Bowl title, KalamazooKalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
doubles and the Target Cup tournaments. In addition to his nine junior titles, Ram played high school tennis at Carmel High School
Carmel High School (Carmel, Indiana)
Carmel High School is a public high school in Carmel, Indiana whose name is commonly abbreviated to CHS. It is part of the Carmel Clay School District and has an enrollment of around 4,600 students, making it the largest high school in the state of Indiana by number of students.- History :Carmel...
, earned All-State honors, became the state singles champion, and earned a scholarship in both 1998 and 1999.
Ram then delayed enrollment at the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
until the second semester so that he could continue to play tennis as an amateur on the pro circuit. During his one semester at Illinois, he won the national doubles title with Brian Wilson and helped the Fighting Illini
Illinois Fighting Illini men's tennis
The Illinois Fighting Illini men's tennis team is a NCAA Division I college tennis team competing in the Big Ten Conference. The team plays its home matches at the in Champaign, Illinois.-History:...
go undefeated (32–0) and win the NCAA team championship.
Rajeev earned a wild card
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
entry into the Juniors' 2001 US Open. Ram participated in all of the Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
junior tournaments http://www.itftennis.com/juniors/players/player.asp?player=30022039. He was the runner-up in juniors doubles at the 2002 Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
, partnered with Brian Baker
Brian Baker (tennis)
Brian Baker is a professionally ranked tennis player from Nashville, Tennessee.Baker's biggest win occurred on On August 29, 2005, when he scored an upset victory over ninth seeded Gastón Gaudio in the 2005 US Open, in Baker's only appearance in the grand slam event main draw.Baker originally...
.
Professional years
At the 2005 US Open, he lost in five tough sets to Stanislas WawrinkaStanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He also holds German citizenship as his father is German. His career ranking high is no. 9, achieved on 9 June 2008. He considers clay his best surface and his backhand his best shot...
. At the 2006 US Open, he lost in the second qualifying round to former college teammate Amer Delic
Amer Delic
Amer Delić is a Bosnian tennis player. Representing the United States as a tour player until 2009, he now represents the country of his birth, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is a member of its Davis Cup team....
. Rajeev made the 2007 Wimbledon
2007 Wimbledon Championships
The 2007 Wimbledon Championships were held between 25 June and 8 July 2007. For the first time there was equal prize money for the men's and women's singles champions. Reconstruction work on Centre Court was in progress and thus it had no roof....
doubles quarterfinals as qualifiers with Harel Levy
Harel Levy
Har'el Levy is an Israeli professional male tennis player. Levy's best singles ranking was # 30 in the world in 2001, and his best doubles ranking was # 76 in 2007....
before losing to eventual champions Arnaud Clément
Arnaud Clément
Arnaud Clément is a professional tennis player from France. His best achievement is reaching the final of the 2001 Australian Open.-Career:Clément was born in Aix-en-Provence, and currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland...
and Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:...
. Along the way, Ram and Levy upset the 15th seeded team of Martín García and Sebastián Prieto
Sebastián Prieto
Sebastián Prieto is a professional tennis player from Argentina.Primarily a doubles specialist, Prieto has won 9 doubles titles in his career. He began playing for the Argentina Davis Cup team in 1999....
. In 2007, he won 5 doubles challenger titles partnering Bobby Reynolds, and reached 3 other finals on his way to a career high doubles ranking of 62.
On July 5, 2008, Ram won the Nielsen USTA Pro Tennis Championship in Winnetka, Illinois for his first career challenger-level singles title.
He won his first ATP doubles title in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, India 2009 with compatriot Eric Butorac
Eric Butorac
Eric "Booty" Butorac is an American tennis player. He is a doubles specialist, and has achieved some success in partnership with Britain's Jamie Murray, a fellow left-hander known as "Stretch". He was nicknamed 'Booty' by partner Murray...
.
On July 10, 2009, Ram accomplished the unusual feat of winning four professional-level tennis matches in one day. At the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Rhode Island, the tournament had been rained out early in the week, pushing back many scheduled matches. On July 10, Ram advanced to the singles semi-finals with wins over Samuel Groth
Samuel Groth
Samuel Groth is a professional Australian tennis player. His highest ATP singles ranking is 220, which he reached on 16 November 2009...
and Jesse Levine
Jesse Levine
Jesse Levine is a Canadian-born American professional tennis player. He achieved his career-high singles rank of No. 94 on November 3, 2008....
and then partnered with Jordan Kerr
Jordan Kerr
Jordan Kerr is an Australian professional tennis player. His highest ATP singles ranking is 356th, which he reached on 7 August 2000. His career high in doubles was at 23rd, which he reached on 18 August 2008...
to advance to the doubles semi-finals with wins over Arnaud Clément
Arnaud Clément
Arnaud Clément is a professional tennis player from France. His best achievement is reaching the final of the 2001 Australian Open.-Career:Clément was born in Aix-en-Provence, and currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland...
/Olivier Rochus
Olivier Rochus
Olivier Rochus is a Belgian tennis player. He was born in Namur, Belgium, and currently resides in Auvelais, Belgium.-Career:...
and Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Pierre Armand Mahut is a French tennis player. Mahut is right-handed and has previously won the Orange Bowl in 1999, becoming professional in 2000. He is a good serve and volleyer and a doubles expert, having won many tournaments with his doubles partner Julien Benneteau. His career high...
/Fabrice Santoro
Fabrice Santoro
Fabrice Vetea Santoro is a retired French professional male tennis player from Tahiti. Though not counted among the top ranked players, he had an unusually long professional career – with many of his accomplishments coming toward the end of his career – and he is popular among spectators and other...
. Mahut, Santoro, and Rochus each played three matches that day, though none of them won all their matches. Ram then went on to beat Rochus and world no. 39 Sam Querrey
Sam Querrey
Sam Austin Querrey is a professional American tennis player from Thousand Oaks, California currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of August 2010, he is the fourth-highest ranked American. His career high rank was #17, achieved on January 31, 2011. His height allows him to play with a strong...
on consecutive days to capture his first ATP title. He also captured the doubles title, thus doubling up at the event.
In his return to Newport in July 2010, Ram lost to 417th-ranked qualifier Raven Klaasen
Raven Klaasen
Raven Klaasen born October 16, 1982 in King William's Town, South Africa is a professional South African player on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. Klaasen's career-high ranking was World Number 208, which he achieved on October 24, 2011...
after defeating Iván Navarro
Iván Navarro (tennis)
Iván Navarro Pastor is a professional tennis player from Spain. He is sponsored by Head and Li-Ning for his racquets and attire. He employs the serve-and-volley strategy, very much like his compatriot Feliciano López. He has a habit of changing racquets each game, using one racquet for serving and...
in the first round. Having raced to a 5–0 lead in the third set, Ram wasted several match points while serving at 5–1 before eventually losing 7–5 1–6 6–7(3).
In Atlanta in July 2010, partnering with American Scott Lipsky
Scott Lipsky
Scott Lipsky is a professional tennis player from the United States. He is primarily a doubles specialist....
, the two won their first doubles title together defeating Rohan Bopanna
Rohan Bopanna
Rohan Bopanna is an Indian professional tennis player. His singles career high ranking was 213th in 2007. Recently, most of his appearances in professional tournaments has been in doubles matches. He is a member of the Indian Davis Cup team since 2002...
and Kristof Vliegen
Kristof Vliegen
Kristof Vliegen is a former Belgian tennis player. He plays right-handed and he turned professional in 2001.He was a semi-finalist in Chennai in 2006 and in May of the same year, he reached the final of the ATP tournament in Munich, setting up the first ever all-Belgian men's singles final against...
for the outdoor hard court Atlanta Tennis Championships
2010 Atlanta Tennis Championships – Doubles
Dmitry Tursunov and Ernests Gulbis were the defending champions, but chose not to participate.Scott Lipsky and Rajeev Ram won in the final 6–3, 6–7, [12–10], against Rohan Bopanna and Kristof Vliegen.-Seeds:# Colin Fleming / Ken Skupski ...
. In the semifinals, Lipsky and Ram had defeated John Isner
John Isner
John Robert Isner is an American professional tennis player. He achieved his career-high rank of no. 18 on July 5, 2010, and has been as high as the second-ranked American tennis player behind Andy Roddick...
and James Blake
James Blake
James Riley Blake is an American professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. As of August 2011, Blake is ranked no. 63 among active male players with 24 career finals appearances...
, 7–6 (5), 7–6 (5). In November, they won a tournament in Eckental
Eckental
Eckental is a municipality in the district of Erlangen-Höchstadt, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 14 km east of Erlangen, and 16 km northeast of Nuremberg....
, Germany.
Ram started 2011 strong, partnering with Lipsky in February to take the indoor hard court San Jose Open (over Christopher Kas
Christopher Kas
Christopher Kas is a professional German tennis player. His highest ATP singles ranking is No. 224, which he reached on 4 November 2002. His career high in doubles is No. 23 set at 3 November 2008.-Doubles: 15 :...
from Germany and Alexander Peya
Alexander Peya
Alexander Peya is an Austrian male tennis player. He reached a career high singles ranking of No. 92 on April 30, 2007. His career high doubles ranking was No. 48 on January 15, 2007. He was born in Vienna, Austria, and currently resides there.In September 2008 Peya helped Austria to a Davis Cup...
from Austria) and the outdoor hard court Delray Beach
2011 Delray Beach International Tennis Championships – Doubles
Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan were the defending champions, but decided not to participate.Scott Lipsky and Rajeev Ram won this tournament after defeating Christopher Kas and Alexander Peya 4–6, 6–4, [10–3] in the final.-Seeds:...
titles (over Alejandro Falla
Alejandro Falla
Alejandro Falla Ramirez is a professional male tennis player from Colombia. He turned pro in 2000, plays left-handed, weighs 169 lb and measures 6'1" . At the 2006 Wimbledon tournament, Falla upset 9th seed Nikolay Davydenko and at the 2007 Sony Ericsson Open he beat 9th seed Tommy Haas in...
from Colombia and Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse is a Belgian tennis player. Born in Kortrijk, Belgium, he is the only men's player from his country to have been ranked in the top 20 of the ATP tour. He is sponsored by Prince and Lotto. His nickname is "The X-Man"....
from Belgium). In March, he and Lipsky won the Challenger of Dallas
2011 Challenger of Dallas – Doubles
The 2011 Challenger of Dallas was a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was a Challenger of Dallas competition that forms part of the 2011 ATP Challenger Tour...
. In June, he and Lipsky advanced as far as a Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance at the 2011 French Open
2011 French Open
The 2011 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 110th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
, before being defeated.
Singles: 3
| Legend (Singles) |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Masters Series (0) |
| ATP Tour (1) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the Final | Score in the Final |
| 1. | July 12, 2009 |  Newport2009 Hall of Fame Tennis Championships The 2009 Hall of Fame Tennis Championships is a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 34th edition of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, and is part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2009 ATP Tour... , USA |
Grass | Sam Querrey Sam Querrey Sam Austin Querrey is a professional American tennis player from Thousand Oaks, California currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of August 2010, he is the fourth-highest ranked American. His career high rank was #17, achieved on January 31, 2011. His height allows him to play with a strong... |
6–7(3–7), 7–5, 6–3 |
2.
10-31-11
Eckental, Germany
Carpet
Karol Beck
6-4, 6-2
3.
11-7-11
Ortisei, Italy
Carpet
Jan Hernych
7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (6)
Doubles: 6
| Legend (Doubles) |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Masters Series (0) |
| ATP Tour (6) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponent in the Final | Score in the Final |
| 1. | January 11, 2009 |  Chennai2009 Chennai Open The 2009 Chennai Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 14th edition of the Chennai Open, and part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2009 ATP World Tour. It took place at the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, from January 5 through January 10,... , India |
Hard | Eric Butorac Eric Butorac Eric "Booty" Butorac is an American tennis player. He is a doubles specialist, and has achieved some success in partnership with Britain's Jamie Murray, a fellow left-hander known as "Stretch". He was nicknamed 'Booty' by partner Murray... |
 Jean-Claude ScherrerJean-Claude Scherrer Jean-Claude Scherrer is a professional tennis player from Switzerland who entered professional play in 1998.-Runners-up :-External links:*... Stanislas WawrinkaStanislas Wawrinka Stanislas Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He also holds German citizenship as his father is German. His career ranking high is no. 9, achieved on 9 June 2008. He considers clay his best surface and his backhand his best shot... |
6–3, 6–4 |
| 2. | July 12, 2009 | Newport, USA |
Grass |  Jordan KerrJordan Kerr Jordan Kerr is an Australian professional tennis player. His highest ATP singles ranking is 356th, which he reached on 7 August 2000. His career high in doubles was at 23rd, which he reached on 18 August 2008... |
 Michael KohlmannMichael Kohlmann Michael Kohlmann is a professional tennis player from Germany. Primarily a doubles specialist, he has won five ATP Tour doubles titles in his career. On 5 March 2007, he reached his highest doubles ranking of No...  Rogier WassenRogier Wassen Rogier Wassen is a Dutch tennis player who competes regularly on the ATP Tour as a doubles player.Wassen reached his highest doubles ranking on the ATP Tour on 10 September 2007 when he became world no. 24. The right-hander has won three ATP doubles titles... |
6–7(6–8), 7–6(9–7), [10–6] |
| 3. | October 4, 2009 |  Bangkok, Thailand |
Hard | Eric Butorac |
 Guillermo García-López Mischa ZverevMischa Zverev Mikhail "Mischa" Zverev is a German professional tennis player. He is the son of former Russian tennis player Alexander Zverev, who is also his coach. He now resides in Monte-Carlo, Monaco and represents Germany internationally... |
7–6(7–4), 6–3 |
| 4. | July 25, 2010 | Atlanta Atlanta Tennis Championships The Atlanta Tennis Championships is an annual men's tennis tournament that is now played at the Atlanta Athletic Club in the Atlanta suburb of Johns Creek, Georgia as part of the ATP Tour.... , USA |
Hard | Scott Lipsky |
Rohan Bopanna Rohan Bopanna Rohan Bopanna is an Indian professional tennis player. His singles career high ranking was 213th in 2007. Recently, most of his appearances in professional tournaments has been in doubles matches. He is a member of the Indian Davis Cup team since 2002...  Kristof VliegenKristof Vliegen Kristof Vliegen is a former Belgian tennis player. He plays right-handed and he turned professional in 2001.He was a semi-finalist in Chennai in 2006 and in May of the same year, he reached the final of the ATP tournament in Munich, setting up the first ever all-Belgian men's singles final against... |
6–3, 6–7(4–7), [12–10] |
| 5. | February 13, 2011 | San Jose SAP Open The SAP Open is a men's tennis tournament held annually in San Jose, California. It is the second-oldest tennis tournament in the United States, which is still played. It is an ATP World Tour 250 series event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour... , USA |
Hard (i) | Scott Lipsky |
 Alejandro FallaAlejandro Falla Alejandro Falla Ramirez is a professional male tennis player from Colombia. He turned pro in 2000, plays left-handed, weighs 169 lb and measures 6'1" . At the 2006 Wimbledon tournament, Falla upset 9th seed Nikolay Davydenko and at the 2007 Sony Ericsson Open he beat 9th seed Tommy Haas in... Xavier MalisseXavier Malisse Xavier Malisse is a Belgian tennis player. Born in Kortrijk, Belgium, he is the only men's player from his country to have been ranked in the top 20 of the ATP tour. He is sponsored by Prince and Lotto. His nickname is "The X-Man".... |
6–4, 4–6, [10–8] |
| 6. | February 27, 2011 | Delray Beach Delray Beach International Tennis Championships The International Tennis Championships is an ATP World Tour 250 series men's tennis tournament held every year in Delray Beach, Florida, and played on hard courts. The event was held in Coral Springs from 1993–1998; in 1999, it was relocated to the Delray Beach Tennis Center... , USA |
Hard | Scott Lipsky |
Christopher Kas Christopher Kas Christopher Kas is a professional German tennis player. His highest ATP singles ranking is No. 224, which he reached on 4 November 2002. His career high in doubles is No. 23 set at 3 November 2008.-Doubles: 15 :...  Alexander PeyaAlexander Peya Alexander Peya is an Austrian male tennis player. He reached a career high singles ranking of No. 92 on April 30, 2007. His career high doubles ranking was No. 48 on January 15, 2007. He was born in Vienna, Austria, and currently resides there.In September 2008 Peya helped Austria to a Davis Cup... |
4–6, 6–4, [10–3] |