Cal Tennis: No Doubles Double at Aussie Open for Assistant Coach Rajeev Ram
The doubles double didn’t happen for Cal volunteer assistant tennis coach Rajeev Ram.
Ram and his teammate Joe Salisbury lost in Sunday’s Australian Open men’s doubles final, losing 6-3, 6-4 to Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek.
Ram and Salisbury were trying to become the first team to repeat as men’s doubles champs at Melbourne since brothers Bob and Mike Bryan, formerly of Stanford, won their third straight in 2011.
Ram also was attempting to pocket a second doubles title this weekend after pairing with Barbora Krejčíková to win the mixed doubles crown on Saturday.
Ram, 36, was brought on as a volunteer assistant at Cal last June by long-time head coach Peter Wright.
A Denver native, who helped Illinois win the 2003 NCAA team championship, Ram returns home with one title, bringing his career total in Australia to three.
He and Salisbury couldn’t give Dodig and Polasek much of a match. The winners scored one service break in each set to complete the victory in 88 minutes.
Addressing Polasek after the match, Ram said, "Filip, I know it's your first Grand Slam. That was way too good. Not sure what we could have done any different, so you guys played awesome.”
Polasek, 35, came out of retirement in 2018 and Dodig won his second Grand Slam title after pairing with Marceclo Melo to capture the 2015 French Open men’s doubles crown.
Polasek became just the second Slovakian player to win a Grand Slam after Daniela Hantuchova. He dedicated the title to his daughter, born just two days earlier.
Ram and Krejčíková beat Australians Matthew Ebden and Sam Stosur 6-1, 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena to secure the mixed doubles title on Saturday.
Rajeev Ram and Barbora Krejčíková celebrate their mixed doubles title
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Cover photo of Rajeev Ram by Eric Bolte, USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo