When Ivo Karlovic’s low backhand slice clipped the top of the net and fell to ground, Rajeev Ram slowly exhaled a long breath, looked up to the sky, took a few steps, then calmly made his way to the net. His eyes blinked methodically as the realization of his 2nd Newport Hall of Fame Trophy (and 2nd ATP Tour Title) sank in. The crowd rose to its feet to applaud not only the tournament victory, but his other-worldly performance for the week–a week where he fought off match points in multiple rounds, a week where he defeated two of the biggest servers on tour in John Isner and Karlovic, and a week where he proved that a players best tennis can come at any age.
When asked what it is about the quaint, historic, tournament in Rhode Island that allowed Ram to find some of the best tennis of his career, Ram was thoughtful and analytical in his response. “You know, it’s really about the court surface. These courts have an old school type of grass surface, softer grass courts like we used to play. My game is just really suited for it.” Ram’s win last week at Newport was a symbolic jewel in his crown of a season. The 2015 ATP season has been, as Ram put it “one of his better ones”. Besides the Newport title, Ram has reached an all time high ranking in doubles with new partner Raven Klaasen thanks to their win at the important Wimbledon tune up the Gerry Weber Open. He also won the Guadalajara Challenger and advanced to the final of one of the deepest Challenger fields at Irving, Texas where he was forced to retire after the first set. He also advanced to the semis of the Manchester, UK Challenger where he also was forced to retire while up a set and a break. His ranking has climbed back into the top 100 at #86 and he is temptingly close to breaking his all time rankings high of 78 set in 2009, not coincidentally the year he won his other Newport Hall of Fame title.
Ram was 25 years old when he won that aforementioned first Newport title. After beating Sam Querrey in 2009 Rajeev described it as an “incredible feeling”, but not necessarily carrying the same weight as his title two weeks ago. “When I won it in 2009 it was more of like an ‘oh my gosh’, type of reaction…this one has more satisfying feeling to it, more appreciation for it. I do appreciate it more for sure, simply because I’m older and know more what it takes to win on tour.” Ram drew another interesting contrast between his 2009 player persona and the player he is today. “When I won it in 2009, I don’t want to say I coasted after winning, but I don’t know if I thought as closely, or didn’t put as much effort or time and thought into how to take each week as seriously as I do now.”
When analyzing why Ram is having a banner year, it is evident right away that his serve is a crucial part of his success this season. In his matches in Newport, Ram faced two of the biggest servers on tour in John Isner and Ivo Karlovic. In both matches, Ram’s service stats were comparable if not better than both laureled servers. In his first round win over John Isner, Ram hit 18 aces, while Isner hit 21. In the final against Karlovic, Ram served up 17 aces to Karlovic’s 19. Ram also won 75% of all points he served, with his deft placement and speed allowing him constant opportunities to move forward into the court. A racquet change to a more powerful stick is a contributing factor to Ram’s serve success and uptick in winners and forced errors on tour. Ram switched to the Bobolat Aeropro Drive and the results have followed. “The change allows me to play a little more aggressively, my natural style more effectively. The people at Bobolat have been great in this whole process, and I am really thankful for their assistance in this.”
With his success this season it would be easy to become satisfied with his season and lose motivation to find even more success in 2015, but as the tour starts its race to the finish, Ram is setting goals for himself to help him focus on a strong closing. With two retirements from tournaments that he had a strong chance at winning, his first obvious goal is to “stay healthy” throughout the hardcourt season. “And then and try to keep going with the momentum that I’ve had–to use this confidence I’ve built up, but not dwell on it too much, so I stay motivated to bring my “A” game every week.” Ram will play most of the major US Open tune up events with D.C., Cincinnati, and Montreal. He will rejoin up with Raven Klaasen at D.C. (who is playing World Team Tennis for the San Diego Aviators right now) and continue to develop their successful partnership.
In past generations, a player of Ram’s age would have been already thinking about what lies ahead for them in retirement, or already been retired; however, in this new age of ATP tennis, 30 is no longer the flying flag signaling the end of a tennis career. Draws are now filled with men in their mid 30s making deep runs. (Bogota has 6 of 8 quarterfinalist in their 30s). Ram is no exception. When asked how long he sees himself continuing to play, Ram’s response was one of positive resolve to continue making improvements in his game. “I think to me tennis has always been about getting better and enjoying it. Those two things go hand in hand, and at the moment I am getting better and really enjoying the process, and I don’t see that ending any time soon.”
When Ram’s success and enjoyment of the game do wane and he does decide to stop playing professional tennis on tour, he will not be hanging up his racquet. Often it seems former tennis players fall into two camps: those that put their racquets away for good and speak in interviews of burnout and never playing, and those whose love for the game transcends their careers and look to be involved with tennis on a day in and day out basis. Ram falls into the latter category. When asked about his life after professional tennis Ram was thoughtful and confident in his future goal. “I am not one of those people that just plays the sport because I can or whatever, I really do love the sport. I want to find some way to be involved back in my hometown, Carmel or Indianapolis, hopefully helping kids that want to try and succeed and get the best out of themselves, whether that be as a high school player, college player, or beyond.”
Ram’s love for the game and desire to return to his home and contribute to his community have kept him very grounded and approachable. Though commentators on television often refer to players like Ram as “journeymen” in a flippant manner, implying that these players are merely draw fillers for the more well known players, Ram shows that players like him carve out important niches for themselves in the professional tennis world. Moreover, by being open, affable, and good role models, they craft out a niche group of supporters and fans who see them as something bigger and more important than a simple “journeyman” of tennis–they change the context of “journeyman” into something more positive, more hopeful, something more akin to people finding the resolve to win and work hard no matter their age and circumstances on their way to professional and personal contentment. “You know after I won (Newport), I was just kind of in my own world for a little bit and wasn’t paying attention to my phone. When I finally did, I had like 96 text messages. It’s just really cool when you start to realize how many people are actually pulling or you.” If Ram continues to post results like he has thus far this season, the number of supporters bombarding his inbox with appreciation and support will only continue to grow.
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