Mumbai: Rajeev Ram, the retiring American former world No.1 doubles pro of Indian heritage, has a message for budding tennis players from South Asia: nothing is beyond reach in the sport if you fully commit to it.
Ram is of South Asian heritage, but had access to better facilities, infrastructure and coaching while starting out in the US. To his credit, he made good use of it to reach the pinnacle of the doubles game. The US, a land of current Grand Slam singles aspirants Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton, has a rich and vibrant tennis culture as well as a thriving collegiate system.
“The reality is that all of this started as just a game. I always thought tennis could be a sport for life for me, but I never envisioned that it would make my life,” he wrote on X. That was my driving force, my why, and the thing that kept me going for more than two decades. And I had the time of my life doing so.”
“If you set your mind to achieving your dream and surround yourself with the right people, it can happen… I’m living proof,” Ram said. The American doubles stalwart, who was in India earlier this week, said he never thought tennis could become his life over all these years. “There were many wins and losses along the way, but I always felt like my purpose in this game was to simply work to be better today than I was yesterday.
