Tension builds in US Davis Cup team as surprising choice proves to be crucial in their loss

Friday, 25 November 2022 at 02:25

Updated at Friday, 14 February 2025 at 13:01

Tiafoe Sock LaverCup2022 FlorinBaltatoiu

byErik Virostko

Rajeev Ram recently won the ATP Finals Doubles title with Joe Salisbury, but the American was left off the United States team for the 2022 Davis Cup Finals.

Ram successfully defended the title he won the previous year at the ATP Finals. He once again proved that he's one of the best doubles players in the world, if not the best.

Because of that, he hoped to compete at the 2022 Davis Cup Finals, representing his country. However, he wasn't one of the players picked to represent the country.

Ram spoke about Team USA's nomination for the Davis Cup Finals after his win in Turin, and he didn't hide his disappointment about being left out of the team.

"I’m very disappointed. I put in a lot of hard work this year to help the team get there. I felt like I had earned the spot, if you will. So I was quite surprised when I wasn’t picked, and even more surprised, to be honest, that they only went with four players instead of five. That was the choice. But, yeah, I was hoping to be on the team for sure."

Without Ram in it, the US Davis Cup Team lost to Italy at the Davis Cup Finals, and it was a doubles match that decided the tie. Tommy Paul teamed up with Jack Sock, but they weren't good enough to beat Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini.

Shortly after the loss, Ram posted a cheeky tweet in which he asked his fans how their Thanksgiving was, while it was obvious that he was reacting to the Davis Cup loss of his country.

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After the match, team captain Mardy Fish was also questioned about his selection, which he defended.

"We’ve got a lot of great players that play for the U.S. Rajeev is one of them. He wasn’t on the team this year, and that’s my choice. This is the team that I put on the court, and so if anyone has an issue with that, that’s on me."

"Rajeev has played. He’s played and he’s played well. He’s played for us a few times with Jack, and this is a team that I was excited to see. Also, Jack and Frances are a phenomenal team. They have played and beaten some really good teams in some competitions as well, and so we had a lot of options."