"Friends for life" Rajeev Ram, Joe Salisbury confirm doubles split after six years

All good things come to an end, even in tennis. On Wednesday, Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, one of the most successful doubles teams on ATP Tour, announced they have officially called it quits.

American veteran Ram shared an emotional post confirming his split from Britain’s Salisbury, as he highlighted the “amazing wins” and “gut-wrenching losses” the pair have shared during their six-year partnership.

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“Six years is a long time in the life of a professional tennis player,” Ram wrote. “Joe and I had some amazing wins, some epic matches and moments, and some gut wrenching losses…

“We played together for six years, but we made memories and friends for a lifetime… and for that I’m truly grateful.”

One of the most established doubles teams on the men’s tour, Ram and Salisbury racked up four Grand Slam trophies together—including three consecutive US Open titles between 2021-2023, following their maiden win at the 2020 Australian Open. The pair also won back-to-back titles at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2022 and 2023, and rose to world No. 1 on the doubles rankings in 2022.

Neither player has detailed the reasons behind their split, as the pair parted ways after the US Open having failed to move past the quarterfinals at the four Grand Slams. The three-time defending champions were stunned in the third round, with Salisbury later revealing he was subjected to “horrific abuse” on social media following their defeat and declaring it was “time for a break.”

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Ram will be back in action this week at the China Open, reprising his partnership with fellow American Austin Krajicek. The pair claimed a silver medal at the Paris Olympics this summer, and then went 3-0 at the Davis Cup to help the USA advance to the Final 8 in Malaga.

Ram and Krajicek will face Wesley Koolhoff and Nikola Mektic in the first round in Beijing on Thursday.