Rajeev Ram thread...

[PKBasu]

Rajeev is having a predictably miserable time on the clay courts of Europe, failing to win a main draw match yet. He has consequently slipped to 73 (from a career-high of 56 reached in late-April). I'm sure he will be happy to salvage anything at all from Geneva this week and the FO next week before speedily getting onto the grass courts -- which should enable him to enter the top-50 before he defends his title at Newport post-Wimbledon.

His partnership with Klaasen in doubles is flourishing (despite just a single win during the clay season). Rajeev is at a career-high of 28 in doubles, after making the SF of the Chennai Open, QF of the Australian Open, and the final of the Miami Open (formerly the "Fifth Slam").

[arjun2761]

Rajeev did get his first win at the Geneva ATP tournament.

Geneva ATP tournament

[R1] Rajeev Ram (US, 73) d Evgeny Donskoy (RUS, 78) 7-6, 4-6, 6-3.

[R2] Rajeev Ram (US, 73) v. G. Garcia Lopez (ESP, 55)

[PKBasu]

Nice work. Donskoy is something of a bunny for Rajeev, having lost to him several times over the past year. Nonetheless, beating him on clay is still notable.

[PKBasu]

Top-seeded Ram/Klaasen also won their doubles R1 match, albeit in a struggle against Elgin/Gabashvili: 67(5) 76(3) 10-5

[sameerph]

Rajeev lost 46 67 in the second round at Geneva ATP against Garcia-Lopez but the pair of Rajeev and Klassen has reached the doubles final there. Rajeev is now actually 4th ranked double player for US behind Bryans and Jack Sock. So, he might get to play for US at Rio Olympics as part of second doubles team.

[PKBasu]

Rajeev lost in R1 of the French Open singles to Jiri Vesely in 4 sets.
Seeded 8 in doubles, he is in R2 with Klaasen.

[PKBasu]

Ram/Klaasen lost in R2 of the men's doubles, so Rajeev can move on to the grass next week!

[PKBasu]

Sure enough, Rajeev is the second seed in singles at the Manchester Challenger.

[PKBasu]

Rajeev's grass season has gone from bad to worse (in singles). He failed to qualify into the Halle main draw (losing to Stakhovsky in a 3-set humdinger in the final round of qualifying). He lost in R1 of the Manchester Challenger, and in denBosch last week.

[Varma]

At Halle Ram & Klaasen got the better of Bryan twins 6-4, 7-6 for a place in the finals. To fight for title, they await the winner of Kontinen/Peers vs Kubot/Peya.

- Varma

[sameerph]

After a bad grass season, Rajeev is having good start to the hard court season. He beat 66th ranked Guilbis in first roun and 23rd ranked Lukas Pouille in second round at Toronto Masters, both in straight sets. He plays Nishikori next.

[PKBasu]

Dustin Brown made the SF last week on clay. So the grass specialists seem to be doing well on other surfaces...

[sameerph]

Rajeev lost 36 46 against Nishikori.

[PKBasu]

Nice run this week (especially the R2 win over Pouille who is ranked 23 now after his run to the Wimbledon QF), which he really needed because his singles ranking had slumped to 118. I suppose he got into the main draw here at the Rogers Cup based on his old points which fell off after the early exit in Newport. This week's points should take him back to near #100 (live rankings have him at 104). Not quite enough to avoid having to qualify into the US Open. Rajeev never really got his singles career going. He is 31+, so doubles will have to be his future. Surprisingly, he doesn't play MxD at the Slams, although he should do pretty well there if he tried.

[jayakris]

Surprisingly, he doesn't play MxD at the Slams, although he should do pretty well there if he tried.

You had to go and say that, right? He has been a total disaster for us ever since your recommendation