Carmel's Rajeev Ram has to settle for silver in narrow loss in doubles gold medal match

Carmel’s Rajeev Ram has to settle for silver in narrow loss in doubles gold medal match

Posted by Admin August 3, 2024 Tennis

David Woods
| Special for IndyStar

PARIS – Rajeev Ram is the oldest Olympic tennis medalist in 116 years. It is just not the gold he sought after an eight-year wait to return to an Olympic final.

Matthew Ebden and John Peers of Australia defeated the U.S. team of Austin Krajicek and Carmel’s Ram 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (7-1), 10-8 Saturday for the men’s doubles gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

The 14,962-seat Philippe Chatrier court at Roland Garros, used for the French Open, was nearly full. Fans from both nations had plenty to cheer and lament.

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The two-hour match was so close that Krajicek/Ram led 83-82 in total points won. Both teams went into the final without having dropped a set.

The gold was the Australians’ first in tennis in 28 years.

It was the second silver medal for the 40-year-old Ram, who lost in the mixed doubles final with Venus Williams at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

“If you had told me at the beginning of my career I’d have at least two Olympic medals, I would have said you’re crazy. That’s not going to happen,” Ram said. “I’ll sign for that any day.”

The United States also claimed the bronze medal, won by Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul over a Czech doubles team.

This was the third Paris medal for Carmel athletes, including silvers from swimmers Drew Kibler and Alex Shackell, both in 4×200-meter freestyle relays. All three have been state champions representing the Greyhounds.

“I’m proud to be from Indiana. I’m proud to be from Carmel,” Ram said. “And we feel that support. Not just here, but all through the year.”

At London in 1908, Great Britain’s George Hillyard, 44, won doubles gold at London. Tennis was discontinued after the 1924 Paris Olympics and not reinstated until Seoul 1988.

In the third set, the Americans survived three match points before the two 36-year-old Australians secured the gold. Ram and Krajicek were on the verge of gold themselves, leading 4-2 in the second set.

“It was not looking good. We were losing, for sure,” Ebden said.

However, Ram said it never felt as if the Americans were comfortably ahead.

“They could have probably won the first set, just like we did,” Ram said. “I don’t think there was a huge momentum shift. It was a tough battle, two great doubles teams. They just got us at the end.”

In the second set, the Australians broke Ram’s serve in the eighth game, tying it 4-4 and going ahead 5-4. The comeback prompted fans from Down Under, and from France, to stand and cheer.

“Merci beaucoup to the French crowd. We couldn’t have done it without them,” Ebden said.

The Aussies carried momentum into the second-set tiebreak, leading 4-0 en route to a 7-1 victory that tied the match at one set apiece.

In the first-set tiebreak, the Australians erased 4-1 and 6-4 deficits before the Americans won 8-6.

During the tournament, Krajicek/Ram beat the Czechs 6-2, 6-2 in a semifinal after a raucous 6-4, 6-2 quarterfinal victory over Spanish superstars Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal. Alcaraz, 21, recently won his second Wimbledon title, and the 38-year-old Nadal has won 14 French Opens on this court.

“It’s a difficult one to swallow. There’s no way to sugarcoat that,” Krajicek said. “We had some really tough matches this week. We had some matches we’ll remember forever. That quarterfinal match was amazing.”

Ram and Krajicek, who are 4-1 as Davis Cup teammates, have winning doubles credentials.

Ram has won four Grand Slam doubles titles and reached the No. 1 world ranking in doubles for the first time in October 2022.

Krajicek, 34, won a French Open title on this court last year. He has been ranked No. 1, most recently in March, for a total of 26 weeks.

Contact IndyStar correspondent David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.