PARIS (TIP): Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek of the United States secured a silver medal in the men’s tennis doubles at the 2024 Olympics, following a closely contested match against Australia’s Matt Ebden and John Peers on Saturday. At age 40, Ram became the oldest player to win an Olympic medal in tennis, adding another remarkable achievement to his storied career. The American duo, who have been formidable on the court, started strong by clinching the first set 7-6. However, their Australian opponents rallied in the second set, taking it 7-6. With the match tied, the Olympic format called for a first-to-10, win-by-two tiebreaker instead of a traditional third set. In a nail-biting finish, Ram and Krajicek narrowly lost the tiebreaker 10-8, earning them the silver medal.
Ram, a tennis veteran based in Indiana, was on the verge of making history as the oldest player to win an Olympic tennis gold, a feat unmatched in both singles and doubles since the sport’s return to the Summer Games in 1988. Despite the outcome, his journey to the final was impressive, highlighted by a quarterfinal victory over Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, with Ram and Krajicek winning decisively 6-2, 6-4.
Rajeev Ram was born in Denver to Raghav and Sushma Ram, both immigrants from India. His father hailed from Bangalore, and his mother is from Delhi. Ram attended Carmel High School in Carmel, Indiana, where his tennis skills began to flourish. He has described his knowledge of Hindi as “decent,” but admitted that he unsuccessfully tried to learn Kannada, the language of his father’s family. Ram’s father passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2019.
This silver medal adds to Ram’s illustrious career, which includes six Grand Slam titles and a previous Olympic silver in mixed doubles with Venus Williams at the 2016 Rio Games. Having risen to World No. 1 in doubles in October 2022, Ram’s consistent performance at the highest level of the sport continues to inspire many.
Austin Krajicek, who hails from Allen, Texas, joined Ram in their quest to become the third U.S. men’s doubles team to win Olympic gold, a feat last achieved by the Bryan brothers in 2012. The Bryans were present to support the team in Paris, with Bob Bryan coaching the U.S. men’s tennis team and Mike Bryan assisting with doubles coaching.