There was an outpouring of emotion as six-time Grand Slam doubles champion Rajeev Ram pulled the curtain on his tennis career at the 2026 US Open. The American doubles legend had an emotional farewell as his campaign with Joe Salisbury came to an end in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows. However, what drew everyone’s attention was the emotional tribute Ram paid to his late father, which prompted a reaction from another former doubles No. 1, Martina Navratilova.
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“Rajiv- enjoy life after tennis- it’s a vacation- and congrats on a great career:)”, said Navratilova on X. The tennis legend then used three clapping emojis in another post, reacting to a video of Ram’s speech of his tribute to his father.
Ram’s father, Raghav Ram, died in April 2019 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer the previous year. But he was one of the most important support systems for Ram in the latter’s tennis career, as he was a supportive presence rather than a parent who pushed Ram into tennis. Ram and his father often played together in his childhood, and it was his father who developed an affinity for the sport from his son, rather than the other way around, as is often the case with tennis parents.
In a 2024 interview with Christopher Clarey, Ram reflected on the significance of the moment and recalled that his father never pushed him into tennis, instead allowing the sport to develop naturally from something they enjoyed together.
“A massive deal. It’s one of those things that you kind of never think about until it happens, right? My dad was sick for about a year and a half, and it wasn’t something that anybody wants to be sick with. I know for a fact I wouldn’t be here doing this if it wasn’t for him and the effort that he put in,” said Ram in the interview. “We love tennis. We love the history of it, and for him to actually see me hold a major trophy and for me to be able to bring it home and to have him hold it was pretty awesome.”
That said, the eighteen-time Major champion is known to be emotional when other players pay tributes to their parents. Back at Wimbledon, when Linda Noskova made an emotional and tearful speech, dedicating her title to her late mother, Navratilova could not hold back her tears while sitting in the stands.
Both Ram’s father and Noskova’s mother lost their respective battles against cancer, a pain that Navratilova can relate to somewhat, having herself undergone treatment for cancer.
As for Ram, his father’s battle with cancer and eventual passing away had a strong effect on him, but the former doubles No.1 was able to give the best gift possible to his father before he passed away.
Ram’s father was diagnosed with cancer in 2018, a battle that lasted for more than a year. However, before he passed away in April of 2019, Ram clinched his maiden Major title by winning the Australian Open mixed doubles with Barbora Krejcikova earlier that year.
The Australian Open title was the first of six Major titles that Ram would win in his career, with his most impressive achievement being three consecutive US Open titles with Joe Salisbury. The Brit was Ram’s most pivotal doubles partner, and the American had him by his side on the court as he bid farewell to the sport.