Joe Salisbury admitted he Rajeev Ram thought clay was a weak surface for them but in Monte Carlo they proved themselves wrong.
Salisbury and Ram, seeded and No. 1, won their first clay title after beating No. 6 seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 6-4 3-6 10-7 in the Monte Carlo final.
Salisbury and Ram now have six titles as a pair.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Salisbury in the pair’s on-court interview, per the ATP website. “I’m so happy right now. It’s a first title on clay together, on a surface that we always thought was a weaker one for us. [We have] not done too well here before, but we’ve been working really hard, and we knew we could play well. [I am] just so happy that it’s come together and to get the win here.”
Ram gives credit to Salisbury
Salisbury and Ram further cemented the doubles world No. 1 ranking with the Monte Carlo victory.
Salisbury and Ram now have two Grand Slam and two Masters titles in their collection.
After the Monte Carlo final, Ram was asked about the secrets to his and Salisbury’s success.
“I got the best player in the world on my team, that helps!” Ram answered. “It’s our fourth year together, we have great chemistry, we work really well together on and off the court. I think it shows in matches like this, we can piece together a good effort and give ourselves a competitive chance.”
Salisbury and Ram kicked off their clay season on the best way possible and they head to the rest of the clay season with a ton of confidence under their belt.
“It’s huge,” said Salisbury. “I feel like the past seasons that we’ve played [on clay] we’ve taken a while to get into it, but it’s massive getting the win here. We know we can play really well and really looking forward to the rest of the events.”