British doubles No. 1 player Joe Salisbury has split with long-time partner Rajeev Ram after the pair won four Grand Slam titles together.
Salisbury and Ram have forged one of the most successful partnerships in the game since linking up six years ago, becoming number ones after their first Major victory at the 2020 Australian Open.
They then became the first duo in the Open era to win three successive US Open men’s doubles titles between 2021 and 2023.
They claimed an ATP 250 title in Adelaide this year alongside reaching the final of the Montreal Masters.
Neither player has commented on why they decided to split, but they failed to go beyond the quarter-finals in any of the Grand Slams in 2024 and currently sit 11th in the world rankings.
Ram, 40, released a statement on Instagram that read: “Six years is a long time in the life of a professional tennis player. Joe and I had some amazing wins, some epic matches and moments, and some gut-wrenching losses.
“But the reality is that the reason we got to experience some of the highest highs in the sport and were able to recover from the lowest lows were the people around us. We played together for six years, but we made memories and friends for a lifetime… and for that I’m truly grateful.”
Their third-round exit at Flushing Meadows earlier this month to 13th seeds Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow marked the first time Salisbury and Ram suffered a US Open defeat in four years, a run stretching 20 matches.
The pair complimented each other perfectly, with strong server and ball-striker Ram supplemented by the acrobatic Brit who is eight years his junior.
“We’ll start with the athleticism,” Ram told the New York Times in August. “I don’t have it, and he has it in heaps, so that helps. He’s one of the best athletes I’ve ever seen on a tennis court. I feel one of my biggest strengths is my mental clarity and whatnot, and I think that has helped along with my experience.
“The toughest thing that I had to learn and get better at when I played only doubles was to become a great teammate. All of a sudden, I’m basing my whole career, my livelihood, not only on me, but the guy next to me, right? One of my biggest jobs in doubles is to make sure I create an environment on my side of the net where my partner can thrive.”
There has been no word on which players Salisbury and Ram plan on teaming up with going forward, but the American won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics alongside Austin Krajicek.