Nitto ATP Finals 2023: Salisbury and Ram seal successive titles in Turin
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Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram have made it back-to-back doubles titles at the Nitto ATP Finals, after defeating Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 6-3, 6-4.
The British, American duo have extended their winning streak at the prestigious year-end championships in Turin to 10 matches, following their win over Croatian duo Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic in the 2022 final.
Salisbury and Ram served up a doubles mastersclass on the final day of the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals, as they secured victory in just 68 minutes.
“I think we’ve gotten better throughout the week” Salisbury beamed in his on-court interview. “I think that was our best match along with the semi-final yesterday.
“When you play well and have had good matches here, it brings back those feelings. We love to perform our best at these big tournaments and we’ve managed to do that the last couple of years. We’re really proud of the effort we’ve put in on and off the court these last few weeks and this week."
"I think we're pretty confident about where we are if we're playing well" Ram added when asked why the pair have gained so much success at the Pala Alpitour arena. "When you get to a tournament and you keep winning match after match, your confidence really grows.
"We struggled a bit at the beginning of this year and had an amazing last few months, so Joe, thanks again for sticking with me and for all the memories we're making."
The sixth seeds had to hold off an early break point on their opening service game, but as they settled into the contest, the three-time US Open champions became the dominant pair. With their foot on the gas pedal, they found the first and only break of the set on Granollers' serve, before holding firm to put themselves within touching distance of the silverware.
With confidence flowing through their veins, the British, American pair continued to impress on serve and remain sharp in their return games as they knocked on the door to another break. With four break point opportunities in sight for Salisbury and Ram, an inch-perfect volley at the net from the Brit dealt the final blow as they clinched a second break of the match at 3-3 before going on to claim the crown once again.
The 2023 Nitto ATP Finals trophy marks Salisbury and Ram’s fourth trophy of the season, which they add to their titles in Vienna, Lyon and their historical US Open victory, where they became the first doubles pair in the Open Era to lift three consecutive titles in Flushing Meadows.
Salisbury and Ram now conclude their season ranked third in the ATP doubles rankings and have set themselves up for what is likely to be another exceptional season together next year.
