By Mark Ambrogi
Carmel’s Rajeev Ram has just put the finishing touches on a satisfying 11th season on the ATP Tour.
Turning 30 in March, Ram said he know he is on the back end of his professional tennis career.
“I love what I do. Personally, I’m proud of that, to be able play that long,” said Ram, who will host his EntouRaj for Kids charity tennis event at Carmel Racquet Club at 7 p.m. on Nov. 21. “I feel I certainly have some good years left in me. But it’s just going to be am I having fun doing it and is my body healthy and am I going to keep up. So I don’t foresee any changes. But I do understand it is going to happen when I’m not going to play anymore.”
Ram, who won the state singles title as a Carmel High School sophomore in 1999, won his only ATP Tour singles title on grass at Newport, R.I., in 2009. The 6-4 Ram has captured seven doubles titles, including three with Scott Lipsky.
Ram had his best result in a Grand Slam in September, reaching the doubles semifinals in the U.S. Open with Lipsky before losing to eventual champions Mike and Bob Bryan.
“To make the semis of the majors was special because I lost in the quarters (five) times before that and I just hadn’t been able to get over the hump,” Ram said. “It was more a personal relief than an ultimate goal.”
Ram, ranked 53rd in the world in doubles, will still play singles but will make his scheduling decisions based more on doubles in 2015. His career-high doubles ranking is No. 33 and his best singles ranking is No. 78. Ram said that means he will play more main tour events in doubles and attempt to qualify in singles. Ram had played more Challenger tournaments the past two years to improve his singles ranking.
Ram’s event features Blake
This is the fifth year for Ram’s EntouRaj for Kids. He has lured James Blake, ranked as high as No. 4 in singles before retiring, and women’s pros Melanie Oudin and Alison Riske to participate in the exhibition.
“This is first time we’ve had professional women, so that’s cool,” Ram said. “James is obviously the headliner. It’s nice to have someone who is such a great role model for tennis. He went to college for a couple years (at Harvard) and he’s an all-around good guy on top of being a great player.”
Tickets, $50 for adults and $25 for those ages 5 to 18, are available at entourajforkids.org.
Ram’s charity has two separate grants for juniors and seniors in Central Indiana, one to a high-performing athlete who might need expenses for traveling to tournaments and the second to a few kids based on need.
“It’s for kids that are going to college not to play, but they’ve had tennis be a part of their life up until now,” Ram said. “We have an essay program where kids can apply. We have a committee that decides winners based on applications.”
