“My Foundation was Rocked”: 2-Time Grand Slam Champion Reveals Emotional Story Behind His Tennis and Late Father

The ‘Behind the Racquet’ initiative by Noah Rubin provides a platform for different players to share their feelings and emotions. Recently, the American tennis player Rajeev Ram took part in this and shared one of the moments that affected him emotionally. Ram talked about his father’s battle with pancreatic cancer and how his death had an impact on him. The 36-year-old player shared the incident by posting a picture on his Instagram handle.

“My father passed away in April of 2019. In 2018, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I found out the day I got home from the Australian Open… Am an only child and my father and I had a great relationship. I was never forced into tennis… My tennis had a special place in his heart and when the sport became my career, my dad was proud,” wrote Ram on Instagram.

Ram revealed that his dad was proud of him. He was the first one to praise him after he won his first Grand Slam title.

“I won my first Grand Slam title in mixed doubles at the 2019 Australian Open. My dad felt well enough to stay up and watch. He always said he would love to see me win a major and I was lucky I got to share that moment with him,” continued the 2-time Grand Slam champion.

Although his dad is no more, Ram proudly said that he was fortunate enough to share some incredible moments of his life with him.

“Tennis did not matter”- Rajeev Ram on seeing his dad fighting with cancer

While writing this all, Ram also remembered the tough times. He admitted that while his dad was combatting cancer, tennis hardly mattered to the player. He even recalled how his father struggled and how he felt a mix of emotions after his death.

“After he was diagnosed with cancer, tennis did not matter as much… When he passed, I felt a mix of emotions. I felt sadness, anger, and disappointment because my foundation was rocked. But I also felt relief because my dad was out of his misery. It was strange and I will never forget that feeling,” added Ram in his post.

Lastly, Ram talked about his recent success at the Australian Open 2020. Along with Joe Salisbury, he finally lifted his maiden Grand Slam title at Melbourne this year.

“After 16 years on tour and 58 Grand Slam doubles appearances, I captured my first Grand Slam men’s doubles title at the 2020 Australian Open. I tried 58 times. I got to put my name on a Grand Slam trophy that will be there until the end of tennis,” concluded Ram.

Dealing with an incident of this magnitude is never easy. Ram proved that he was a fighter both on and off the court by showing his competitive spirit. As far as tennis is concerned, though Ram is 36, he still has a lot left in him. Fans will hope to see him go further and win more titles.

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