United States’ decision to drop its top doubles player Rajeev Ram from the Davis Cup team has ignited tensions between Tommy Paul (who was picked for the team) and Rajeev Ram. There was a free spot in the team but US Davis Cup captain Mardy Fish decided not to fill the spot with Ram.

The USA went on to lose to Italy. The team lost a deciding doubles match after the two singles matches were split. Tommy Paul and Jack Sock played the deciding double match and lost to Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli. After the match, Ram expressed his frustration with a tweet.

Rajeev Ram played a key role in the early rounds which helped the US to qualify. But Paul said on Twitter that Rajeev Ram struggles against top singles players. It’s a moot point since Ram only plays doubles these days and the team had an extra spot that it chose not to fill with Ram. Tommy Paul took a dig at Rajeev Ram on social media.

Captain Mardy Fish stood by his decision to drop Ram from the team, saying:

We’ve got a lot of great players that play for the U.S. Rajeev is one of them. He wasn’t on the team this year, and that’s my choice. This is the team that I put on the court, and so if anyone has an issue with that, that’s on me. Rajeev has played. He’s played and he’s played well. He’s played for us a few times with Jack, and this is a team that I was excited to see. Also, Jack and Frances are a phenomenal team. They have played and beaten some really good teams in some competitions as well, and so we had a lot of options. This was the team we went with today. But if Rajeev was here or not, those guys were going to win today. They played well and they’re too good.

Rising American tennis star Ben Shelton will wear Swiss Brand On’s clothing and shoes starting in 2023. Shelton was previously wearing Nike and New Balance shoes.

The news is not entirely surprising. Shelton is represented by Team8, a sports management agency owned by Roger Federer. Federer is also an investor in On.

Shelton finished the 2022 season on a high note by winning three consecutive Challenger titles. He reached six Challenger finals in 2022 but lost the first three.

As a result of his impressive run, he made his debut in the top 100 at the end of the year. He is currently the youngest American in the top 250. Shelton’s game is powered by a big serve and consistent groundstrokes.

Shelton played college tennis at the University of Florida. He won the 2022 NCAA Division I title. In 2022, he decided to give up his college eligibility and turned pro. His father, Bryan Shelton, is a former professional tennis player and is currently coaching the Florida Gators tennis team.