If you were being generous, you might suggest that British tennis has two outside hopes for glory at the US Open, as far as the singles competitions are concerned, in the shape of Andy Murray and Cam Norrie.
But perhaps the best British chance of success at Flushing Meadows belongs to Joe Salisbury, the doubles specialist from south west London.
Not enough tennis lovers in the UK know that they have a five-time Grand Slam winner in their midst, but that’s exactly the legacy that Salisbury has built in the sport.
And the man from Wandsworth will be hoping to serve up more glory at the US Open in September.
Double delight
You won’t find a bookmaker that focuses on doubles events – they instead offer tennis odds on markets like the US Open, which starts at the beginning of next month.
The tennis betting tips for the Grand Slam events focus on singles action, but if they were to be extended to include doubles then Salisbury and long-time partner Rajeev Ram would surely be top of the list.
They’ve reached the semi-final stage of eight in the last 13 Grand Slam events, winning the Australian Open in 2020 and the US Open in 2021 and 2022, becoming only the second pair to successfully defend their title at Flushing Meadows in the Open Era.
Hopes of an unprecedented hat trick have been hampered by early exits from all three of the majors this year, with only one win at the Lyon Open in May to their credit in an uncharacteristically fallow season.
But the duo are both still very much amongst the favourites for success at the US Open, given that they are ranked inside the top 10 in the world, with few pairs still playing able to match their haul of Grand Slam titles.
So will Ram enjoy more success on home soil alongside Salisbury in 2023?
Mixed feelings
It’s fair to say 2021 was a stellar year for Salisbury when it came to mixed doubles.
He partnered Desirae Krawczyk to major glory at the French Open and US Open, before losing in the final at Wimbledon alongside Harriet Dart – against Krawczyk and Neal Skupski, no less.
In 2023, Salisbury has partnered a few different players in the mixed doubles, with a run to the second round at Wimbledon alongside fellow home favourite Heather Watson preceded by a first-round exit from the French Open alongside Krawczyk.
Heather Watson & Joe Salisbury just lose out after a tight battle at @Wimbledon #BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/t2VUCnN94J
— LTA (@the_LTA) July 10, 2023
Mixed doubles is often a discipline that is overlooked by tournament hosts, and events are not played on the ATP Tour or WTA Tour outside of the Grand Slams, so the players have to work on their craft in the men’s or women’s version.
That’s one of the reasons why there are so many different winners of the mixed doubles at the majors.
But Salisbury, a former world number one in the doubles rankings, is about as safe a pair of hands as they come.
His partnerships with Ram and Krawczyk could yet yield double glory at Flushing Meadows in September.
