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Tennis fans were disappointed over Tommy Paul's dig at doubles player Rajeev Ram following facing backlash for the Davis Cup doubles loss.
Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini defeated Tommy Paul and Jack Sock of USA 6-4 6-4 in a doubles decider to secure a 2-1 win for Italy and take them through to the Davis Cup semifinals for the first time in eight years.
After the match, the US doubles team received a lot of criticism for falling short of expectations, with fans criticizing their exclusion of World No. 3 doubles player Rajeev Ram. Paul countered the criticism in a series of social media posts before taking down one where he indirectly targeted Rajeev Ram.
The deleted tweet read:
“You obviously didn’t have tennis tv in your parents basement during Glasgow....Doubles number 1 or 100 he struggles against singles players ranked 1-8,000, singles or doubles.”
Fans took note of Paul's words and criticized him for making such a statement.
"Big talk for a guy who lost the doubles in straight sets," one fan wrote.
Another user called Paul "weird" and backed Rajeev Ram by stating that he recently won the doubles ATP Finals and two consecutive US Open titles.
"Is he saying that about Ram? The dude just won the ATP Finals and two consecutive US Opens. Pretty sure he does well against all types of players. Weird take by Paul. Didn’t he have a weird take about Korda recently, too? Don’t turn out to be weird, Tommy Paul," another user said.
Another fan stated called for Ram's inclusion by setting that there is no need for teams to have a player that can play both singles and doubles as many countries bring specialist doubles players for team competitions.
"I don’t get it, you don’t need to play singles — plenty of other countries literally bring in one guy (or even a team) just to secure the doubles victory since it’s a freaking TEAM competition," one post read.
Here are some more fan reactions:
USA exit Davis Cup following Tommy Paul and Jack Sock's doubles loss
Team USA began their quest for a record-extending 33rd Davis Cup title against Italy in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Captain Mardy Fish led the team comprising of Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, and Jack Sock.
Lorenzo Sonego defeated Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 7-6 (7) in their opening match to give Italy a 1-0 lead. After defeating Lorenzo Musetti 7-6 (8) 6-3, Taylor Fritz helps USA tie the game.
In the doubles decider, Tommy Paul and Jack Sock fell to Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini 6-4 6-4, sending Italy to the semifinals for the first time in eight years.
