CHAMPAIGN — Rajeev Ram only spent one season playing tennis at Illinois.
But a life-long connection was made when he became such an integral part of the Illini winning the 2003 NCAA title with his acumen for doubles play a strength back when he wore the orange and blue.
Brad Dancer can relate.
The current Illinois men’s tennis coach, who arrived in Champaign only a few years after Ram’s brief, yet memorable time in town, has spent most of his week checking his phone. Not only for the incoming text messages, phone calls and emails he’s receiving about how Ram is doing at the Paris Summer Olympics.
But to catch a highlight or two of his matches, with Dancer staying busy on the road recruiting at a tournament in St. Louis earlier this week and then heading to Kalamzoo, Mich., for another tournament this weekend.
“It’s just a different lens with him being in the Olympics and having success,” Dancer told me late Thursday afternoon during a brief stay in Champaign before he hit the road again. “People who follow his career are used to seeing him being one of the best doubles players in the world and winning Grand Slams, but the Olympics really reaches people in a different way. It really evokes the non-tennis fans. I’m just super proud and super thrilled for him in what he’s doing.”
What the 40-year-old Ram is doing is potentially winning a gold medal.
At worst, a silver medal.
Ram and his doubles partner Austin Krajicek (who has a C-U connection, as well, that we’ll get to later), cruised past Tomas Machac and Adam Pavlasek from the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals of the men’s doubles tournament on Thursday in Paris.
The win in 61 minutes on Thursday came a day after Ram and Krajicek knocked off Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz from Spain in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. In possibly the last time the 38-year-old Nadal, who was has a record 14 French Open titles, plays on the iconic clay court that became his signature domain.
Alcaraz is also the latest up-and-coming worldwide tennis sensation, with the 21-year-old already owning four Grand Slam titles, including the last two at Wimbledon.
On the flip side, the year Alcaraz was born in 2003, Ram and Brian Wilson were teaming up to win an NCAA doubles title with the Illini. All part of a memorable season when Craig Tiley’s team won a national title.
So the longevity of Ram’s time playing on the court is what stands out to Dancer.
“Tennis is historically a young person’s sport,” Dancer said. “To play at such a high level for a long time like he has is an incredible accomplishment.”
Ram and Krajicek will give the United States another medal to its significant haul in Paris on Saturday when they play either fellow Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul or the Australian duo of Matthew Ebden and John Peers in the final.
Fritz and Paul square off against Ebden and Peers on Friday in the other semifinal match in Paris.
Ram has reached this stage before at the Olympics, doing so in 2016 when he teamed up with Venus Williams in mixed doubles. But he was only able to bring home a silver medal from the Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro when he and Williams lost in the final to Jack Sock and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
“It was one of the toughest losses I took,” Ram told reporters on Thursday. “You play for that gold medal, and when it’s so close, you don’t have it. Also, you never know if you get a chance again. I’m pretty happy that I have that opportunity, and we’re absolutely going to give it our all.”
Needless to say, the success Ram is having in Paris is a talking point Dancer said he is using with recruits this week.
And one he won’t shy away from bringing up well into the future.
Ram only spent one semester at Illinois in 2003, with his burgeoning tennis career taking off shortly after his time with the Illini.
But it’s a relationship that has now stretched two decades, with Dancer giving plenty of credit to his predecessor, Tiley, in getting Ram on board at Illinois.
“That’s the brilliance of Craig Tiley,” Dancer said. “Craig was able to convince him to come here and give Illinois a shot so they could make special memories here for everybody.”
Ram has already had a decorated pro career, winning 31 titles that includes the last three doubles championships at the U.S. Open along with two doubles championships at the Australian Open in the last five years.
The only item missing from his resume? An Olympic gold medal. He’ll get the chance to add one on Saturday, with Krajicek by his side.
The 34-year-old Krajicek played in college at Texas A&M, but Dancer said Thursday that Illinois recruited him heavily before Krajicek decided on the Aggies.
Krajicek, though, will likely always have a soft spot for Illinois. Not just because of his success with Ram this week.
He met his wife, former Illini women’s tennis player Misia Kedzierski, during a pro tournament in Champaign.
Meaning there’s reason for Illinois fans to not just root for Ram on Saturday. Wherever they’re watching what transpires in Paris.
On the court
Two of the best volleyball players in the world have a tie to Champaign and its surrounding area. Former Illini Jordyn Poulter and Annie Drews, the daughter of former Danville High School standout Mike Drews, are trying to win their second straight gold medal with the U.S. volleyball team.
And both played a vital role in helping the U.S. stay on that path Wednesday when the Americans outlasted reigning world champion Serbia in five sets.
The 30-year-old Drews, who starred in high school in Indiana before playing in college at Purdue, contributed 15 kills in the win against Serbia. The 27-year-old Poulter, one of the best setters in Illinois history, came through by directing the U.S. offense while adding eight digs and a crucial ace in the final set. The U.S., which has former Illini Erin Virtue as an assistant coach, concludes pool play on Sunday against host France, with the match starting at 6 a.m. CST as the Americans try to advance to the quarterfinals.
On the course
Hideki Matsuyama looked on Thursday like he did when he won the 2021 Masters, with the 32-old-year from Japan taking the lead in the Olympic men’s golf tournament by carding an 8-under 63.
Xander Schauffele continues his incredible 2024, with the British Open and PGA Championship winner two shots back in second as he tries to defend the gold he won three years ago in Tokyo.
Farther down the leaderboard are two former Illini who first started to make a name for themselves while starring with Mike Small’s men’s golf program at Illinois. Thomas Detry and Adrien Dumont de Chassart are representing Belgium this week in France, with Dumont de Chassart shooting a 1-under 70 in his first Olympic round on Thursday. He goes into Friday tied for 29th.
Detry, who is having the best season of his professional career this year, was one shot back after an even-par 71 on Thursday that has him tied for 42nd.
On the track
Rose Yeboah won an NCAA title in June for Illinois, doing so in the high jump. The native of Ghana will represent her home country in Paris in the event, with qualifying on Friday.
Also be on the lookout for Illini assistant coach Deanna Price competing in Olympics. The 31-year-old is in her third Olympics after doing so in 2016 and 2021 and will get to showcase her talents in the hammer throw when that event begins on Sunday.