Team USA captain Mardy Fish explains Rajeev Ram absence at Davis Cup: "Putting a team together isn't as simple as just taking a player that's ranked high"

Mardy Fish caught a lot of heat following the US elimination from the Davis Cup as the crucial doubles tie was lost easily.

One notable absence from the team was doubles specialist Rajeev Ram who recently won the ATP Doubles trophy with Joe Salisbury. They were the best and if not the best then second-best team all year long in doubles.

Despite his age, Ram is playing really solid tennis serving well which is crucial in these indoor settings. The serve particularly was a problem for Sock and Paul earlier today in the loss to Bolelli and Fognini. Fish defending his decision to exclude Ram who himself was caught off guard by the omission from the team:

"Obviously he [Rajeev Ram] is one of the best players in the world. But matching, putting a team together isn't as simple as just taking a player that's ranked high and put him with another player and just hope that they do well."

He added:

"Rajeev and I are great friends. We had multiple conversations as well. Rajeev has been a phenomenal player for us. This is a different roster this specific time. We have Davis Cup next year. I told him that he is still very much in my plans for future ties and beyond."

The loss was a huge surprise for USA especially against a depleted Italian side that was missing Berrettini and Sinner and this decision will be analyzed for some time to come.