Rajeev Ram is a first-time Olympian with salt and pepper in his stubble and sideburns. He’s 13 years past his lone season at the University of Illinois.
His key to longevity in tennis lies in two questions he asks himself: Am I having fun? Am I getting better?
The answer to both is yes, even though he’s 32, an age when most players decline.
“If I can keep doing those two things,” Ram said, “I’ll be out here as long as I can.”
Appropriate for the patience required to reach the upper echelon in doubles, Ram and partner Brian Baker waited and waited Sunday for their first-round match against Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France.
They endured separate delays for wind and rain before crushing their fourth-seeded foes 6-1, 6-4.
Baker raved about his chemistry with Ram, saying: “We get along well on and off the court. And I feel our games complement each other too.”
How so?
“Brian has one of the best returns out here, so it sets me up a bit at the net,” Ram said. “And as years have gone by, I feel I’ve gotten better at the baseline as well. We feel like we don’t have as many holes.”
In the round of 16 on Monday, they took Austrians Oliver Marach and Alexander Peya to three sets but lost 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-3.
Ram, born in Colorado to Indian parents, was raised near Indianapolis. He parents hired a professional tennis coach when he was 15, and then-Illinois coach Craig Tiley recruited him to a team that ran the table in 2003, going 32-0. Ram also won the NCAA doubles title that year with Brian Wilson.
“It couldn’t have worked out better,” Ram said. “Basically I went to Illinois trying to transition to be a professional. I think (Tiley) had the best tools and method to develop players.”
Ram is one of more than 150 participants or coaches with Big Ten ties in the Rio Games. Twenty-seven are currently enrolled, with eight coming from Indiana — all participating in swimming and diving.
Team USA added Ram just over a week ago after the Bryan brothers, Mike and Bob, declined to defend their Olympic gold medal, citing health issues.
Asked about his Olympic experience thus far, Ram called it, “pretty wild. Tennis is something we do every week — same guys, same thing. But to take part in the opening ceremony, that was pretty surreal.”
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Here’s one notable competitor from each of the other 13 schools:
Indiana: Lilly King, swimming, USA
Her parents were so confident in the breaststroking phenom, they purchased airfare to Rio before the Olympic trials in Omaha, Neb. Good call.
Iowa: Daniel Dennis, wrestling (125.5. pounds), USA
The 5-foot-4 Dennis has grinded his way to the elite, briefly living out of a truck. He got his start at Grant High in Fox Lake.
Maryland: Katie Bam, field hockey, USA
Formerly Katie O’Donnell, she married South African field hockey player and 2008 Olympian Marvin Bam. She was the 2009 National Player of the Year at Maryland.
Michigan: Michael Phelps, swimming, USA
The Wolverines have a league-high 30 representatives, including six coaches. Only one is a current student: Siobhan Haughey, who is swimming for Hong Kong.
Michigan State: Emily Regan, women’s eight rowing, USA
As a three-time world champion, Regan edges out Draymond Green, the basketball star and reluctant social media star.
Minnesota: Kierra Smith, swimming, Canada
A Vancouver native, Smith won gold at the 2015 Pan Am Games in the 200-meter breaststroke. Called Oreo McFlurries her “guilty pleasure.”
Nebraska: Kelsey Robinson, volleyball, USA
Illinois-born and -bred, she graduated from St. Francis before leaving Nebraska with a broadcast journalism degree.
Northwestern: Jordan Wilimovsky, swimming and marathon swimming, USA
The first American to qualify in both sports in the same Olympics, Wilimovsky would have just a three-day gap between the 1500 free finals and open-water 10k.
Ohio State: Nate Ebner, rugby, USA
A special-teams ace for the Patriots, the 6-1, 215-pound Ebner got Bill Belichick’s approval to compete in Rio. Performed a rugby-style drop-kick as onside kick against the Eagles in 2015. Philly recovered it.
Penn State: Ali Krieger, soccer, USA
A Virginia native nicknamed “AK11,” Krieger led Penn State to four straight Big Ten titles. Primarily a defender, she made her first U.S. women’s national team in 2008.
Purdue: Steele Johnson, diving, USA
At a mere 20, Johnson has a rabid following thanks to his compelling story (memory loss after a diving accident at 12) and creative YouTube videos.
Rutgers: Carli Lloyd, soccer, USA
A New Jersey native, Lloyd scored the game-winning goals in the gold-medal games in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. All she did in the 2015 World Cup final against Japan was score three times in the first 16 minutes.
Wisconsin: Gwen Jorgensen, triathlon, USA
The Waukesha native swam and ran for the Badgers, earning a master’s degree and becoming an accountant. She has flourished since entering triathlons, winning the 2014 and 2015 ITU world series.
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