Exclusive interview
Joe Salisbury on his US Open doubles double
At the US Open, Joe Salisbury became the first Brit to ever win two doubles titles at the same Grand Slam. We caught up with him as he returned to the National Tennis Centre after his historic run in New York.
Joe Salisbury – US Open double doubles champion – has it quite sunk in yet?
Yeah, I think it has now. I think at times I kind of just forget about it and sink back into normal life and then other times I think about kind of what achieved and it feels pretty special.
I think the trophy is still in New York – I think they'll send it on but we get replica ones of the one we got on the day. But yeah, hopefully I'll get it soon.
You and Jamie were the first British men to go head to head in a Grand Slam men's doubles final. How did it feel face him?
Yeah, it was good actually – I think it was great that we that we played each other. I had a few people ask that question but to be honest, it didn’t feel strange at all.
We've played each other a bunch of times before and I know his partner Bruno really well as well. So we all get on well off the court and it was just great to have two Brits in the final of a Grand Slam.
Obviously we're out there competing when we're out on court and we're not really worrying about who's on the other side. But, if it wasn't us to go on and win, then I would've been really happy for those guys and it would be great to have a British winner anyway.
How did you celebrate in New York?
After the men's final on the Friday, we couldn't really celebrate too much because I had the mixed the next day. So we just went out for dinner with the team.
Then after the mixed, we had another dinner with Desirae and her team as well. Then we went out for some drinks after – it was it was fairly late one!
What is it about playing with Rajeev and Desirae that works so well?
I think a lot of is that we just get along really well. Obviously it’s different playing the men's and mixed competitions, but we get along really well on and off the court.
I think the partnership with Rajeev has developed a lot over the last three years. It's helped so much playing with him for so long that we've improved in the way we deal with the tough situations on the court.
With the mixed doubles I've played with her (Desirae) in seven or eight mixed events as well, so we've obviously got to know each other pretty well. We have a lot of fun on court together and I think that that definitely helps a lot with the mixed.
It was a brilliant tournament for the Brit's – how big of a moment is this is for British tennis?
I think it's pretty big – it's probably one of the most successful slams that Britain has had.
What Emma has done is absolutely incredible – I think everybody's still pretty shocked – she’s just done amazingly well.
I think it will inspire a lot of people to want to start playing tennis or to pick it up again. It's great for the whole country.
Did you get to socialize with many of the Brits at the US Open?
Yeah, I usually do a bit – it's pretty busy during the Grand Slam and everybody's got their own team, but I usually hang out with them. Sometimes we go for dinners and then I see them a lot of the court.
It’s great to have that kind of team sort of feel at the Grand Slams because everybody, all the Brits are there supporting each other.
You’re back home now, after a long trip in the States, what was the reception been like since you’ve been home?
Yeah, it has been really nice. I think the first couple of days I got back, I was just enjoying being at home, resting, recovering and enjoying some time to just chill out.
It's nice to see some friends and family – I've got a few celebration things coming up and some dinners. It’s so great to see everyone and kind of enjoy the moment with them.
What’s next for the rest of the season?
It’s great that we're doing the tour finals in Turin.
I've got San Diego tournament before in Indian Wells Masters coming up and then we’re back in Europe.
Then we've got Vienna, then Paris Masters, Turin and then hopefully Davis Cup after that.