NEW YORK (AFP) — Britain’s Joe Salisbury donned a black armband in honor of Queen Elizabeth as he won the US Open men’s doubles title with American partner Rajeev Ram on Friday.
Top seeds Salisbury and Ram defeated Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands and Neal Skupski of Britain 7-6 (7/4), 7-5.
It was the pair’s second successive title in New York as they became the first back-to-back champions at the tournament since 1996.
Skupski wore a black ribbon on his shirt as the two British players paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth who died Thursday at the age of 96.
“I think we felt like we wanted to just show a sign of respect and just acknowledgement of the situation we are in because it’s a huge moment in our history,” Salisbury said of his armband tribute.
Salisbury said he learned of the British monarch’s death shortly after victory in the semifinals on Thursday.
“It definitely felt a little bit strange, especially after the win yesterday,” he said.
“To come off court and see the news was very sad. I think everyone wasn’t quite sure how to act… it didn’t feel appropriate to be overly celebrating or at least showing that too much, because obviously everybody is back home and around the world is in mourning at the moment, and it’s a very sad time.
“Definitely feels a bit strange to be in this situation.”
