Happy Thanksgiving... or not? U.S. Davis Cup team members join Twitter squabble after elimination

“How’s everyone’s Thanksgiving going?” Rajeev Ram tweeted Thursday morning in the U.S.

While his nation was celebrating a national holiday, there was far more behind the context—and—timing of Ram’s post.

It went up just after the U.S. Davis Cup squad lost a deciding doubles rubber to Italy in being sent packing in the quarterfinals, the opening hurdle of the knockout phase, at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain.

Ram had previously expressed his disappointment when asked about being snubbed for selection at the Nitto ATP Finals, a tournament he and Joe Salisbury would go on to win to cap another successful year that brought a third major team title at the US Open.

“I put in a lot of hard work this year to help the team get there. I felt like I had earned the spot, if you will. So I was quite surprised when I wasn't picked, and even more surprised to be honest that they only went with four players instead of five. That was the choice,” Ram said in Turin.

Captain Mardy Fish elected to omit Ram, who helped clinch their place in September, and leave the fifth roster spot unfilled. Fish told Jon Wertheim going into the event, “I love Raj and his DC career with me isn’t over.…But this time, Jack will be playing with Frances or Tommy or Taylor. As DC Captain, it’s my job to listen to the players as well. Ultimately, it’s my choice and I make the calls, but I do listen to their thoughts and ideas.”

When he spoke at his pre-event Davis Cup press conference, Fish added, “I want to put a different doubles team on the court, period.”

The decision to leave Ram behind, and not have him on the bench as an option, ultimately backfired. Tommy Paul and Jack Sock were decisively defeated by Italians Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini, 6-4, 6-4.

Soon, Tennis Twitter became the hub for a classic Thanksgiving squabble. Brayden Schnur, a 27-year-old player from Canada who reached No. 92 in 2019, responded to a now-deleted tweet by publishing, “Look at the players on the team. Take a look at their egos. We’re all smart enough to put the pieces together. I feel for Rajeev, great player even better man.”

Taylor Fritz, who won his singles match over Lorenzo Musetti to send the clash with Italy to a winner-take-all doubles clash, quickly responded, “Please elaborate on my ‘ego’ Brayden, would love to hear about how that played a part in how the team was chosen.”

The two traded more replies in an exchange that eventually led to Fritz stating, “I’m shy in person and have pretty bad social anxiety.”

The blowup didn’t stop there. Paul soon chimed in, “Brayden (Schnur) what do you have to do with tennis?”

A short time later, Paul tweeted, “It’s so cool to see ppl who aren’t/will never be Davis cup captains pretending to be Davis cup captains on Twitter.”

It didn’t sit well with the majority well aware of Ram’s previous contributions wearing red, white and blue, or facts like Ram having two head-to-head wins on the Grand Slam stage over Bolelli and Fognini this year with Salisbury. A tweet Paul deleted about Ram's abilities to compete was also captured as a receipt.

Even Salisbury stoked the fire on his Instagram story, sharing a screenshot of the Davis Cup result with the dig, “If only the USA had someone better for doubles… oh wait.”

What's for dessert? Pumpkin pie probably won’t be enough to smooth things over here.