When British tennis player Joe Salisbury and his American doubles partner, Rajeev Ram, take the court Saturday to defend their Australian Open title, it will be the latest bend in the road of Salisbury’s career — a road that wound through Memphis. 

Tigers men’s tennis coach Paul Goebel remembers it as his easiest pitch ever. 

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He was on a recruiting trip to England, where he had successfully persuaded several players to come to Memphis. At a national tennis center, he struck up a conversation with an employee who told Goebel about her son, a young player whose final year on the junior circuit was hampered by injury. 

When Goebel finally met with Salisbury, no persuasion was necessary. 

“I talked to him about 30 minutes and he said, ‘Sure, I’ll come,’ ” Goebel recalled. “It was that easy.” 

At Memphis from 2010 to 2014, Salisbury’s confident, attacking style of tennis helped him become one of the top players in program history. As both a singles and doubles player, he was instrumental in helping the Tigers qualify for their first three NCAA tournament berths in school history.

In 2014, he and doubles partner David O’Hare became the first Tigers duo to qualify for the NCAA championship, and Salisbury left Memphis as its all-time career doubles wins leader (97-37). 

But what he has done since — culminating in the 2020 Australian Open doubles title — has cemented Salisbury as the Tigers’ most accomplished tennis alum to date. 

When Salisbury and Ram won the championship in Melbourne last year, they did so in front of Goebel’s friends, a small cluster outfitted in Memphis Tigers gear.

Watching at home in Memphis, Goebel wasn’t surprised. 

“I think a big part of him is just that his mindset has always been in knowing that he can do it. He’s very self-confident and believes in himself,” he said. “When he gets on this stage and is in these big tournaments, that’s really when he’s at his best. Competition brings out the best in him and he was definitely a better match player than a practice player, which is what you want as a coach.”  

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When he wasn’t on the tennis court in college, Salisbury was quiet and focused. He was a dedicated student who was practical about the future and graduated with an economics degree. 

On the court, Goebel said, “he gets this fire. He’s louder, very energetic, very competitive.”

After leaving Memphis and turning professional, Salisbury competed on the more lucrative singles circuit, but chronic fatigue due to health complications — the same ones that plagued him as a teenager — made it difficult to keep up with physically demanding training. 

Ever the pragmatist with an eye on the long game, Salisbury pivoted to doubles in 2016. He burst on to the radar in 2018 with a run to the Wimbledon semifinals alongside then- partner Dane Frederik Nielsen. Since teaming with Ram in 2019, Salisbury has continued to climb the rankings.

Now, at 28, the former Tiger is competing for the second Grand Slam title of his career. 

Goebel and Salisbury still keep in touch regularly, even visiting each other in Memphis and London. This month, they have texted throughout Salisbury’s Australian Open run. 

Watching Salisbury and Ram battle back from down 0-3 to a 6-4, 7-6 (2) semifinal win, Goebel was reminded of the resiliency Salisbury so often displayed in his matches at Memphis. 

One of Goebel’s favorite memories is a 2012 match against No. 13 Tennessee. Salisbury, playing singles, was down two match points in a third-set tiebreak but came back to win and earn the Tigers a 4-3 victory. 

“It was a great comeback and shows how he never gives up and fought to the end,” Goebel said. 

Salisbury and Ram will face Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek in Saturday’s final, which will air at 10 p.m. CT on Tennis Channel and ESPN+. If they win, they will become the first team since 2011 to win consecutive Australian Open titles. 

Goebel plans to send a simple “Good luck” text to his former player before the match. He knows Salisbury doesn’t need much more than that to keep his eyes on the prize. 

“I really think he can do something special for years to come.”