# 2021 Italian Open – Men's doubles

Nikola Mektić and Mate Pavić defeated Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury in the final, 6–4, 7–6$^{(7–4)}$, to win the men's doubles tennis title at the 2021 Italian Open. The second seeds did not drop a set en route to their third ATP Tour Masters 1000 victory together and their sixth title overall of the season. The all-Croatian pair also became the second doubles team to have reached the finals of the first four Masters 1000 tournaments in a season after the Bryan brothers, who last accomplished the feat in 2018. Ram and Salisbury were competing for their first title of the season and their fourth title together.
Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos were the defending champions, but they lost in the quarterfinals to Ram and Salisbury.

## Seeds

* Juan Sebastián Cabal / Robert Farah (first round)
* Nikola Mektić / Mate Pavić (champions)
* Ivan Dodig / Filip Polášek (second round)
* Marcel Granollers / Horacio Zeballos (quarterfinals)
* Rajeev Ram / Joe Salisbury (final)
* Jamie Murray / Bruno Soares (first round)
* Wesley Koolhof / Jean-Julien Rojer (quarterfinals)
* Kevin Krawietz / Horia Tecău (quarterfinals)

## Draw
### Key

* Q = Qualifier
* WC = Wild card
* LL = Lucky loser
* Alt = Alternate
* SE = Special exempt
* PR = Protected ranking
* ITF = ITF entry
* JE = Junior exempt
* w/o = Walkover
* r = Retired
* d = Defaulted
* SR = Special ranking

### Finals

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| Alt | Marcelo Arévalo Matwé Middelkoop | 4 | 4 | | | | |
| 5 | Rajeev Ram Joe Salisbury | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| 5 | Rajeev Ram Joe Salisbury | 6 | 6 | 5 | Rajeev Ram Joe Salisbury | 4 | 6$^4$ |
| | | | | 2 | Nikola Mektić Mate Pavić | 6 | 7$^7$ |
| | John Peers Michael Venus | 6$^5$ | 6$^4$ | 2 | Nikola Mektić Mate Pavić | 6 | 7$^7$ |
| 2 | Nikola Mektić Mate Pavić | 7$^7$ | 7$^7$ | | | | |

### Top half

| First round | First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals |
| 1 | JS Cabal R Farah | 6$^7$ | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| WC | F Fognini L Musetti | 7$^9$ | 6 | | WC | F Fognini L Musetti | 6$^4$ | 7$^7$ | [9] | | | | | | | | | |
| Alt | M Arévalo M Middelkoop | 6 | 6 | | Alt | M Arévalo M Middelkoop | 7$^7$ | 6$^5$ | [11] | | | | | | | | | |
| | D Evans N Skupski | 3 | 2 | | | | | | | Alt | M Arévalo M Middelkoop | 2 | 7$^7$ | [10] | | | | |
| Alt | A Behar G Escobar | 3 | 7 | [16] | | | | | | 7 | W Koolhof J-J Rojer | 6 | 6$^3$ | [5] | | | | |
| | H Kontinen É Roger-Vasselin | 6 | 5 | [14] | Alt | A Behar G Escobar | 6 | 3 | [8] | | | | | | | | | |
| WC | M Cecchinato S Travaglia | 6 | 1 | [7] | 7 | W Koolhof J-J Rojer | 4 | 6 | [10] | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | W Koolhof J-J Rojer | 4 | 6 | [10] | | | | | | | | | | | Alt | M Arévalo M Middelkoop | 4 | 4 |
| 4 | M Granollers H Zeballos | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | 5 | R Ram J Salisbury | 6 | 6 |
| | A Molteni D Schwartzman | 3 | 5 | | 4 | M Granollers H Zeballos | 7 | 4 | [12] | | | | | | | | | |
| Alt | P Tsitsipas S Tsitsipas | 6$^7$ | 3 | | | Ł Kubot F Škugor | 5 | 6 | [10] | | | | | | | | | |
| | Ł Kubot F Škugor | 7$^9$ | 6 | | | | | | | 4 | M Granollers H Zeballos | 6$^3$ | 6 | [2] | | | | |
| | M González F Martin | 7$^9$ | 4 | [6] | | | | | | 5 | R Ram J Salisbury | 7$^7$ | 3 | [10] | | | | |
| | R Klaasen B McLachlan | 6$^7$ | 6 | [10] | | R Klaasen B McLachlan | 3 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | S Gillé J Vliegen | 3 | 6 | [10] | 5 | R Ram J Salisbury | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | R Ram J Salisbury | 6 | 2 | [12] | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Bottom half

| First round | First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals |
| 8 | K Krawietz H Tecău | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | M Čilić M Melo | 4 | 2 | | 8 | K Krawietz H Tecău | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | M Purcell L Saville | 7 | 6$^5$ | [6] | Alt | L Broady A Murray | 3 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| Alt | L Broady A Murray | 5 | 7$^7$ | [10] | | | | | 8 | K Krawietz H Tecău | 6$^5$ | 5 | | | | |
| | J Peers M Venus | 7$^9$ | 7$^7$ | | | | | | | J Peers M Venus | 7$^7$ | 7 | | | | |
| | A Krajicek O Marach | 6$^7$ | 6$^4$ | | | J Peers M Venus | 6 | 7$^7$ | | | | | | | | |
| | A de Minaur J-L Struff | 6$^5$ | 7 | [7] | 3 | I Dodig F Polášek | 1 | 6$^2$ | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | I Dodig F Polášek | 7$^7$ | 5 | [10] | | | | | | | | | | J Peers M Venus | 6$^5$ | 6$^4$ |
| 6 | J Murray B Soares | 6 | 6$^5$ | [4] | | | | | | | | | 2 | N Mektić M Pavić | 7$^7$ | 7$^7$ |
| | M Demoliner D Medvedev | 3 | 7$^7$ | [10] | | M Demoliner D Medvedev | 3 | 6$^2$ | | | | | | | | |
| WC | L Sonego A Vavassori | 5 | 6 | [8] | | A Mannarino B Paire | 6 | 7$^7$ | | | | | | | | |
| | A Mannarino B Paire | 7 | 4 | [10] | | | | | | A Mannarino B Paire | 4 | 2 | | | | |
| | R Bopanna D Shapovalov | 4 | 4 | | | | | | 2 | N Mektić M Pavić | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | M Daniell P Oswald | 6 | 6 | | | M Daniell P Oswald | 6$^4$ | 6$^2$ | | | | | | | | |
| | A Bublik C Garín | 4 | 5 | | 2 | N Mektić M Pavić | 7$^7$ | 7$^7$ | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | N Mektić M Pavić | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## ATP doubles main-draw entrants
### Seeds

| Country | Player | Country | Player | Rank$^1$ | Seed |
| COL | Juan Sebastián Cabal | COL | Robert Farah | 5 | 1 |
| CRO | Nikola Mektić | CRO | Mate Pavić | 5 | 2 |
| CRO | Ivan Dodig | SVK | Filip Polášek | 17 | 3 |
| ESP | Marcel Granollers | ARG | Horacio Zeballos | 18 | 4 |
| USA | Rajeev Ram | GBR | Joe Salisbury | 25 | 5 |
| GBR | Jamie Murray | BRA | Bruno Soares | 30 | 6 |
| NED | Wesley Koolhof | NED | Jean-Julien Rojer | 36 | 7 |
| GER | Kevin Krawietz | ROU | Horia Tecău | 38 | 8 |
* Rankings are as of May 3, 2021.

### Other entrants

The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:
* Marco Cecchinato / Stefano Travaglia
* Fabio Fognini / Lorenzo Musetti
* Lorenzo Sonego / Andrea Vavassori
The following pairs received entry into the doubles main draw as alternates:
* Marcelo Arévalo / Matwé Middelkoop
* Ariel Behar / Gonzalo Escobar
* Liam Broady / Andy Murray
* Petros Tsitsipas / Stefanos Tsitsipas

### Withdrawals
#### Before the tournament

* Félix Auger-Aliassime / Hubert Hurkacz → replaced by Liam Broady / Andy Murray
* Márton Fucsovics / Casper Ruud → replaced by Marcelo Arévalo / Matwé Middelkoop
* Karen Khachanov / Andrey Rublev → replaced by Petros Tsitsipas / Stefanos Tsitsipas
* Tim Pütz / Alexander Zverev → replaced by Ariel Behar / Gonzalo Escobar