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#1 ·
Twice as nice
Bryan twins offer opinions aplenty on state of tennis

Posted: Wednesday February 22, 2006 6:07PM;

Last summer, the head of ATP Europe made the stunningly distasteful analogy between men's doubles and cancer. A doubles player responded in kind, referring to the executive as "Hitler." Around the same time, the doubles specialists hired lawyers and announced they were suing the tour. It was shaping up to be a typical mindless, mutually destructive tennis turf war when, against all odds, reason and compromise prevailed.

Here we are six months later, and doubles is suddenly a hot property. The Australian Open doubles final may have been the match of the tournament, one that sent fans away happy after the ugliness of the preceding women's final. Men's doubles has its own blue-chip sponsor in Stanford Financial. John McEnroe's return last week in San Jose gave doubles an extra jolt of publicity. And the ATP has, well, partnered with the doubles players, naming a "doubles commissioner" and investing some promotional funds in a "Doubles Revolution" campaign.

During one of their rare breaks from the tennis caravan, Bob and Mike Bryan spent last Friday in New York as part of the doubles marketing drive. They closed the stock exchange and appeared at the ESPN Zone and sat for photo shoots. But their first priority was answering your Mailbag questions. From their beef with Leander Paes to their love of Martina Hingis, here are the twins:

What do you make of John McEnroe's comeback?
-- Todd, Sarasota, Fla.

Mike: My dad sent an e-mail to all the doubles players asking, "Do you think McEnroe and Bjorkman will beat Arthurs and Huss?" I'd say at least 80 percent said McEnroe and Bjorkman would win. John is so sharp, he's playing so well, and Bjorkman is Bjorkman. John played well in that exhibition and so I said it would be four and four. They won three and three, so I won the pool.

Bob: Arthurs and Huss are a new team. They haven't played that much. There's going to be psychological pressure on them. Really it was a lose, lose.

[Moderator: You're OK with McEnroe coming back? You don't think it undercuts the product when a fortysomething guy holds his own?]

Mike: I think it's always good when legends come back and play.

Bob: Good for tennis, good for doubles.

Mike: I think if he keeps doing well, he might come back to win a few more titles. Steal that Todd Woodbridge record back.

Bob: Picking his spots, he could definitely win a few.

Hi, Bob and Mike! It's awesome to see you guys finally winning lots of slams! You obviously know Andy Roddick well -- it seems like the past couple years he's lost a lot of confidence and isn't relaxed and having fun on court. How do you guys think he can get it back and go back to playing that great "Andy Roddick" power game that brought him so much success?
-- Deb, Peabody, Mass.

Mike: I think his confidence might be a little low right now, but his best tennis is still ahead of him.

Bob: There's no way he's dropping out of the top 10 with that serve and his tenacity, so if he just does a few things better -- such as attack a little more, stay closer to the baseline -- I think he has a lot more Grand Slam in him.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim covers tennis for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com.

Mike: He's working harder than he ever had. You should have seen him [during Davis Cup] doing sprints on the beach. Maybe right now it's not paying off as much, but it will.

How long until Victoria Azarenka breaks into the top 20/top 10?
-- L.N., Salt Lake City

Mike: We saw Azarenka for the first time in Boise at an exhibition last December, and she was pretty impressive. She can play.

Bob: I think she'll be top 20 within the next 18 months.

With regard to Davis Cup, it is one of the rare occasions when we get to see top singles players playing doubles. I was surprised to see how well Nalbandian did on Saturday. My question: How do you think the Bryans would fare against Roddick teamed up with either Agassi or Blake?
-- R.S., Zurich, Switzerland

Mike: These are great tennis players, and they'll adapt and play good doubles. I mean, Federer would be No. 1 in both singles and doubles if he wanted to try it.

Bob: His skills translate. I think Andy and his huge serve would be good. Clay-court players like Coria I don't think would fare as well.

Mike: But it depends on how much they'd want to put into the skills of doubles. If they jumped right in, we'd take 'em. But if Agassi and Roddick practiced doubles for a few months and were really sharp, our hands would be full.

Bob: Come on, we've been playing for 25 years. I'm going to say we're still gonna win.

Mike: I'm going to say we'll win eight of 10. I mean, we played Agassi and Blake in an exhibition, and Agassi was playing great, and we hadn't hit a ball in a while. He clipped us. He comes in hot. Afterwards, he gives us crap: "It's great beating the Number 2 team in the world." Next time we play Agassi we're getting ready.

Props for Estonia's Smigun, who's already won two gold medals in cross-country skiing. A country with a rough history and barely one million people! Speaking of Estonians ... any Estonian tennis players you see with potential, Jon?
-- Mark Randmaa, Toronto

Mike: Um, not on the men's tour.

Bob: Is that a country or an area?

Mike: Isn't that next to Latvia?

What the heck was it like for you guys to do an exo vs. the Macs (Enroes)??!!
-- Maria, New York

Mike: What happened was that Hanescu pulled out at Davis Cup last weekend, so for the fans to get their money's worth they had us play John and Pat. It was great. I mean, there were 5,400 people. John was up to his old antics, throwing his racket, getting pissed over line calls.

Bob: The pressure of Davis Cup was over and we had only played for like 26 minutes, so we were thrilled.

Do you think there's a chance that the two Martinas (Navratilova and Hingis) would team up to play doubles this year? Do you think they could bag a Slam? You have to admit that this would be must-see tennis.
-- B. Rogers, Buffalo

Bob and Mike: They could easily win a Slam.

Mike: Hingis is one of the best players in doubles. Bob actually tried to get her to play mixed at the Australian Open, and Mahesh got her five hours before.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim covers tennis for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com.

Bob: That would have been a free 60 grand.

Mike: We were both in Sydney with her and Mahesh was in India, but he fired her an e-mail. Bob called like five hours later and she was like, "Nope. Sorry. I just got an e-mail from Mahesh."

Bob: Martina Navratilova is still playing great tennis. They should play together at Wimbledon. That would be their best chance.

Mike: He was grinding on her to play at the French Open.

Bob: I think I broke her down to play with me. We'll see.

Another Hall of Fame question, sorry, but where does Natasha (Natalia) Zvereva rate in the Hall of Fame induction? Shriver got in (Pam had a more successful singles career), but Natalia is No. 5 in all-time doubles titles with 80. And dang, wasn't she fun to watch. You never knew what she could/would/might/felt like doing on any day. And the whole prize money revolt (you are welcome, Sharapova) thing -- call her Zheng. Hall of Fame for sure, right?? Or not?
-- Michael Clarno, Grand Rapids

Bob: She deserves it for the doubles. All those Grand Slams.

Mike: Plus wasn't she the first player to lose oh-and-oh in the final of a Grand Slam? That has to count for something.

Questions for Bob and Mike: I noticed during Davis Cup coverage this weekend (congrats on the win) that Bob's beads are back. Bob, is this because you were so used to wearing them, or were you sick and tired of people asking if you were Bob or Mike? And Mike, have you ever considered growing a mustache or mullet for use as an identifying feature?
-- Suzanne, Arlington, Va.

Bob: I gave it a run without the beads -- we're going to shake this superstitious thing -- but after losing five Grand Slam finals in a row I thought we needed the beads back.

Mike: No mullet. No, no. Our dad is always saying that if we did an earring or a tattoo or long hair he would kill us. He gets mad when we wear a hat backwards. We're more clean-cut.

Hi, Bob and Mike! Who do you think is the best doubles player in the singles top 10 of the WTA?
-- Gracie, Manila, Philippines

Mike: I might say Hingis first. Great hands.

Mike: For the men, Federer and Henman, just because they both volley so well. Federer, man, that guy just has every shot.

A limerick to welcome you:

Two siblings named Bob and Mike Bryan

Do mid-air chest bumps while they're flyin'

A Grand Slam in doubles

Should come without troubles

And leave unrelated teams cryin!
-- Doyle Srader, Nacogdoches, Texas

Bob: Thanks, Doyle.

Mike: That guy and Spadea should hook up!

Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim covers tennis for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com.

Bob, how often do you get the singles bug?
-- Mark, Washington, D.C.

Not so much anymore. It used to bug me that I wasn't playing a lot because I was playing well. But I had three match points on Baghdatis in November in the qualifying of Basel. Him beating me kind of got me fired up again.

Mike: Get this. He qualified and got to the finals. He beat Nalbandian and Haas. That's when he started his run.

Bob: I guarantee that if he had lost to Bob Bryan it would have taken him a couple of years to recover from that.

Here are some Mailbag standbys:

What's your take on the Australian Open women's final?

Bob: It was great for us, because since Justine defaulted we got a ton of ESPN time and everyone [in the stands] loved it.

Mike: I sure hope it was a legitimate injury.

Bob: I think it was. It's just that you can play three more games and give the crowd their money's worth.

Mike: She's a fighter and she's proven it. But if she does it again it's really going to be bad. Everyone is talking about it. She was getting killed, so why not just finish it up and give Mauresmo a match point?

Who's your favorite WTA player to watch?

Mike: I like watching Henin.

Bob: Yeah, if I had her backhand I'd be top 10. If she were a little bigger she could go on the men's tour and crush guys with that thing.

Another bus tour lined up?

Bob: We'd like to.

Mike: But it's up to the big man, Andy.

Biggest advantage of a righty-lefty team?

Mike: I think it's that with a righty serve and then a lefty serve, you don't give the other team a rhythm.

Bob: It's good for the wind.

Mike: Plus with the forehands in the middle we have more reach at the net. When we poach, we both hit forehand volleys.

Favorite Tour stop?

Mike: Used to be Acapulco.

Bob: Might be Vegas this year.

Best rivalry in doubles right now?

Bob: Mike and Leander Paes.

Mike: Us versus Bjorkman and Mirnyi.

Bob: But Leander took some shots at Mike in the press. "He's an insecure little fella."

Mike: I'm insecure. Bob is the better player. He originated the chest bump and we took it from him. I had a long history of trying to hit opponents. Basically he cut me low.

Bob: But he also takes shots at Mahesh. He once said it would take Mahesh two or three lifetimes to have the career he had. Mahesh sent me that e-mail.

[Ed: As Pete Bodo notes, the Australian Open site no longer contains the transcript from Paes and Damm after the final. Weird, no?]

Pete or Andre?

Both: Andre.

Mike: I've always been an Andre person.

Bob: Always, from Day One.

Mike: We went to Vegas in December and Andre showed us his school and hooked us up at his nightclub, Pure.

Bob: It's in Caesar's. It's unbelievable. They say on a good night it makes like 500 grand.

Mike: There's a line outside that wraps around the place.

Bob: He hooked us up with a sweet table in the middle and he got bodyguards for us.

Mike: Not that we needed it.

Bob: He's the man there. James went to Vegas for a bachelor party and Andre hooked him up with rooms at Hard Rock.

Didn't you find it strange that Mario Ancic didn't acknowledge the passing of Pat Morita after his Davis Cup win, considering his sensei Miyagi was instrumental in getting him to this point? I mean, Ancic was waxing on like nobody's business, and he didn't care to mention the man who taught him the crane kick! Just curious what your thoughts are.

[Ed: This letter is premised on the eerie similarity between Ancic and Daniel LaRussa, Ralph Macchio's character in Karate Kid.]

Mike: Nice. Daniel-san.

Bob: That's a good one. Ancic does look like him!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK, EVERYONE. WE'LL BE BACK NEXT WEEK AT OUR REGULAR TIME, PLACE AND FORMAT.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim covers tennis for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com.
 
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#86 ·
2007 Davis Cup – Lessons Learned

Jim McLennan

Davis Cup is still fresh in my mind – from the drama, the extremely high level of play, the shot making, the fan involvement, to finally the recapture of this venerable cup after a 12 year drought. Last week our Joel Drucker covered this story in an article, "Davis Cup: Come Together," for our December 8th newsletter.

I would like to concentrate on what I took away from the matches (and I witnessed it from the stands in Portland) as a teacher and player and how you might apply the lessons learned to your game. Tennis is as much about tactics as technique. And more so about how certain tactics fit one’s style of play, and how those same tactics can expose an opponent’s tendencies and weaknesses. Roddick and Blake employed wildly different game plans, and those wonderful Bryan Brothers put on a veritable doubles clinic for the overmatched Russians, but there is much “between these tactical lines” that you and I can use on court.

Andy Roddick: Keep the Ball in Play

Roddick dispatched Dmitry Tursunov, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in the first match to give the U.S. an opening lead. Roddick’s unreturnable serve and consistent backcourt play drained most of the emotion from the match. He secured one early break in each of the first two sets, two breaks in the third set, and faced just one break point in the entire match. Roddick finished the 2007 Davis Cup campaign with an unblemished 6 and 0 singles record, and in many ways his style of play – unreturnable serves and error free defensive tennis from well behind the baseline - presented insurmountable problems for all his Davis Cup opponents.

Certainly, Jimmy Connors has been retained by the Roddick camp to instill a baseline-hugging, moving-forward, offensive style of play. And though they still work together, Connors was no where in sight during the Davis Cup, nor was Roddick’s interpretation of Jimbo’s style of play. But though he may still work on that game, he chose to play defense against Tursunov and did it exceptionally well. Whenever the rally exceeded three shots, Roddick, often playing 12, 15, or even 18 feet behind the baseline, was always the more consistent. Heavily under spun one handed backhands, spiny rather than driving forehands, all used in service of error free play.

Tursunov, a capable top 30 player, plays without the necessary skills to counter the Roddick game plan. First and foremost when returning serve, whether Tursunov or you and I, the receiver must get the ball back in play. Blocking, chipping, floating, do anything to make the return. Dmitry hits big shots and this worked against him on the return game. Secondly, when an opponent plays way back from the baseline, move forward, find sharp crosscourt angles, and or approach the net because it becomes exponentially more difficult to pass from that deep in the court. But Dmitry played a straight-ahead power game with little feel for angles, finesse, or volleys. And from Roddick’s winning point of view, there was no need for him to change his game plan. When winning – continue to impose your tactics and style of play. When losing – change your tactics, change your style, change some thing or the end result will not be (nor was it) in doubt.

James Blake: Accept Risk and Withstand the Errors

The Blake Youzhny affair was a match of a far different color. Both men are big hitters and capable and nimble volleyers. And both made incredible shots from unbelievable positions, stunning the crowd with beautiful one handed topspin drives, and deadly forehands. As ever, the Blake forehand may be the most lethal shot in tennis, and his forehand return of serve, when timed correctly, is bigger I think than Agassi’s.

Youzhny did not serve particularly well, and escaped with some suspect second serves whenever James fell into his occasional spells of inexplicable inconsistent play. But as the match progressed, with both players truly neck and neck, James captured the fourth set tiebreaker; trailing 2-3 he delivered two unreturnable serves, followed by two steady return points, to finally finish the match with a forehand winner.

In James’ elated post match interview he commented on mental toughness and alluded to the persistent questions he received during the week about his ability to deliver in big situations. And, as he captured the first and second set, the overhead scoreboard showed that Blake had lost four matches over the years when ahead 2 sets to 0. But I disagree. Blake is mentally tough – in fact very mentally tough; the truth is that Blake plays extremely high risk tennis. His flat ground strokes lack margin over the net. He is prone to go for the big shot rather than keep the ball in play. And often he plays down the line for no discernable reason, where the net is highest and the player has a shorter distance to work with. The story, or the question to be posed by the press, should be more about his feel for tactics and strategy rather than the state of his mind.

That said, when you or I encounter a high risk, aggressive player, the trick is to keep the ball in play, and favor crosscourt ground strokes. This countering style encourages the high risk opponent to play down the line. Further, under spin backhands tempt these big hitters into extremely difficult approaches. Youzhny, however, appeared to play equally big high risk tennis – pleasing to the audience but not exactly a countering strategy. If, on the other hand, you are the big-hitting, high-risk player looking to hit winners and force errors rather than simply waiting for the opponent’s mistakes, the secret is to accept the risks that go hand-in-hand with this style of play, and not dwell on missed opportunities. James did quite well on this score, and we saw the evidence in the fourth set tiebreaker.

Mike and Bob Bryan: Move Forward and Dominate


The Bryans, on paper, the world’s number one ranked team entered the match heavily favored. The wily Russian coach inserted Davydenko and Igor Andreev, each without any real doubles results on their professional resumes. That said, the first set showed a glimmer of the Russian tactics with Davydenko and Andreev playing mostly from the baseline, rarely venturing forward or playing competently when at the net. But with both teams holding serve and through to a first set tiebreaker.

In the breaker, the Bryans fell behind a mini-break with Davydenko serving at 3-2, at which point the Russian wheels fell off. Davydenko lost both points on serve, Andreev ended the tiebreaker with a double fault, and Davydenko proceeded to be broken once in the second set and twice in the third, as the Bryans ran out the match and captured the cup.

Doubles Tactics

Get your first serves in, make all your returns, and dominate at the net. On this score the Bryans play picture perfect doubles. Both serve consistently, both return serve simply, favoring placement over brute power, but oh, at the net, these guys really dominate. As they pressed their advantage at the end of the first set, and then began to steamroll, I counted more than one dozen spikes. And though that may not be the normal term to describe volley winners, Bob and Mike move so darn close to the net that they often hit sharply down on the ball, almost like a volley ball spike. And their spike volleys and reflex overheads were unreturnable.

Normally when players crowd the net, they may be susceptible to the lob, and in fact there were two well placed topspin crosscourt lobs by the Russians. But two lob winners in no way overcome more than one dozen spike winners. When you get the chance, watch these guys and marvel at their explosive quickness, and make your own count of their spikes.

A Disclaimer

This Davis Cup team, and in particular, Andy and James, have labored under the unfortunate scenario to play in the shadow of our greatest generation. Pretty tough to follow in the Davis Cup and Grand Slam footsteps of Sampras, McEnroe, Agassi and Courier. But Andy and James consistently put it all on the line, and endure persistent criticism about aspects of their games that might be improved. And certainly this writer continues to be one of those “technical” critics. But I say, celebrate these guys. They love the game. They love captain Patrick McEnroe. And they have captured the Cup. Bravo! As to the Bryans, I expect they will eclipse all Davis Cup records by any twosome for most wins – these guys will be around for a long time.
 
#91 ·
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23077912-5012689,00.html

Twin-win situation for Bryans
Article from: The Sunday Telegraph

By Chico Harlan

January 20, 2008 12:00am

AFTER their latest straight-sets victory - their 14th in a row at Melbourne Park - the Bryan brothers, reclining in the Rod Laver Arena cafeteria, were halfway through lunch and a card game when a visitor interrupted.

The brothers looked up from their table to see Martina Navratilova.

If the Bryans hadn't yet certified their reign in doubles tennis with their five grand slam titles, or with their two championships at Melbourne Park, or with their images alongside that of Roger Federer on the cover of the ATP media guide, or with their 77-9 win-loss record in 2007, then Navratilova's greeting sealed the deal.

Before making further small talk, she bent down and kissed them both.

Navratilova told the brothers they had done an awesome job in the Davis Cup final in December, where their doubles performance clinched a US victory.

"I tried to text you but I don't think you got it,'' she said.

"Maybe I don't have the right number.''

For years now, twins Bob and Mike Bryan have created the most recognisable (maybe the only recognisable) presence in doubles tennis. They've done this not by asserting their individual personalities but by combining them. Bob and Mike are two people only in the manner that fish and chips are two meals. On the court, they wear identical Adidas outfits, pull their socks up to identical lengths and win points with the announcer declaring:

"Game, Bryan-Bryan.'' Often, in celebration, they bump chests.

They attended the same university. They pledged to the same fraternity. They live together in Florida. They holiday together. They've gone on double dates together. They play in a band together called, naturally, the Bryan Bros. They are doubles partners nonpareil because they don't view themselves as partners.

"I look at him,'' Bob said yesterday, motioning toward Mike, "and it's almost like looking at half of myself.''

Even their principle differences, being that they are so minute, reinforce their oneness. Mike is older by two minutes. Bob is left-handed. Mike is 2cm shorter and 4kg lighter. Bob's jawline swells where Mike's tapers. Bob plays the keyboards, Mike plays the drums.

"He's more right-brained and I'm more left-brained,'' Mike said. "Or wait - maybe I'm more left-brained and he's more right-brained.''

When starting their professional tennis careers 10 years ago, the brothers - Bob especially - experimented with a run at the singles life.

The circuit's higher profile provided the motivation: singles tournaments carry more prizemoney, attract more spectators and almost always lead to more lucrative endorsement deals.

But singles also prevented the brothers from playing together - for them, a privilege, not a sacrifice. When Bob ranked just outside the singles top 100, on the cusp of qualifying for grand slams, Mike went out, found some partners and entered doubles tournaments. He won two titles. The brothers soon decided to combine forces, focus exclusively on doubles and hope that greatness in a secondary circuit would trump mediocrity on centre stage.

From almost the moment they became a doubles-only team, they also became its best. Even their apparel sponsor, Adidas, tied incentives into their performance as a team: as a brand, they carried more worth together than they did alone.

"We had a lot of dreams,'' Bob said, "and the only way to reach them was to cut singles out.''

"Now we're trying to make doubles more popular,'' Mike said.

"Still, it needs to be on TV. It was dying a few years ago. They were cutting into prizemoney. The top executives at the ATP wanted to do away with it. They were saying doubles doesn't sell a lot of tickets. But it's a great part of the game's history. It might not be the main course ...'' Bob interrupted and finished the sentence. "But it's a great appetiser.''

On the court, they form an ideal tandem, Mike specialising in the volley game, Bob dishing up a near-unbreakable serve. In 2006, when Navratilova played her final mixed doubles grand slam tournament, she chose Bob as her partner.

"I'm wondering why Bob's not playing singles with that serve - bloody hell!'' Navratilova said after they won.

But the Bryans have developed an answer for those who wonder. First of all, they grew up playing together, starting from age two. Their unspoken code of communication - the kind known only between twins - helped in doubles tennis, where spacing and timing determine effectiveness.

They never experienced sibling rivalry. When they began training in Florida, alongside singles players James Blake and Mardy Fish, they developed a keen awareness of the singles existence: it caused greater stress and provided less reward.

"I mean, Mardy finished 40th in the world last year and that's really good,'' Bob said.

"But he only won half of his matches. I don't know how much fun that is, to bat .500 and not win that many tournaments. That's probably what I would be, if not a little lower, in singles.''

Doubles, unlike singles, can love you back, especially when a team like the Bryans sweeps through early rounds of tournaments against hodge-podge partnerships formed only weeks, or days, earlier.

Playing together, the Bryans have won 44 titles. Before retirement, they'd like to surpass the record of 61 established by Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde.

"Maybe a lot of the doubles specialists don't get the respect,'' Bob said. "It's like, they don't work as hard or they're not as skilled. Like it was just a fallback. But I think (other pros) know this wasn't just our fallback. It was our choice.

"I don't regret the decision one bit,'' Mike said.

"We've had too many highs to look back.''
 
#92 ·
Bryan brothers enjoy their doubles life
By Darren Sabedra
Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
Article Launched:02/17/2008 01:44:51 AM PST

They're as anonymous in the sports world as middle relievers and third-string quarterbacks, but twin doubles aces Bob and Mike Bryan wouldn't have it any other way.

"I think we've got the perfect deal," Mike said.

The Bryans, who will come to San Jose this week for the SAP Open, have each topped $4 million in prize money. They're widely popular in tennis circles - so much so that they command appearance fees to play - but neither has to worry about being noticed at the grocery store.

"Mike and I have a great niche in the sport," Bob said. "(Andy) Roddick has to deal with a lot of pressure and media commitments. I'm sure he would like to go through an airport one time and not sign an autograph.

"Mike and I are famous in the tennis world, and that's great. It's great to go to a tennis tournament and have fans root for you and take pictures. But when we go home and want some privacy, we have it."

The Bryans, 29, are identical twins with far from identical personalities. "Bob is more of the leader of the team," Patrick McEnroe said. "Mike's a little more of a worrier. He's always worried about something.":lol:

McEnroe knows the Bryans as well as anyone in tennis. As captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team, he was on the sideline two months ago in Portland, Ore., when the brothers clinched America's first Davis Cup title in 12 years.

The Bryans are a machine on the court. They have finished No. 1 in the year-end world rankings four times and have won five Grand Slam titles, most recently at the 2007 Australian Open.

Off the court, the twins have never spent more than a week apart in their entire lives. They share homes in Tampa, Fla., and Camarillo, where they mostly resemble the odd couple. As Mike put it, "I'm doing the laundry, the dishes and packing the bags usually, and he's just watching TV on the couch." :spit:

Mike, who is two minutes older, is the one with the longtime girlfriend, and both joke that it will be a little weird when one or both of them marry. "I think we're going to eventually live on the same street or something," Mike said. "Twins got to stick together."

Despite the differences, the former Stanford stars co-exist with only occasional spats.

"I'm more left brain; he's more right brain," Mike said. "I think more (about the) future. I'm more of a planner. He's more creative. He's never on time. He's messy. I'm the one who has to keep the ship sailing smoothly."

Bob doesn't disagree. But, he adds, "He knows nothing about computers. I'm kind of the technology guy. We're a good match."

They've been a good tennis pairing since they were 6. The sons of former players - Wayne Bryan played in college; Kathy (Blake) Bryan played professionally - the chest-bumping twins were raised with rackets in hand. And doubles was always their forte, largely because Wayne Bryan, who managed his own tennis club for 25 years, wanted his sons to play together in college.

In many ways, playing doubles was the best of two worlds for the brothers. If one or both lost in singles, they'd always have a doubles trophy to bring home.

Bob would go on to win college tennis' triple crown for Stanford in 1998 - singles, doubles and team titles - and was on the cusp of a singles breakthrough as pro when he turned his focus strictly to doubles.

"He kind of made the sacrifice for me," said Mike, who also played singles but was slowed by injuries.

Bob isn't complaining. After all, he and Mike set an Open era record by reaching seven consecutive Grand Slam finals in 2005-06 and have won every major at least once.

"To be No. 1 in the world and to win Grand Slams and to win Davis Cup, it's a dream come true," Bob said. "I wouldn't change a thing. Every day I wake up, and I can't believe the way it has gone."

The Bryans' dominance is a welcome sight for teammates on the U.S. Davis Cup team.

"We wouldn't want another doubles team, that's for sure," Roddick said. "The amount that they do for tennis as far as kids clinics, they're always involved in that sort of stuff with their dad, really promoting the game of doubles. Their passion for tennis is up their with anybody."

Dick Gould, the twins' coach at Stanford, isn't surprised by their success. If they stay healthy, he believes they can flourish into their mid-30s.

"You learn you never underestimate what someone can do," said Gould, who will be at HP Pavilion on Tuesday to watch the Bryans play. "Being on the Davis Cup team has been a big boost for them. They love the team concept."

The twins enjoyed the ultimate team experience - and fulfilled a major goal - when the United States defeated Russia in the Davis Cup final two months ago.

"We never dreamed that this career would be as sweet as it has been," Mike said. "We always had dreams of maybe being No. 1, but never dreamed that we'd be No. 1 four times and dominate like we have the last few years."
 
#93 ·
"I think we've got the perfect deal," Mike said.
Thanks captain. :hatoff:

The Bryans, 29, are identical twins with far from identical personalities. "Bob is more of the leader of the team," Patrick McEnroe said. "Mike's a little more of a worrier. He's always worried about something."
:haha:

Off the court, the twins have never spent more than a week apart in their entire lives. They share homes in Tampa, Fla., and Camarillo, where they mostly resemble the odd couple. As Mike put it, "I'm doing the laundry, the dishes and packing the bags usually, and he's just watching TV on the couch."
:haha: :spit: :rolls:

Mike, who is two minutes older, is the one with the longtime girlfriend, and both joke that it will be a little weird when one or both of them marry. "I think we're going to eventually live on the same street or something," Mike said. "Twins got to stick together."
Oh man :haha:

Bob doesn't disagree. But, he adds, "He knows nothing about computers. I'm kind of the technology guy. We're a good match."
:worship: :haha:
 
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