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Angle Queen · 10-20-2008, 02:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlennMirnyi

Mirnyi was a player of the first category and now belongs to the second, it seems.

Yep, I think Max's days as a singles player are over.

GlennMirnyi · 10-20-2008, 03:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Angle Queen

Yep, I think Max's days as a singles player are over.

Well, he has had a very nice singles career anyway.

Arkulari · 10-20-2008, 03:27 AM

one question: have the Bryan brothers ever played professional singles matches? I remember one of them was the NCAA champion but since there I think they just focused on playing doubles?

ExcaliburII · 10-20-2008, 03:28 AM

I can remember Davis Cup, but yes they started their career playing singles also. They played quite a lot of singles tournaments.

GlennMirnyi · 10-20-2008, 03:32 AM

Yeah they did play singles.

Only Bob made some decent progress though.

TMJordan · 10-20-2008, 03:32 AM

They played tons of singles matches a few years ago.

Bob reached as high as 116, Mike 246.

Bob actually bageled Andy Murray in 2003

Zirconek · 10-20-2008, 03:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrsFedex

one question: have the Bryan brothers ever played professional singles matches? I remember one of them was the NCAA champion but since there I think they just focused on playing doubles?

yes, Bob was once ranked #116 (November 2000), while Mike peaked at #246, some weeks before. Bob was quite active until 2004, and Mike until 2002.

Arkulari · 10-20-2008, 03:36 AM

thank you guys!
well, it's not that bad, but still they are better as a team
not everybody can be like Bjorkman and Mirnyi and be successful in both singles and doubles

ExcaliburII · 10-20-2008, 03:39 AM

Bob Bryan would have probably been a decent singles player if he had focused on it.

Arkulari · 10-20-2008, 03:43 AM

yeah, but then Mike would have been like Jamie Murray, the shadow of his brother

Deboogle!. · 10-20-2008, 04:47 AM

I suppose i'm pretty biased but I think it's great that bob realized that he and Mike being an awesome doubles team would be better than him trying to have a mediocre singles career. He might have been able to serve and volley his way to a small indoor title or something like Newport, but he never would've been able to do a fraction of what he and Mike have been able to do IMO. I suppose it's easy to say this in hindsight, even when he was playing singles I don't think it was a big priority, but I guess we'll never know what would've happened had he made it a top priority, but I'm kind of glad he didn't

Arkulari · 10-20-2008, 05:34 AM

yeah, what would the doubles world be without the jumping chest smacking?

really, these guys are among the best doubles players of our time, good thing about doubles is that they are pretty competitive and teams have to be in the top of their game to win things, see how much of a storm Federinka raised at Beijing

Sad to say, but they are by far, the best thing USA has to offer right now in the ATP

Deboogle!. · 10-20-2008, 03:01 PM

I know a lot of people don't like them, that's ok. but I've met them, and they were incredibly nice, I mean INCREDIBLY nice. It was back when the doubles mess was going on and my friend and I approached them and told them that we were with them in being against the changes that were at the time only proposed. Their faces lit up like fluorescent bulbs. They thanked us over and over for supporting doubles, told us to get online and start petitions, they were all animated and really passionate. These guys love doubles. So I'd hope that even people who don't like them personally can still appreciate that they really really care about the doubles tour and really want doubles to be more popular and stuff. they couldn't have done that as singles players, the fact that they've dedicated themselves to this cause of sorts is really

for me