Bryan Brothers: Profile and What’s Ahead
Here’s something that I’ve found that I have not discussed enough on this site: doubles. With the ever-changing array of partners, I’d like to start a weekly examination of doubles (both men’s and women’s) that I intend to do with the most consistent pair of doubles players: the Bryan Brothers.
The Bryan Brothers are identical twins. Bob is left-handed and Mike is right-handed for those that don’t already know. They both turned 38 on April 29. In addition to being superb tennis players, they are both musicians. Mike plays guitar and drums while Bob plays the keyboard.
But enough on the backstory. The two of them have dominated men’s doubles tennis for a long time, compiling a total of 16 Grand Slam trophies.
This season and dating back into 2015, however, the two haven’t been quite as consistent. They lost in the third round at the Australian Open, the tournament where they have achieved the most success in the past. Couple that with not winning at either Indian Wells or Miami and they haven’t won at any big tournaments this season.
More from ATP
- Tennis News: Rafael Nadal, Emma Raducanu and protected rankings
- Tracy Austin says future of tennis is player other than Carlos Alcaraz
- Former Serena Williams coach has harsh words for Rafael Nadal
- Tennis News: Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and ATP Awards
- Djokovic-inspired Medjedovic defeats Fils to take ATP Next Gen title
That being said, it’s good to see that they may be getting more on track in April. This month alone, they’ve won their first two titles of the season in Houston and Barcelona. That’s a good sign as the terrain shifts into the clay court season. Perhaps they are finding their footing after winning none of the major titles in 2015.
As these players age, it’s understandably harder for them to keep playing at a high level. Sure, you see multiple players playing into their 40s. For example, briefly looking at other doubles players we have guys like Leander Paes, 42, Daniel Nestor, 43, and Nenad Zmijonic, 39, who all still play at a high level. But none of these players are the at height of their powers.
So it seems reasonable that the Bryan Brothers might be, for them, slipping somewhat. The Stanford grads have had simply fantastic careers. In addition to the 16 titles they have won with each other, they each have won multiple Grand Slam trophies in mixed doubles. Bob edges out Mike in this category, as Bob has won seven and Mike has won “only” four.
What’s ahead for the Bryan Brothers?
Let me circle back and answer the question I posed in my title. What is ahead for the Bryan Brothers? This year, I’m sure they’ll represent the United States in the Olympics, something that they have done three times. They won the bronze in Beijing in 2008 and the gold in London in 2012.
The big question, however is…will they win another major? I’d like to think they can and I do think that they will. While they may not ever come close to winning the Calendar Slam as they almost did in 2013, I think they’ve got another couple major titles in them.
Next: Top 5 Predictions for the Rest of the 2016 Tennis Season
Doubles is tricky to predict which, in many ways, makes their run at the top that much more impressive. Having seen these guys play in person, they’re a real treat to watch. The tennis world will be lucky to have these guys in the sport as long as they keep playing.