Identical twins Bob and Mike Bryan have always been known
as a pair.
And for them, that’s just fine.
The duo, ranked No. 1 in the world in men’s doubles, enjoy
being known as “the Bryans.”
“It’s not frustrating; I’m so used to being a
twin,” Bob said. “Even when I was in college, I was
always “˜one of the Bryans.'”
Not only do the Bryans love to play, they love to play together.
The brothers have been playing doubles together since age six, and
this week marks a return to UCLA’s Strauss Stadium, where the
duo began playing as juniors.
“We have great memories from winning three years
ago,” Mike said.
“We get super inspired to play in front of family and
friends who don’t really get a chance to see us play
often.”
From Camarillo, the 6-foot-4 twins didn’t have to travel
far when they received their first wildcard to play in the
Mercedes-Benz Cup in 1995. Their memories of UCLA reach back to
1997 and 1998, during which time they played doubles for Stanford.
There they brought home an NCAA championship and a men’s
doubles title for the Cardinal.
Their professional careers have been just as successful as they
have won 18 titles together, including the Mercedes-Benz Cup in
2001. They captured their first Grand Slam title on the clay courts
of Roland Garros at the French Open last year and have shown their
versatility by winning the Queen’s Club event played on grass
last month. But after falling in the Round of 16 in Wimbledon just
two weeks ago, they are eager to redeem themselves, this time on
the hard court surface.
But the brothers are looking beyond just this week. Besides
playing for the United States in the Davis Cup, they will also be
two of six players representing the country at the Olympics.
“We barely missed Sydney, so we’ve been looking
forward to this for a long time,” Bob said. “If we
could take one title, it would be that gold medal.”
“It’s a different thing playing in the
Olympics,” Mike added. “It’s a different than
just tennis. We’re trying to peak for that one opportunity.
It’s a one shot deal.”
Despite their success in doubles, neither of the twins sees
singles careers in their futures. Their success in doubles,
combined with their bonuses for doubles victories, makes leaving
the area of the game essentially out of the question.
“We get so much more out of playing together,” Bob
said. “We have a number of goals we have yet to achieve, and
as we get older and our careers progress, the singles gets put more
and more in the past.”
The twins also hope to increase the visibility of the game of
doubles, which historically is second-string to singles
competition.
“To market doubles, people have to know who the teams
are,” Mike said. “That’s been one of our goals,
to make doubles more known.”
The pair have gained increased visibility as members of a new
generation of American tennis pros, including other Mercedes-Benz
Cup players Taylor Dent, Mardy Fish and Robby Ginepri. Their clout
in doubles has no doubt garnered strength in the marketability of
their status as twins. Although they are identical, fans can
distinguish them because Bob is left-handed while while Mike is
right-handed.
So the pair continues to succeed. While this week’s goal
is to win the doubles section of the tournament, their eyes are set
on the future.
“I think we can win more games,” Mike said.
“If we keep doing this, in the future we could be considered
one of the top teams in tennis history.”
Not a bad sight to have one’s — or a pair of ““ eyes
set upon.