Bob and Mike Bryan gingerly hit tennis balls over the net at the
Los Angeles Tennis Center on Sunday morning, rallying with a couple
of children barely big enough to hold a racquet.
Fresh off their doubles win at Wimbledon to complete the career
Grand Slam, the identical twins get a kick out of the ATP Doubles
Revolution Clinic. In a collection of brief rallies, they
won’t be able to show the children the nuances of doubles
play that has made them the top tennis tandem in the world.
But that isn’t really why they do it.
“We are from the area,” said Bob Bryan, referring to
the brothers’ hometown of Camarillo, a city in Ventura
County. “I remember coming here (to the LATC) and being in
clinics when we were 6 and 7.
“We were on the other side of the net against Agassi and
McEnroe. It’s so much fun to give back, knowing that we are
in the other situation now.”
If American tennis fans are still looking for a native son to
bring their attention back to the Association of Tennis
Professionals, there are brothers who are winning titles at an
unprecedented pace. As they prepare for the Countrywide Classic
doubles event, the 28-year-old Bryans could be the most gripping
story in American tennis today.
Their numbers are exceptional. The brothers have appeared in a
record seven consecutive Grand Slam doubles finals. They have won
three of the last four titles, including last year’s U.S.
Open, this year’s Australian Open and Wimbledon to complete a
career Grand Slam.
The Bryans were the first team of brothers in more than 100
years to win Wimbledon. They have been the world’s No. 1
doubles team for two of the last three years. They own 29 career
doubles titles.
But given the relative obscurity of doubles play as compared to
singles, the Bryans’ success often takes a backseat to the
grumbling regarding a lack of an American star singles player.
“We take it as a great responsibility and honor to be
considered as one of the top draws for American tennis,” Mike
Bryan said. “There is always a push to create more of a buzz
here. We’re happy to promote the sport by giving back at
events like the ATP Doubles Revolution Clinic.”
Former college doubles champions at Stanford from 1996-1998, the
Bryan brothers attributed much of their success to the immeasurable
chemistry that has been solidified over the last 28 years.
Even physically, they seem like an ideal doubles team, with Mike
a right-hander and Bob a southpaw.
The brothers additionally consider their close relationship to
be an advantage.
“We are going to be facing teams that are playing together
for the first time while we have been best friends since we were
born,” Bob Bryan said.