CNN
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When you spend every day of every day with another person – food, sleeping, training, competition – it is hardly surprising that you should develop a combined partnership, even if you share the same DNA.
For Bob and Mike Bryan, his “twin energy” was his victory and the title of the title Tennis Court, a synergy that became stronger as a trip to the world together for the best part of only 23 years.
Brian Brothers, as they are known as the tennis community and beyond, declared their retirement from sports as the most successful doubles team in August 2020: 16 Grand Slam title, 119 tour-level title and 438 weeks on World No. 1.
He partnered in 2012 and 2013, when practically invincible, he won the Olympic gold medal in the 12 -month space and all four big companies.
“When everything was flowing and we were really positive, it was a way terrible – our feet were moving forward at the same time and we just knew where it should be,” Mike tells CNN Sport“It was like a freight train when we got hot.”
This year’s French Open Since Marx 20, twins like California captured their first Grand Slam title, although they had very little understanding at the time of great success.
Instead, they were focusing on securing a place in the USA’s Davis Cup team by influencing Captain Patrick Mconaro in Rolland Garos – which he duly duly.
His progress through the French Open Doubles Draws was sharp and ruthless, brothers put the opponent in separate sets one side after the opponent, before the veins were derailed almost before the veins were fit on the eve of the final.
“At that time, you think it’s a-shot deal and you never know if you will reach there again,” Mike says, considering the 2003 French Open campaign. “We were just thinking about it, it found it in our head.”
Placed by Adrenaline, he won the 7-6 6-3 victory to win the final 16 points of his final against Paul Harhuis and Yevgeny Kafelnikov, which lay the foundation for the soon-to-follow success.
“We all participate through the night,” Bob says. “We went straight from the club, I think it was a photo shoot at 9 o’clock in the Arc de Triumph with the trophy and the photos are unusable. So you probably never seen it – because we were very tired.”
While some tennis players switch between solo and doubles formats, Brian Brothers dedicated their entire career to doubles and were stable in their commitment to each other.
It was only when Bob, the old twins, for a few minutes, passed through hip surgery in 2018 that Mike demanded a separate partner and won Wimbledon and US Open with American Jack Sock.
“We played together every day and lived together and just spent every moment together,” Mike says. “He worked in court – we were always on the same page and proceeded like a unit.
“We knew that we were never going to break with each other. And that way we also gave us that confidence; you know that you are going to turn to your brother anytime and looking for another partner.”
Bob agrees that there was never on the radar of single brothers.
“We always enjoyed winning a couple match, it was probably a twin,” he tells CNN Sport. “But even our sponsors put bonuses into our contracts that suit the doubles – they wanted us to go to doubles. It came more naturally for us.”
Bob with a left-handed batsman and a right-handed player with Mike, the pair was a natural fit on the tennis court, although most of the left-right doubles partnership, they played while playing for the backhand-a switch-a switch that he made before the 2003 French Open.
He was inseparable at the point of sharing the bank account during his professional career, even the bank account. Tempers boiled several times, especially during practice when they would catch each other on high standards.
Says Mike, “We used to practice every time as we were playing the finals.” “If I remember some balls, Bob would climb on me and I would climb on it, and we had some thick practices. We had some physical changes, but it kept the quality too much.
“We will really do only one-day practices because we have gone very hard. We will not even fill the maximum 90 minutes, but we will not even drink water. We probably use only two or three balls and simply go to drill to drill to drill to drill.
“By the end, we were just drenched in sweat. We practiced as it was a big final and they definitely did not let me be sluggish.”
Although fiercely competitive, brothers never lost their roles as entertainment. The chest bump as Stanford daily – or Bryan Bump, was his trademark after winning its name – tournament or a large point during his college days.
Feeding, running, jumping, jumping, and cutting your torsos together became an act of appearance – one he inherited from another American doubles team, Luke and Murphy Jensen.
Jensen Brothers coincidentally won their only Grand Slam title at the 1993 French Open, 10 years ago Bryans captured their first.
“We started doing it at Stanford, and then we took it on a tour,” Bob says about the origin of the chest of Bryans.
“It was not really welcomed on the tour in those first few years because those salty veterans thought it was out of insult with them.
“Honestly, we were just excited to be there and were happy to be professional traveling to the world, and finally, it was accepted and became our thing.”
Since retiring before 2020 US Open, brothers have enjoyed the slow pace of life. After spending 40 weeks of the year traveling on the tour, they now have more time with their families and pursue another shared passion: music,
Bob plays the keyboard, mike guitar and drum; Together, they have performed bars, clubs and even performance tennis tournament As part of the Bryan Brothers band.
“Our music rooms have expanded,” Bob says, “and my children are playing now, so I get jammed with them.”
It is not to say that tennis has disappeared from his life. They still play legend events in the Grand Slam, as well as the topical exhibition tournament, and Bob has recently been named the USA Davis Cup captain before this year’s program.
But intense competition, cruel practice sessions and high-ups of chest bumps are behind them.
“Once you retire, once you close it, it is difficult to turn the car back,” Bob says.
“We knew that we wanted to play until we were mentally and physically in it, and so when we retired, we had no regrets.
“We both feel that we have no incomplete dreams that we want to fulfill on the tour. I think we felt as if we put everything in our career.”
