By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday 27 August 2020
Mike and Bob Bryan he patrolled the doubles court as a single organism, a giant tennis master, joined at the hip. He showed on the pitch and it shows in the record books. The twins are the most decorated double tandem in ATP history, with 16 team Grand Slam doubles titles to their name and 119 overall team titles in the books. They spent 438 total weeks at number 1 and ended 10 seasons with the year-end number 1 of the ATP.
Unfortunately, there won’t be a grand finale at the US Open for the legendary Bryans, as they had planned before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Mike and Bob Bryan, at peace and ready to move forward, have chosen to officially call it a career at the age of 42.
“We feel it’s the right time to leave,” said Mike Bryan. “We’ve spent over 20 years on the tour and now we can’t wait for the next chapter of our lives. That said, we feel very blessed to have been able to play the doubles game for so long. opportunity earlier this year to play and greet the fans. Winning our final event in Delray Beach and winning the Davis Cup draw in Honolulu are moments we will remember and cherish forever. “
One of the greatest careers in tennis history is coming to an end and there are two of them. The Bryan Twins Retire Together Our Exclusive https://t.co/VjMz8dykjR
– Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) August 27, 2020
The Bryans, who made their Grand Slam debut 25 years ago at the US Open in 1995, will forever be remembered for the passion they poured into their tennis, characteristic high-energy chest bumps and their perpetual march to the winner’s podium where they have become legends not only for American tennis, but for the whole sport.
They were fiercely loyal to each other and never lacked intensity on the pitch. We often talk about Nadal’s competitive fire and humility, and rightly so. But we must also mention the dedication that the boys from Camarillo, California brought to the doubles camp. Like Rafa, they were blood sports contestants who honored the game and its history by never taking away a point. Like Rafa, they have never underestimated an opponent. If they suffered a defeat, the Bryans were all on revenge and never gave any team an edge over them.
Off the pitch they were easygoing and charismatic, happy to play together on the tour and excited to show off their skills while hosting fan shows. There was an all-American charm to Mike and Bob, they generally behaved warmly and convivially with fans, press and colleagues.
After Andy Roddick retired, the twins practically led American men’s tennis for a decade. Fans haven’t been able to count on much from the Americans in terms of singles at the Slams or anything for a while, but we’ve always been able to count on Mike and Bob having a run in the doubles draw. Watching them at a Grand Slam has been a rite of passage for any true American tennis fan. You’ve been sucked into their frenzied energy, their dizzying choreography, grunt punctuated punches, Bob’s evil left-handed serve, Mike’s peak returns and the relentless pursuit of excellence. No advantage was safe against them, and if they were on the front line, well, you were toast.
The Bryans brought a significant cachet to ATP double draws and enjoyed the chance to bring their game to the world stage, where they were Davis Cup heroes for the Stars and Stripes (champions in 2007 and 25-5 overall) and they also took home an Olympic gold medal in London in 2012 and bronze in 2008 in Beijing.
But their withdrawal makes sense. Fault of the coronavirus, but in reality Mike and Bob were just making 2020 for the fans. Theirs was a crazy connection between the Bryans and their faithful, each vibrant with the other and loudly reciprocated. Cheering on Mike and Bob was a safe bet. You would see great tennis and walk away feeling invincible.
But we shouldn’t be too sad that it’s over. There are always memories and, frankly, there wasn’t much for them to do in sport. After two and a half decades of being at the forefront of doubles, it’s time for them to start working on their Hall of Fame speeches and focus on their family life.
We will miss them very much at this year’s US Open, and beyond. And as time goes by their legend will get bigger and bigger: any team hoping to get even closer to some of their records gets to work better, it will take a few decades to even get a sniff.
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