Bryan Brothers Q&A: Knocking On Jack’s Door

Written by: Staff on 26th May 2012

Bryan Brothers Q&A: Knocking On Jack's Door

epa03174536 US tennis players Bob Bryan (L) and Mike Bryan (R) celebrate after winning against French tennis players Michael Llodra and Julien Benneteau during their double Davis Cup quarter final tennis match in Roquebrune Cap Martin, France, 07 April 2012. EPA/GUILLAUME HORCAJUELO |

Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan will play for their third title of the season at the Open de Nice Côte d’Azur on Saturday after defeating third seeds Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-4, 6-4 in the semi-finals.

Having taken unexpected early exits at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome, the Bryans came to Nice looking to regain their form as they look ahead to Roland Garros.

Speaking with ATPWorldTour.com, the American twins discuss life on the road in Europe, their summer plans and the celebrity’s house they’d like to train at in preparation for the Olympics in July.

Looking at your clay-court game right now, where do you think you’re at overall? Are you close to your best level?

Bob: There’s still stuff that we need to improve on going into Roland Garros. I like where we are at. Sometimes losses can highlight the things you need to work on, so it was actually good for us. It put some spotlight on the stuff we needed to tighten up.

You’ve been over in Europe for six or seven weeks. How do you make the adjustment from the luxury of your home comforts in the U.S.?

Mike: We’ve been doing this trip the last 14 years. We like to stay in Europe and stay on the time zone. We use London as a home base, so on our weeks, we go back to a nice place in London. It’s like a home for us. We train at Queen’s Club as we’re honourary members.

How do you attempt to peak for the Grand Slam events?

Bob: I don’t think we ever play our best tennis at the beginning of the slams. We generally hit our peak the second week. Grand Slams are fun for us. It’s where you want to play your best tennis, because it’s where you are remembered. We put a little extra ‘oomph’ into those matches for sure.

After Wimbledon, you’re going to play the event in Newport. Are you going to be practising on grass as much as possible in preparation for the Olympics?

Mike: We’re excited to go back to Newport. I think the last time we played there was 10 years ago. We want to stay on the grass before the Olympics, so that’s the reason why we decided to play. It’s going to come up quick after Wimbledon. We’ll fly right to Newport, and then play a couple of World Team Tennis matches, so we’re not going to have a ton of time off. We’re going to be well oiled for the Olympics.

Are there many grass courts where you live or do you have to travel somewhere to train on them?

Bob: I think we’re planning on going to Fisher Island in Miami after Newport. And one of our buddies is Jack Nicklaus. I think he has three grass courts at his house. We might knock on Jack’s door and see if he’ll let us in.