Bryan Bros. Hitting Peak at 35. By Matt Cronin

Written by: Staff on 6th July 2013

Bryan Bros. Hitting Peak at 35. By Matt Cronin

epa03778496 Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan celebrate with their trophies after winning the gentlemen's doubles final against Croat Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo of Brazil for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 06 July 2013. EPA/ANDY RAIN |

WIMBLEDON – The only way to survive long term in the tennis world is to keep things clearly in perspective. Mike and Bob Bryan have admittedly not done so every second of their careers, but that’s pretty normal for any person and player. But they have done so more than most which is one of the reasons why they have cemented their status as history’s most successful doubles team.

On Saturday at Wimbledon, they put another note into the record books and it will stand out in bold face type: with their 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Croatia’s Ivan Dodig and Brazil’s Marcelo Melo in the final, they became the first doubles team to win a “Golden Slam” holding all four major titles and the Olympic gold medal at the same time.

“We’ve been working hard and taking care of our bodies,” Bob said. “We’ve put the game in the right perspective in our life. When we lose, it’s not the end of the world. He’s married; I have a family; I have a kid. We’re just playing for fun. We’ve done it all in the sport, and now we’re just out there taking swings and not living and dying with every win and loss.”

Last year at the London Olympics, the Bryans got a huge monkey off their back by winning the gold medal, which had been a stated goal for them since they came out of Stanford University in 1998. After that, they pretty knew the rest of their career was gravy. With the ability to play freely, they have become almost unbeatable, as the 35-year-old twins are the most skilled team on the planet.

Between Bob twisting lefty serve, Mike’s bullets returns, their swarming volleys and keen court awareness, they are tough to overcome even when they are tight. Plus while the identical twins won’t say they are telepathic in regards to each other, they have played together so many times since they were toddlers that they do appear to innately anticipate the other’s movements and shot selection.

They were briefly in trouble at the opening of the final, going down 5-0, but they pushed back to 5-3 and even though they dropped the set, they knew they were back in a comfortable position.

“On the changeover after the first set, we said, That’s why we’re playing three‑out‑of‑five” Mike said. “We have time. We just kept our energy high and didn’t get down. Then this one, in the context of our career, is probably up there at the top. I didn’t think anything could feel as sweet as the gold medal, but this one just feels like there’s a cap, a lid, or a ribbon around our career. It’s pretty cool. It’s something we never dreamed of, to try to win four in a row. It’s too hard to dominate in doubles. Maybe we had a little luck involved along the way. We just took one at a time. It just added up.”

The Bryans are about as close as two humans can be, but they also have brotherly characteristics, which means that there have been those occasions when they have mixed it up.

At 2006 Wimbledon after a lengthy first round match that they barely pulled out 11-9 in the fifth set, they began to spar in the car on the way back to the flat that they were renting.

Mike told Bob that he should have served a little better, which Bob was less than thrilled with. Bob then criticized Mike’s forehand. It detiorated from there.

“It just got worse and worse,” Mike said. “I just said, ‘I hate you,’ or something. Then he just gives me a little hit, then I give him a [slap] , and it just erupts into a full‑blown brawl.”

Bob gave chase. but with little success.

“I ran up the stairs and then he slammed the bathroom door right in my face and locked it’ he said. “I tried to kick it down but I couldn’t get through. I saw his shiny guitar. I picked it up and just splintered it. That felt good, and that was the end of it.

Mike just stayed in the bathroom until the coast was clear. When things calmed down, their relationship was back to normal.

“Then I hear everything is quiet,” he recalled. “I go downstairs and he’s eating. I pull up a chair and start eating dinner.”

The now 15-time Grand Slam champions say they don’t feel any pressure, but the Bryans have another goal in mind which will likely impress the more hardcore tennis fans who that are not enamored with non-calendar year Grand Slams: to become the first team since the Ken McGregor and Frank Sedgman of Australia in 1951 to win an actual calendar year Grand Slam. They can accomplish that at the US Open.

“Now we got to try to suit back up for the calendar Slam,” Mike said. “I don’t even want to think about that… It’s hard to even dream that we’d have the Slam, all four at one time. It all started back after we won the gold. It just felt like a huge pressure was released. Went on to win the [US] Open and had a great summer. This year we’ve been on an amazing tear. Never had a streak like this. Especially at 35, I feel like we’re hitting our peak.”

Topics: Bryan Bros, Bryan Brothers, Frank Sedgman, Ken Mcgregor, Wimbledon

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