TENNIS NEWS FROM BB&T ATLANTA OPEN ANNOUNCES THE 2017 RETURN OF THE BRYAN BROTHERS

Written by: Staff on 17th April 2017

TENNIS NEWS FROM BB&T ATLANTA OPEN ANNOUNCES THE 2017 RETURN OF THE BRYAN BROTHERS

INDIAN WELLS, CA - MARCH 11: Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan play Nick Kyrgios of Australia and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 11, 2017 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) |

By Ricky Dimon

Bob and Mike Bryan, the most accomplished doubles team in tennis history, will return to Atlanta for the 2017 BB&T Atlanta Open this summer. Having already announced the participation of Jack Sock and 2016 winner Nick Kyrgios, the tournament announced on Monday that the Bryans will also headline the July 22-30 proceedings at Atlantic Station.

The Bryan brothers, who captured the 2015 Atlanta title, boast 112 ATP doubles titles together–including a record 16 Grand Slam titles. The twins and former Stanford standouts have finished years ranked as the No. 1 team in the world on 10 occasions (2003, 2005-07, 2009-14) and have spent 438 weeks atop the rankings. They are the winningest doubles duo in United States Davis Cup history (24-5)–which includes a perfect 4-0 mark on the way to the 2007 title–and they won Olympic gold at the 2012 London games to go along with a bronze-medal showing four years earlier in Beijing.

“Playing in front of packed stadium courts in 2015, we saw how passionate the Atlanta tennis fans are–in particular about doubles,” Bob and Mike stated jointly. “We won our first professional match as a team in Atlanta back in 1996 and we predict more chest bumps in July.”

BB&T Atlanta Open tournament director Eddie Gonzalez emphasized the importance of bringing the Bryans back to Atlanta.

“Atlanta tennis fans know doubles, and doubles is the primary form of tennis competition in ALTA and USTA leagues around the metro area,” Gonzalez explained. “There is no better showcase for the most dominant men’s team in tennis history than the BB&T Atlanta Open. We all welcome Bob and Mike back to Atlantic Station and the BB&T Atlanta Open for 2017.”

The Bryan brothers are scheduled to begin their week during the afternoon session on Tuesday, July 25. In addition to the Bryans, Sock, and Kyrgios, the event will also be highlighted by WTA stars Venus Williams and Genie Bouchard. They will play a singles exhibition on Sunday night, July 23.

“I’m looking forward returning to Atlanta to start my U.S. summer and defend the BB&T Atlanta Open title,” Kyrgios said when he committed to his title defense last month. “Last year the crowds were great and it was probably the best week I’ve had on and off the court in a long time. It was just rewarding that I played well.”

“Obviously I’ll be trying to build on the past success I’ve had at the BB&T Atlanta Open, and I’ll be looking forward to seeing a lot of familiar faces in July at Atlantic Station,” Sock commented. “It’s going to be a strong U.S. Open Series event to start the summer and I’ll have to be at my best to win.”