Bryan brothers

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Bob and Mike Bryan
Bob Mike
Highest doubles 
ranking:
 1
(8 Sep 2003)		 1
(8 Sep 2003)
Men's Doubles titles: 39 41
Grand Slam
Men's Doubles titles:
 5
(Wimbledon 2006, Aus Open 2006/2007, US Open 2005, French Open 2003)		 5
(Wimbledon 2006, Aus Open 2006/2007, US Open 2005, French Open 2003)
Grand Slam Mixed
Doubles titles:
 2
(US Open 2004,
US Open 2003		 2
(French Open 2003,
US Open 2002)

Twin brothers Robert Charles Bryan (Bob) and Michael Carl Bryan (Mike) are American professional tennis players. Between 2005 and 2006, they reached an Open Era record of six consecutive Grand Slam finals.

Born on 29 April, 1978, with Mike being the older by two minutes, The Bryans, as they are known, have won 39 tour titles (including eight ATP Masters Series titles), completing a career Grand Slam with victories at the French Open (2003), US Open (2005), Australian Open (2006 and 2007) , and Wimbledon (2006). They also won the Tennis Masters Cup Doubles (2003, 2004), and have been the finalists on 23 other occasions. The twins are also part of the United States Davis Cup team, with a 11-1 doubles matches win-loss record. Bob also played singles for the second time at the 2007 Davis Cup and won in straight sets over Czech Lukas Dlouhy in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4.

Junior career

Bob and Mike won their first doubles tournament at age 6, in a 10-and-under event. They had an outstanding junior career, winning well over a hundred junior doubles titles together. They won the 1991 USTA National Boys' 14 Doubles Championships, the 1992 USTA National Boys' 14 Clay Court doubles title, the 1994 USTA National Boys' 16 Clay Court doubles title, the 1995 USTA National Boys' 18 Clay Courts doubles title, the junior doubles title at the 1995 Ojai Valley, California Tennis Tournament, and the first-ever Easter Bowl boys' 18 doubles title.

The brothers won the USTA National Boys' 18 Clay Court Championships again in 1996, becoming the first team in 30 years to repeat as doubles champions at that event. Bob and Mike became the first repeat doubles champions in 50 years at the 1996 USTA National Boys' 18 Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan, defeating Michael Russell and Kevin Kim in the final.

Bob and Mike at Kalamazoo Boys' Nationals 1993
Bob and Mike at Kalamazoo Boys' Nationals 1993

The Bryans then won the 1996 US Open junior boys' doubles title, defeating Daniele Bracciali of Italy and Jocelyn Robichaud of Canada 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in the final. They went on to win the bronze medal at the 1999 Pan American Games at Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, where they represented the United States for the first time as professionals.

After excelling both academically and athletically at Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard, California, both brothers were awarded full-ride tennis scholarships to Stanford University for the Fall of 1996, and played there from 1996-98, helping the team to NCAA team title both years. They won the NCAA doubles title in 1998, defeating Kelly Gullet and Robert Lindstedt of Pepperdine in the final, in the process becoming the first set of brothers to win the NCAA doubles title since Robert and Tom Falkenberg of USC won the title in 1946. They finished the year ranked No. 1 in the collegiate doubles rankings.

Professional career

The Bryans made their professional and Grand Slam debut at the 1995 US Open, where they lost in the first round to Grant Connell and Patrick Galbraith.

Their first tour win came in 1998, at the Atlanta ATP tournament, a 6-3 3-6 6-4 win over Trevor Kronemann and Dave Randall, and they went on to reach the quarterfinals before losing to Grant Stafford and Kevin Ullyett. They made the semifinal of the ATP tournament at Washington, D.C. and won two Challenger tournaments, at Aptos and Burbank.

In the 1999 season, the twins reached their first ATP final at Orlando, falling at the final hurdle to Jim Courier and Todd Woodbridge, 6-74 4-6. They also reached the semifinals at Scottsdale, and the quarterfinals at Indian Wells and Key Biscayne. The brothers also were successful on the Challenger Circuit, winning three tournaments (Amarillo, Birmingham, Burbank), and reaching the finals in four others.

The next season saw the Bryans win their first match at a Grand Slam when they reached the quarterfinals of the US Open (1st round, beat David Adams and John-Laffnie de Jager 6-4 7-66). They reached three ATP semifinals (San Jose, Orlando, Newport), and two other quarterfinals (Queen's Club, Washington, D.C.). On the Challenger Circuit they won the title at Aptos and were losing finalists at San Antonio, Burbank and Rancho Mirage.

2001 was the first real successful season for the Bryans as they captured four titles (Memphis, Queen's Club, Newport, Los Angeles) in five finals (were finalists at Washington to Martin Damm and David Prinosil). The first ATP doubles title came at Memphis, by defeating Alex O'Brien and Jonathan Stark 6-3 7-63 in the final. They became the first brothers' combination to win four titles in a season (Tim and Tom Gullikson won three in 1978 and 1982). They reached their first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon and finished the year at number 7 in the ATP Doubles Race, with a 45-23 match record.

The next season saw the Bryans win a career high five ATP doubles titles, including their first ATP Masters Series title. They won that AMS title at Toronto, where they beat Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor 4-6 7-61 6-3 in the final. They also won titles at Acapulco, Scottsdale, Newport, and Basel, and were runner-ups at Adelaide, Memphis and Washington. They also advanced to the semifinals at Wimbledon for the second straight year, and reached the semifinals as well at the US Open (where they lost to Mahesh Bhupathi / Max Mirnyi), at Washington and at the Madrid Masters. They finished the season with a 54-19 match record and in third place in the doubles race.

2003 was a landmark season for the Bryans. They reached their first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros, where they also won their first Grand Slam title, beating Paul Haarhuis and Yevgeny Kafelnikov 7-63 6-3 in the final, and did not drop a set all through the tournament. They won five titles for the second successive year (Barcelona, Roland Garros, Nottingham, Cincinnati Masters, Tennis Masters Cup). With their win at Roland Garros, the Bryans set the record for most doubles titles by a brothers team, breaking Tim and Tom Gullikson's mark of 10. They reached the finals of three other tournaments, including the US Open, became the first brothers duo to finish number 1 in the ATP race, and closed the season by winning the title at Tennis Masters Cup, Houston. They also made their Davis Cup debut' for the United States in 2003, in the World Group Playoff tie in Slovak Republic, beating Karol Beck / Dominik Hrbaty in straight sets and helping US to a 3-2 victory.

In 2004, they won a career-best seven titles, the victories coming at Adelaide, Memphis, Acapulco, Queen's Club, Los Angeles, Basel and Tennis Masters Cup Houston. They also reached four other finals. They were part of the US Tennis Team at the Athens Olympics in 2004, where they lost in the quarterfinals to eventual gold medalists Fernando González and Nicolás Massú of Chile. They finished another successful season by winning the Tennis Masters Cup for the second year running.

In the year 2005, the Bryans achieved the remarkable feat of reaching all four Grand Slam finals in the season, and though they lost in the first three (Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon), the disappointment was overcome when they won the second Grand Slam of their career at the US Open in front of cheering home fans. They also won tournaments at Scottsdale, Queen's Club and Washington ATP, and made it to the finals at Memphis, Monte Carlo TMS and Rome TMS.

The year 2006 also started on a positive note for the twins, winning the first Grand Slam of the season, the Australian Open, where they beat Leander Paes of India and Martin Damm of the Czech Republic 4-6 6-3 6-4 in the final. They completed the career slam a few months later at Wimbledon, beating Fabrice Santoro and Martin Damm in four sets in the final.

They are currently at the number 1 spot in the ATP doubles race.

The Bryans up close

Bob and Mike have tennis in their blood. Their mother Kathy (formerly Blake) was a former player on the women's circuit. She is a 4-time participant at Wimbledon, and made the mixed doubles quarterfinals at the 1965 edition. She still teaches tennis.

Their father, Wayne, is a lawyer, musician and tennis instructor. Both their parents are involved in various ATP Kids' Days and clinics on tour.

In their early days as junior players, they were forbidden to play each other in tournament play by their parents. If they were to play each other in a tournament, they would alternate defaulting to each other.

The brothers graduated from Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard in 1996 and went to college at Stanford University (1996-98). In 1998, Bob became the first player since Alex O'Brien in 1992 to win college's 'Triple Crown' of NCAA singles, doubles (with Mike) and team titles.

The Bryans have a penchant for music, with Trisha Yearwood, George Strait, Fleetwood Mac, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band being their favorites. They have also formed a band of their own, with Mike playing on the drums (and occasionally guitar), Bob on the keyboard, and father Wayne on the guitar. Fellow tennis players and friends Andy Roddick and Jan-Michael Gambill often join in. The band has played at several special events, including the ATP Tour Smash Tennis event at New York's Central Park before the 1995 U.S. Open.

Their favorite movies are Men in Black and Dumb & Dumber, and they like comedians Adam Sandler and Jon Lovitz.

The brothers admire the tennis skills of Andre Agassi, Todd Woodbridge, Mark Woodforde, Rick Leach, and the Jensen Brothers, Luke and Murphy.

Their pre-match ritual is always eating breakfast at Denny's or Waffle House and ordering the same thing - two eggs over easy, grits, hashbrowns and toast.

Titles (39)

Legend
Grand Slam (5)
Tennis Masters Cup (2)
ATP Masters Series (8)
ATP Tour (24)
Titles by Surface
Hard (22)
Clay (7)
Grass (7)
Carpet (3)
No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score
1. Feb, 2001 Memphis, USA Hard (i) United States Alex O'Brien / United States Jonathan Stark 6-3, 7-6(3)
2. Jun, 2001 London, England Grass United States Eric Taino / United States David Wheaton 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
3. Jul, 2001 Newport, USA Grass Brazil Andre Sa / United States Glenn Weiner 6-3, 7-5
4. Jul, 2001 Los Angeles, USA Hard United States Andy Roddick / United States Jan-Michael Gambill 7-5, 7-6(6)
5. Feb, 2002 Acapulco, Mexico Clay Czech Republic Martin Damm / Czech Republic David Rikl 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
6. Mar, 2002 Scottsdale, USA Hard The Bahamas Mark Knowles / Canada Daniel Nestor 7-5, 7-6(6)
7. Jul, 2002 Newport, USA Grass Austria Jürgen Melzer / Germany Alexander Popp 7-5, 6-3
8. Jul, 2002 Toronto, CAN Hard The Bahamas Mark Knowles / Canada Daniel Nestor 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-3
9. Oct, 2002 Basel, Switzerland Carpet The Bahamas Mark Knowles / Canada Daniel Nestor 7-6(1), 7-5
10. Apr, 2003 Barcelona, Spain Clay South Africa Chris Haggard / South Africa Robbie Koenig 6-4, 6-3
11. May, 2003 Roland Garros, France Clay Netherlands Paul Haarhuis / Russia Yevgeny Kafelnikov 7-6(3), 6-3
12. Jun, 2003 Nottingham, England Grass Australia Joshua Eagle / United States Jared Palmer 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(4)
13. Aug, 2003 Cincinnati, USA Hard Australia Wayne Arthurs / Australia Paul Hanley 7-5, 7-6(5)
14. Nov, 2003 Tennis Masters Cup, Houston, USA Hard France Michael Llodra / France Fabrice Santoro 6-7(6), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-4
15. Jan, 2004 Adelaide, Australia Hard France Arnaud Clement / France Michael Llodra 7-5, 6-3
16. Feb, 2004 Memphis, USA Hard (i) South Africa Jeff Coetzee / South Africa Chris Haggard 6-3, 6-4
17. Mar, 2004 Acapulco, Mexico Clay Chile Nicolás Massú / Argentina Juan Ignacio Chela 6-2, 6-4
18. Jun, 2004 London, England Grass The Bahamas Mark Knowles / Canada Daniel Nestor 6-4, 6-4
19. Jul, 2004 Los Angeles, USA Hard Australia Wayne Arthurs / Australia Paul Hanley 6-3, 7-6(6)
20. Oct, 2004 Basel, Switzerland Carpet Argentina Lucas Arnold / Argentina Mariano Hood 7-6(11), 6-2
21. Nov, 2004 Tennis Masters Cup, Houston, USA Hard Zimbabwe Wayne Black / Zimbabwe Kevin Ullyett 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2
22. Feb, 2005 Scottsdale, USA Hard Australia Wayne Arthurs / Australia Paul Hanley 7-5, 6-4
23. Jun, 2005 London, England Grass Sweden Jonas Björkman / Belarus Max Mirnyi 7-6(11), 7-6(4)
24. Aug, 2005 Washington D.C., USA Hard Zimbabwe Wayne Black / Zimbabwe Kevin Ullyett 6-4, 6-2
25. Sep, 2005 US Open, New York, USA Hard Sweden Jonas Bjorkman / Belarus Max Mirnyi 6-1, 6-4
26. Oct, 2005 Paris, FRA Carpet The Bahamas Mark Knowles / Canada Daniel Nestor 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-4
27. Jan, 2006 Australian Open, Melbourne, AUS Hard India Leander Paes / Czech Republic Martin Damm 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
28. Feb, 2006 Las Vegas, USA Hard Czech Republic Jaroslav Levinsky / Sweden Robert Lindstedt 6-3, 6-2
29. July, 2006 Wimbledon, United Kingdom Grass France Fabrice Santoro / Serbia Nenad Zimonjic 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
30. Jul, 2006 Los Angeles, USA Hard United States Eric Butorac / Scotland Jamie Murray 6-2, 6-4
31. Jul, 2006 Washington D.C., USA Hard Australia Paul Hanley / Zimbabwe Kevin Ullyett 6-3, 5-7, 10-3
32. Aug, 2006 Toronto, USA Hard Australia Paul Hanley / Zimbabwe Kevin Ullyett 6-3, 7-5
33. Oct, 2006 Madrid, Spain Hard (i) The Bahamas Mark Knowles / Canada Daniel Nestor 7-5, 6-4
34. Jan, 2007 Australian Open, Melbourne, AUS Hard Sweden Jonas Bjorkman / Belarus Max Mirnyi 7-5, 7-5
35. Feb, 2007 Las Vegas, USA Hard Israel Andy Ram / Israel Jonathan Erlich 7-6(6), 6-2
36. Mar, 2007 Miami, USA Hard India Leander Paes / Czech Republic Martin Damm 6-7(7), 6-3, 10-7
37. Apr, 2007 Houston, USA Clay The Bahamas Mark Knowles / Canada Daniel Nestor 7-6(3), 6-4
38. April, 2007 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay France Julien Benneteau / France Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-1
39. May, 2007 Hamburg, Germany Clay Australia Paul Hanley / Zimbabwe Kevin Ullyett 6-3, 6-4

Doubles runner-ups (23)

No. Date Tournament Surface Opponents in the final Score
1. Apr, 1999 Orlando, USA Clay United States Jim Courier / Australia Todd Woodbridge 7-6(4), 6-4
2. Aug, 2001 Washington D.C., USA Hard Czech Republic Martin Damm / Germany David Prinosil 7-6(5), 6-1
3. Jan, 2002 Adelaide, Australia Hard Zimbabwe Wayne Black / Zimbabwe Kevin Ullyett 7-5, 6-2
4. Feb, 2001 Memphis, USA Hard (i) United States Brian MacPhie / Serbia Nenad Zimonjic 6-3, 3-6, 10-4
5. Aug, 2002 Washington D.C., USA Hard Zimbabwe Wayne Black / Zimbabwe Kevin Ullyett 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3
6. Mar, 2003 Memphis, USA Hard (i) The Bahamas Mark Knowles / Canada Daniel Nestor 6-2, 7-6(3)
7. Mar, 2003 Indian Wells, USA Hard South Africa Wayne Ferreira / Russia Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6-1, 6-4
8. Jul, 2003 U.S. Open, New York Hard Sweden Jonas Bjorkman / Australia Todd Woodbridge 5-7, 6-0, 7-5
9. Jan, 2004 Sydney, Australia Hard Sweden Jonas Bjorkman / Australia Todd Woodbridge 7-6(3), 7-5
10. Feb, 2004 Australian Open Hard France Michael Llodra / France Fabrice Santoro 7-6(4), 6-3
11. May, 2004 Hamburg, Germany Clay Zimbabwe Wayne Black / Zimbabwe Kevin Ullyett 6-1, 6-2
12. Oct, 2004 Madrid, Spain Hard (i) The Bahamas Mark Knowles / Canada Daniel Nestor 6-3, 6-4
13. Jan, 2005 Australian Open Hard Zimbabwe Wayne Black / Zimbabwe Kevin Ullyett 6-4, 6-4
14. Feb, 2005 Memphis, USA Hard (i) Sweden Simon Aspelin / Australia Todd Perry 6-4, 6-4
15. Apr, 2005 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay India Leander Paes / Serbia Nenad Zimonjic 6-1, 6-1
16. May, 2005 Rome, Italy Clay France Michael Llodra / France Fabrice Santoro 7-5, 6-4
17. Jun, 2005 French Open Clay Sweden Jonas Bjorkman / Belarus Max Mirnyi 2-6, 6-1, 6-4
18. Jul, 2005 Wimbledon Grass Australia Stephen Huss / South Africa Wesley Moodie 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-3
19. Mar, 2006 Indian Wells, USA Hard The Bahamas Mark Knowles / Canada Daniel Nestor 6-4, 6-4
20. Apr, 2006 Miami Hard Sweden Jonas Bjorkman / Belarus Max Mirnyi 6-4, 6-4
21. Jun, 2006 French Open Clay Sweden Jonas Bjorkman / Belarus Max Mirnyi 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-5
22. Aug, 2006 Cincinnati, USA Hard Sweden Jonas Bjorkman / Belarus Max Mirnyi 7-6(5), 6-4
23. May, 2007 Rome, Italy Clay France Fabrice Santoro / Serbia Nenad Zimonjic 4-6, 6-2, 10-7

Performance timeline

To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only after a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. Davis Cup matches are included in the statistics. This table is current through the Hamburg Masters, which ended on May 20, 2007.

Tournament 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Career
Australian Open A A A A A 1R 1R QF 3R F F W W 2 / 8
French Open A A A A 2R 2R 2R QF W SF F F QF 1 / 9
Wimbledon A A A A 3R 1R SF SF QF 3R F W 1 / 8
U.S. Open 1R 1R 1R 1R 1R QF 2R SF F 3R W 3R 1 / 12
Grand Slam SR 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 3 0 / 4 0 / 4 0 / 4 1 / 4 0 / 4 1 / 4 2 / 4 1 / 2 5 / 37
Tennis Masters Cup A A A A A A A A W W SF RR 2 / 4
Finals reached 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 8 8 11 11 11 7 62
Tournaments Won 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 5 5 7 5 7 6 39
Win-LossTemplate:Fn 0-1 0-1 0-2 4-6 15-15 18-16 45-23 54-19 64-21 70-17 63-19 42-9 390-150

External links

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