COVER STORY: MAY 2007  |
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INSIDE TENNIS: James Blake recently said they could put you guys on any surface, even up on the moon, and you’d still win.
MIKE BRYAN: It’s nice to have those guys be so confident in our play. They think we’re almost a guarantee. That’s cool.
IT: Still, I can’t get that image of you guys up on the moon. Poaching up there must be fun. Anyway, have you ever seen those nature shows on TV in which schools of fish dart about in a flash and move as one, then one twitches and the whole bunch surges? Can you relate? What’s that intuitive thing going on between you?
MB: It’s weird, watching some of our matches on TV, I really don’t know what we’re doing. We hop at the same time, we stop at the same time, we’re coming together at the same time, we’re split-stepping, we’re moving perfectly. You could do videos on some of our subtle communications and movements.
BOB BRYAN: We saw a super slow motion of the Australian Open and they showed our legs, and our calves were rippling at the exact same time. It was very, very strange.
MB: It’s ingrained in our DNA.
IT: Do you ever feel that there’s a little sense of inevitability in your lives? Your mother was an outstanding player. Your dad was a good collegian, a teaching pro and is a one-of-a-kind enthusiast. You’ve been at this game since you were two. You’re twins. Bob’s a lefty with a booming serve; Mike’s a righty with a killer return. Is all this just meant to be?
MB: I don’t know. Every step of the way, it’s gone well. In the juniors, we won the gold balls. We got scholarships to Stanford. It seems like every step of the way, there’s been success, and a lot of our dreams have happened out here on the tour. It’s been a storybook career so far. We couldn’t really ask for anything better. My mom and dad have a lot to do with that. My dad was the motivator. He kept tennis fun, and that’s why we’re still enjoying it. That’s why we want to play until we’re 35.
IT: Along with broadcaster Bud Collins and Jim Baugh, the former Wilson exec, I don’t know another guy in tennis who gets more pumped. But, of course...
MB: We’re opposites, I think.
BB: No.
MB: His energy comes out when we’re on court. We play with a lot of enthusiasm. He’s amazing because it’s like he’s on a caffeine high every day. He wakes up at four in the morning. He’s doing emails. He’s plugging us. He’s plugging the game. He offers to do clinics. He loves to do it. He thinks that when we have time off, we love going and doing his stuff. When we come off the tour and we’re tired, he’s already booked us for 20 days in December. But we’d like some time off. His goods definitely outweigh the bad. He’s an amazing personality.
BB: He feeds off a crowd. That’s what gives him the high.
MB: He sees the big picture. He’s one of the reasons why we’ve made a name for ourselves. Every time we practice, he’s bringing kids on court. Even before a big match, he’ll bring a kid on to return one of our serves, and that gets him pumped as he spreads the word. Every time a fan sends in a letter, he sends them four of our posters, a DVD, a signed shirt.
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IT: Is that a little like Ricky Leach karma revisited? I mean, when you were just kids, you ran into the American Davis Cup player Ricky Leach at a tie in La Jolla. You were just two twitty, wide-eyed boys, but he said, “Just go for it. You can make your dream happen.”
MB: We believe in karma. Every clinic, every exhibition, all the charity work, we feel will come back to us and inspire kids like Ricky inspired us.
IT: And the best part of being twins?
MB: Having someone to share all these experiences with and travel with and having someone to play games with. We’re just doing it together. I’m sure that if it was just one of us, we’d want to get off the tour, have a get-in-and-get-out career. But we’re thinking about playing until we’re 35 because it’s a good lifestyle and we’re having fun doing it together.
IT: People see the tour as so glamorous — all the arenas, the lights, the hoopla...
MB: Anyone who travels with us sees it as an amazing lifestyle, from the drivers, the player gifts, the great hotels, the free food, the crowds at your back. It’s a glamorous life. The only drawback is the travel, having to zip over to Europe five times, six times a year. Then going to Asia — it wears the body down. You only have one month off a year, so you can’t really have a serious relationship back home. You lose touch with your high school and college friends. It consumes you. That’s the only drawback. But there’s a lot of positives. It’s a very fast-paced lifestyle.
IT: When you’re traveling the world, what do you miss most about California and America?
BB: It’s easy, the weather, good restaurants. It seems like there’s a lot of land, a lot of space where we are. The freeways are bigger, the restaurants are bigger and more well-lit...
MB: The beds are softer.
IT: When Andy was asked what he liked best about Russia, he said, “The females.” Where are the best looking girls?
MB: Number one, Sweden; number two, Slovakia; number three, Paris, Spain — Madrid, Barcelona.
IT: L.A. doesn’t make the cut?
BB: L.A.’s good, but it’s a different type of girl — the actress type.
MB: It’s the girls who say, “I know I’m pretty.”
IT: Most guys your age, 29, are settling down. But that’s pretty hard when you’re in Melbourne one week and Delray Beach the next, and...
MB: It’s tough. At our age, if we’re meeting girls the same age, they’re in a position to settle down and have kids, and we’re leaning the other way because we’re at the peak of our career. We want it to be our number one priority right now. If you’re married and have a family, you have to focus more on them, and it’s tough to leave for tournaments. So we’re trying to weigh our options. Bob’s single. I have a serious girlfriend [Jen Manna]. I have to make a few decisions pretty soon because she’s 29.
BB: We’ve got each other. We have built-in best friends. I don’t really need to go out and create millions of friendships or have a girlfriend traveling with me. I have companionship with Mike. I would like to have a relationship with a girl, but after tennis is when we’ll probably get into having kids, getting married and doing that whole thing. Right now, we’re going to put everything into this profession and go for that.
IT: So if one of you has a girlfriend, she kind of has to pass the acid with the other.
MB: When she’s dating me, she’s also dating Bob. We’re together all the time, and she’s in the middle. Bob’s got to definitely give the two thumbs up approval. I’ve got to give it for his girlfriends. It’s tough to be a twin’s girlfriend because she’s competing for attention with Bob, and when I go off to a tournament, I’m not really missing her because I’ve got Bob. It’s tough.
BB: The girlfriend’s got to know how important it is to get along with the twin. If it’s thumbs down, she’s out.
IT: So is it a little like Princess Di when she was with Prince Charles, and she said of Camilla Parker Bowles’ presence, “There are three of us in this marriage.”
MB: Maybe it is a little different.
IT: Good point. I think my favorite Bryan brothers story is when CNN Britain asked you, “Do you guys know what the other guy’s thinking about?” And you responded, “Yeah, we do know what the other guy’s thinking. Like right now, he’s thinking I just gave a real crappy answer to that last question.” Have you ever done the old switcheroo, like taking your brother’s test or showing up for a blind date...
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BB: We can’t really get into that...
BB: Our voices are tough to tell apart. We’ll do the phone switcheroo a lot. That’s as far as it goes now because we look a little different. But before, we’d always take the same classes and split the schoolwork, and Mike would always copy my homework in math. I’d copy his. One guy would sleep in...
MB: I was better at math. You were better at art and science. I’m more left brained...or right? He’s really good at creativity and art. He can draw anything and create music...
IT: That doesn’t make any sense. Bob’s the big basher with the huge, macho serve.
MB: You got the other side of the brain.
BB: He’s the rhythm, the drums...
MB: I’m more on time, just more organized.
IT: Does drumming help on the return of serve?
MB: Yeah, you need the rhythm for footwork. It’s all timing. It’s all precision.
IT: Sure, that’s right. That’s why Ringo Starr had such a great return of serve. So tell us something about the Bryan family we don’t...
MB: My mom is a good breakfast cook. She can’t cook a lick besides that. She horseback rides every day. She loves animals.
BB: But my dad’s been anti-pets forever. We never even had a fish. Then they found this dog on the side of the freeway three years ago and brought it home, gave it some food. My mom’s had this dog for three years and just loved it.
MB: The dog’s on its last leg, but she’s kept it alive. She’s been paying for surgeries every other month.
BB: All of our prize money goes to keeping this dog alive. [Editor’s note: sadly, the dog, Duchess, died just before we went to press.]
IT: When there’s a debate over who’s the best doubles player of all time, it usually comes down to Johnny Mac or Aussie Todd Woodridge. Who do you...
MB: Woodridge because of his pure records. The guy’s finals record was amazing, too.
BB: He could take it to the extra gear. He was so precise and had that sense of anticipation. He had a competitive switch he just turned on. He was feisty as hell, but off the court he was nice.
MB: He’s like all the great players. They have that switch, like Federer’s got a switch. He’s loose and laughing before a match, then he just switches it on...
IT: The other day, Fed said when he goes into the locker room, nobody looks at him, no one talks to...
BB: Because guys are in such awe.
MB: He’s got a bubble around him. When he comes in, it’s like, “Aaaaah.” When he walks by, someone says, “Did you see that guy? He’s the greatest player of all time.” Everyone has such great respect for him that he’s kind of on another level.
BB: They’re looking at him out of the corner of their eyes. He doesn’t see their eyes, but everyone sees him.
IT: Was it like that with Pete in the locker room?
MB: Andre and Pete, you never really saw them around, but Federer’s more the guy you’ll hang out and get down with.
IT: There was a so-called “revolution” in tennis a while ago, the doubles revolution. Successful, not successful?
MB: Very successful. Doubles has made great strides. Doubles players don’t have that sense of frustration anymore. We’re all very proud of where this sport is going, and the ATP is still pushing in the right direction, and we all have our jobs. The money’s going up, we’re promoted and don’t feel discriminated against.
IT: Does deciding matches with a super tie-breaker instead of a third set give you more of a sense of urgency, a focus?
MB: You know that you have to be sharp, right from the start. You lose a set, you know that it’s going to come down to a super-breaker, which is scary. But usually, the best players rise up to the occasion.
IT: You guys deserve a lot of credit for the successful transformation...
MB: The guy that deserves the most credit is my dad, who was on the phone and writing emails for four months straight. He was right in the trenches, going to war. And, in the end, [ATP CEO Etienne] de Villiers deserves credit for even taking a look at this big problem when he was new to his job.
IT: It’s tough. He’s made some good calls, then he’s getting whacked over the handling of the round-robin.
MB: Yeah, he’s getting whacked, but Etienne’s a genius. He might make a couple of bad calls, but in general, the guy’s a genius. He’s going to take this sport to the next level.
IT: On a scale of 1 to 10, where do you rate him?
MB: A 10. The guy is independently wealthy. We’ve seen his house in London. He’s like, “This is my little apartment.” It’s furnished unbelievably.
BB: He could sell one of his paintings and buy our house. So the guy doesn’t need to do this. He just wants to make a difference.
IT: Let’s talk turkey. No offense to Jonas Bjorkman, Max Miryni, Leander Paes or Mark Knowles but, aside from the Bryans, is there really a big attraction in doubles?
MB: Not yet. But there could be. I mean, the tennis these guys are playing is unbelievable, and they beat us a lot. Maybe these guys aren’t selling millions of tickets, but they’re on the schedule, they’re improving the product and the show. People like watching these guys. Maybe they’re not “names,” but the tour’s better because of them.
BB: Some of these guys are exciting. Paes is one of the quickest guys out there, and he’s hit unbelievable shots...
IT: But it’s still about entertainment, it’s still about name...
MB: There are only a few stars in singles.
IT: But at least there are 10, 11 in the game.
BB: Doubles is a small draw. What singles players do you think are drawing fans here [at Indian Wells]? I think it’s Roddick, Blake, Federer...
MB: Nadal.
IT: Then you have a second tier, like Marat Safin, Gustavo Kuerten, guys just behind Fed.
MB: But we also have Federer playing doubles.
IT: But his dubs presence is so intermittent.
MB: That’s one of the reasons they let the singles guys in, because they know that maybe we need help. Now there are only 18 doubles teams left.
IT: Why didn’t you guys push your singles careers more?
BB: Doubles wasn’t a fallback for us. Most doubles players try singles and then fall back on doubles. It was more of a conscious decision on our part, and we did it at 21. We weren’t falling back on doubles at 28. I was knocking on the door of the Top 100 and we said, let’s go for the doubles. This is how we’re going to make our mark and be remembered, instead of being top 30 in the world and having a .500 career.
IT: Let’s talk Davis Cup. You put on that uniform. You’re there in the locker room with James and A-Rod, your buddies. PMac’s a great coach. Then you walk out there for the intros. Do you still get a chill?
MB: Every time. It just feels so much more important than anything we’re doing on a weekly basis. There’s a whole team, a staff behind you — probably an extra 15 guys, bodyguards. You’ve got Roddick and Blake watching your match. You’ve got Patrick McEnroe. It really feels important.
BB: This is the only tennis that gets us nervous anymore. We’ve been in 11 Grand Slam finals. Now we can sleep well before those matches and wake up and play like it’s any other match. Davis Cup gives us that nauseous feeling, the butterflies.
IT: Is it your greatest accomplishment that the American tennis community now knows that the brothers are playing dubs?
MB: We’re most proud of our 11-1 Davis Cup record and how we’ve been part of the team.
BB: Every day, when people come up to us and say, “Thank you for playing Davis Cup,” we’re like, “You don’t have to thank us. We’re always going to be there for you.” It’s a bond between us and U.S. fans.
IT: When it comes to U.S. doubles, there was this long dynasty of great teams — Smith/Lutz, Mac/Fleming, Pugh/Leach, Flach/Seguso — the automatics. Then there was a long stretch when there wasn’t even a half-decent team. It was a painful dry spell before you guys put on your capes and saved the doubles day.
MB: It’s great to have filled that void. It’s good to be looked at as one of those shoo-ins.
IT: Then there was that Davis Cup match in Seville, when the team sucked air the first day and then came back in front of 27,000 Spanish flag wavers.
BB: That was one of the highlights of our career. Every time we look at that picture with 27,000 fans, it’s probably going to be the most amazing experience of our careers, to be part of the biggest tennis crowd in history. To be able to silence a crowd like that right from the get-go. We’re very proud, because you never know how your body’s going to react in that situation.
IT: You could choke?
BB: You never know how you’re going to react under that pressure. We’re proud of each other. We were able to step up.
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IT: Can we win it this year?
MB: We might need a little bit of luck with Argentina-Sweden. We might need Sweden to win that match. That could be big. We’re definitely watching that one. [Editor’s Note: Sweden did win.]
BB: James can put together three sets against anyone. He can light someone up.
IT: If you could change one thing about the game?
MB: Develop more of a PGA thing, where American guys play more in the U.S., where we get huge crowds. We play on the backcourt in Hamburg, but when we’re here, we usually sell out stadiums.
BB: The PGA is a good way. Americans are drawing crowds and becoming big names in their own country. Like Ferrer and Nadal are more popular in Spain. Then the tour would come together for the big tournaments.
IT: Globalization is pretty controversial in a number of areas. God bless Shanghai and Dubai — there’s lots of money there. But in America, you see the communities come together to support tennis. Then, suddenly, tennis is threatened. Plus, we’ve got many big markets here — like Chicago, Philly — that don’t have squat.
BB: There’s only so many weeks on the schedule. If a town wants a tournament and puts up the money for it, they should have it. There’re a few tournaments out there that are struggling. But if a tournament isn’t successful at drawing big crowds, they get one shot and they’re out.
IT: You travel the long and winding road. What’s your favorite city out there?
MB: London’s one.
BB: The setup in Melbourne is awesome. The Crown Casino, being able to practice there, the river. It’s the most like the U.S. It’s the easiest and most comfortable.
IT: Biggest pain-in-the-butt city?
BB: Rome. Everything’s so old. The traffic’s brutal.
MB: Allergies are just ridiculous there. I’ve been sick every year for eight years.
IT: Seems like every time Americans go to Rome, something happens — James breaks his neck one year, then Andy saves someone during a hotel fire one year and gives a match-point callback the next.
MB: Stuff happens in Rome.
IT: Let’s talk about music.
MB: It’s our love. We have dreams of taking it to the next level. We’d love to open up a little bar and have musical nights and be good enough to join a big band. We’re friends with Elton John. Maybe he could ask us up and we could play a little solo. It’s something you could do all day. I bet in the last 10 years, we’ve played 10 times as many hours of music than we have tennis. We just grind away.
IT: Yannick Noah has sold a lot of records.
MB: Yeah. We’re definitely going to have to work on our voices, take some singing lessons, to take it to the next level. That’s where you get famous. Our dad always tried to push us to sing early...But just to spite him, we said, “No, dad. We don’t want to sing.” I wish we would have started singing earlier.
IT: Jim Courier once said it was nice winning a Grand Slam, but playing the drums with R.E.M. was orgasmic.
BB: He’s given us some of his CDs. He’s a good drummer. He plays piano.
MB: He’s a songwriter, too. He takes it pretty seriously. He spent $100,000 buying all the equipment. His songs are pretty good. I was positive he was going to come out with a CD about five years ago. I’m like, “He’s going to make it. He’s going straight to the top.”
IT: And Johnny Mac?
MB: He’s not a bad player. He sings and is entertaining. We’ve played with him.
IT: Your favorite musicians?
MB: We’re huge Dave Matthews fans and have been on his bandwagon, but John Mayer is starting to take over. He’s so talented, and his voice is getting better.
BB: He was on the cover of Rolling Stone as one of the new guitar heroes. They’re comparing him to Hendrix.
IT: Okay, a little word association. Stanford University.
MB: Best place on Earth.
IT: When Alexandria Stevenson was being recruited to go there, she said she wouldn’t attend because it was “too naturistic.”
MB: That’s Cal.
BB: Stanford’s liberal, but Cal’s over-the-top.
IT: Dick Gould?
BB: Motivator.
IT: Patrick McEnroe?
BB: Cool under pressure, steely nerves. He doesn’t say much, but what he says is usually really important. Everybody really respects him. He’s gotten everyone to play. He puts in the long, hard hours. There’s no bull with him. He tells you straight. He really goes to bat for the players.
IT: Andy Roddick?
MB: Type A. A lot of energy. Strong personality. Great sense of humor. One of the most competitive people you’ll ever meet, but also very loyal.
IT: The Jensen brothers.
BB: Entertainers.
IT: Roland Garros.
BB: Knowledgeable tennis fans. They love sportsmanship over there. Don’t throw your racket.
IT: Arlen Kantarian.
MB: The big man.
IT: Wayne and Kathy Bryan.
BB: My mom’s understanding. She’s one of the best moms. My dad — crazy dad, crazy front man.
IT: James Blake?
MB: Good human being. Level-headed.
IT: So, is this just all a dream for you guys?
BB: We’re waking up with smiles on our faces every day. We can’t believe what’s happening. And we’re very appreciative, especially since we’re accomplishing all these dreams we’ve had.
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