Bill Simons
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Bob and Mike Bryan are the luckiest duo in tennis history.
Their mother was a gifted tennis pro, their dad was one of the greatest motivators the game’s ever seen, such a enthusiast, coach and sage, who wrote a book on child rearing.
Bob was a lefty, Mike was a righty. Bob had a booming serve. His forehand punished. Mike’s return was uncanny, his volleys were knives. The pair had a built-in partnership. We can only imagine how many balls they’ve bashed back and forth.
Yet, the truth is that it’s tennis that was lucky to have the Bryans.
These days, our sport can be baffling. At times, it seems to be gripped in greed. We’re prompted to ask, why does money so often rule? More than ever, image seems to be everything. Controlling forces – mighty groups, powerful individuals and fiefdoms protecting their turf – seem to wrest the spontaneity and fun out of the game.
These days in our sport, shortcuts are far too common. Imagination and creativity wither. Innocence vanishes, joy gets punched in the gut. Want a friend in tennis? Well, get a dog. The sport grinds strong souls.
Then the clouds part: one thinks of the beauty of Wimbledon, the grace of Federer, a French Open final for the ages, and a couple of all-Americans come to mind – the foremost twins in sports history. And our spirits are lifted.
Let’s be real. While others hold back and calculate, Bob and Mike were always giving and happy to share their time and truths. Generosity appeals. While others were gripped by a love-hate relationship with the game, it was clear that tennis was deep in Bob and Mike’s DNA. Their chest bumps were high, their passion knew few limits.
Their flick and blast synchronicity was a dance: balletic and athletic, with a hint of jazz. Their adept magic rarely faltered – surgical touch, quick twitch movement, triumphant grit when all was on the line. Courage has its rewards.
Over time, their mastery of a staccato game evolved. No other men – not McEnroe, not the Woodies, not Luke and Murphy Jensen – were able to do anything quite like Bob and Mike.
Their record – 16 major titles, 119 titles, four-time ATP champions, 438 weeks at No. 1 and 10 years-end as No. 1 – astounded. With the Bryans, the sum was always greater than their parts. They transformed the sport. In their subtle yet strong hands, doubles morphed into a must-watch art form. They explained, “Doubles was our love from day one. We worked on our reflex volleys, our soft hands and studied the great teams.”
Saturday, the duo was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Out of the blocks, they saluted their singular Stanford coach, Dick Gould, whose motto was simple: “Be proud, but never satisfied.” They told us that after enduring Georgia’s rabid fans, “playing Davis Cup felt like pickleball in the park.”
Always patriotic, they recalled, “Every time we suited up to play Davis Cup, that was the most important day of our lives. The intensity, the passion, the pride of playing for our country, there’s no greater honor.”
Over the decades, they emerged. The boys become men. Today they were elders who hailed their coaches and colleagues, celebrated their families and saluted their parents.
At home they didn’t have any TVs, but there was a gym. Music shaped their spirit. A sign reminded them, “No days off.”
The Bryans told their parents Wayne and Kathy, “You built a world for us where tennis was never a job, never a grind. It was joy, it was fun and, most importantly, it was family.”
They explained that their parents “had a vision that true success is not about wins or losses. It’s about balancing all parts of life. It’s about making learning enjoyable, and motivating through fun. Playing before teaching.”
Plus, the brothers revealed their secret. “Our superpower was our energy – whether it was jamming in music or playing on some of the biggest stadiums in tennis, when our energy was locked on, we felt like an unstoppable force.”
As before, and again on Saturday, the Bryans’ force was with us.
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Tradesmen have a bond – tennis players share wisdom and a trust. They’ve fought the same battles. Who else has ventured out there alone on huge stadiums risking 6-0, 6-1 humiliation?
Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova became the best of pals. Djokovic just told us that he looks forward to being on a beach, margarita in hand, sharing war stories with Roger and Rafa.
But, come on, Serena and Maria Sharapova were bitter enemies. The cool Russian blond against the passionate African-American. Things got ugly, barbs and taunts were exchanged. Stares were daggers, vibes were bad.
Maria has suggested that Serena dismissed her as the “skinny kid who beat her” at Wimbledon. Ethics, race and the integrity of sport came to the fore. Maria viewed Serena as a homewrecker. Serena wasn’t exactly forgiving when Maria suffered a doping suspension.
But after the warriors stepped down, they met at the Met Gala. The ice was broken and remarkably, the most bitter of WTA rivals became dear friends. Who knew?
We’re used to seeing husbands, sons and coaches introduce Hall of Famers. As some gasped, Serena lovingly introduced her once bitter rival.
Williams spoke of how much Maria pushed her and how she admired Sharapova’s “Just win!” focus and mindset in tennis, business and fashion. Maria became No. 1 so young, the world wealthiest female athlete and an inspiration to girls globally.
Sharapova won each of the Slams and collected a total of five majors. She won 36 titles, and was the highest paid female athlete for 11 straight years: $23 million a year ain’t bad.
The world’s most famous Russian-American athlete was known for her deep shots. Saturday in Newport she showed her deep wisdom as she told us that, “Allowing space for your limitations offers its own kind of strength. It’s in accepting imperfection where change really takes shape. It’s never about avoiding the hard thing, it’s about the way you respond…I was never the fastest or the strongest, and I certainly wasn’t the best mover. But when you fine tune your mental fortitude, you can transcend the limits of your body every time…
“Embrace the struggles and lean into the hard stuff. Trust your instinct, and rely on that resilience. I promise you, you’ll surprise yourself…
“When voices invariably tell you to ease up, to round your edges, dull your ambition, I hope you’ll find a way to ignore them. Compete fiercely, raise your standard, set goals that intimidate you – and don’t forget to celebrate your victories, no matter how small.
“In giving my life to tennis, tennis gave me a life – and what a remarkable, remarkable life. And I am so deeply grateful for it.”
