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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 competing in seven consecutive men's doubles Grand Slam finals, three of which they won. Born on 29 April, 1978, with Mike being the older by two minutes, and Bob taller by 3 cm, The Bryans, as they are known, have won 49 tour titles (including 13 ATP Masters Series titles), completing a career Grand Slam with victories at the French Open (2003), US Open (2005, 2008), Australian Open (2006 and 2007), and Wimbledon (2006). They also won the Tennis Masters Cup Doubles tournament twice (2003 and 2004), and have been the finalists on 32 other occasions. They have also won the 2008 Beijing Olympics Bronze medal. The twins are also part of the United States Davis Cup team, with a 14–2 doubles matches win-loss record. Their only two losses came first to Croatia's Ivan Ljubičić and Mario Ančić, 3–6, 7–6[10-8], 6–4, 6–4[1] and in 2008 to France's Arnaud Clément and Michaël Llodra, 6-7 [7-9], 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. Both brothers have played Davis Cup singles matches. They are both sponsored by adidas and Prince. They are known for their attacking style of play.
Junior careerBob 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. 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 Mesa Union School in Somis, California for Elementary and Junior High School, they spurred on their educations to 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 careerEarly careerThe Bryans made their professional and Grand Slam debut at the 1995 U.S. 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 U.S. 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. 2001-20022001 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. 2003-20062003 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 7-6 (7-3) 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 Hrbatý 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 2006 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. 20072007 saw the Bryans win an amazing eleven titles. They started losing in the first round of their first tournament, but entered the 2007 Australian Open and won it defeating Jonas Björkman and Max Mirnyi in the final, 7–5, 7–5. Björkman and Mirnyi had defeated the Bryans for two years running in the French Open finals. The Bryans only lost one set. Their second title of the season came in Las Vegas where the outstanding team beat Jonathan Erlich / Andy Ram. At the 2007 Miami Masters, the twins won the Masters Series title, defeating Martin Damm and Leander Paes. Their fourth title came without a set's loss in Houston, defeating Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor in the final. The pair won their fifth title on the 2007 ATP Tour and second Masters Series title of the year at the Monte Carlo Masters; as for they missed Indian Wells. The team defeated Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut in the final. At the Rome Masters, however, the Bryans lost to Fabrice Santoro and Nenad Zimonjić. It was the first Masters Series match that the Bryans lost in 2007. Of course, however, the Hamburg Masters saw the Bryans beat Paul Hanley and Kevin Ullyett in the final for a sixth title on the 2007 ATP Tour and third Masters Series event of the year. The Bryans lost to Lukáš Dlouhý and Pavel Vízner at the 2007 French Open and to Knowles and Nestor at Queen's Club. They lost in the Wimbledon finals 6–75, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 to Arnaud Clément and Michaël Llodra, but did avenge Dlouhý / Vízner in the quarterfinals and Santoro / Zimonjić in the semifinals. The seventh title of their season came in Los Angeles when the tandem defeated Scott Lipsky and David Martin in the final. In Washington, the team defeated Erlich / Ram in the final. The Bryans did not reach the finals in the 2007 Rogers Masters, which is the second time that the Bryans did not reach a 2007 Masters Series final. They lost in the finals of the 2007 Cincinnati Masters to Erlich / Ram. Their next event was the 2007 U.S. Open. The team lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champions Simon Aspelin and Julian Knowle. Each lost in the second round of mixed doubles competition. Bob and Mike's ninth title came at the 2007 Madrid Masters, beating Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski in the final. Their tenth title of the season came in Basel, where they beat James Blake and Mark Knowles 6–1, 6–1. The Bryan Brothers won their eleventh title in 2007 at the 2007 Paris Masters. The team defeated Lukáš Dlouhý and Pavel Vízner 4–6, 7–6 (2), [10-8] in the quarterfinals, and avenged Aspelin and Knowle in the semifinals. They then defeated second seeds Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjić in the final 6–3, 7–6 (4). The Bryans owned up to the number 1 spot in the ATP doubles race and thus were entered into the 2007 Tennis Masters Cup. However, Mike had an elbow injury and could not compete. [2] The Bryans won the third rubber in the 2007 Davis Cup finals, defeating Igor Andreev and Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, the country who held the title, 7–64, 6–4, 6–2. Andy Roddick had sealed a win over Dmitry Tursunov and Blake defeated Mikhail Youzhny, however, Bob lost his singles match in the 4th dead rubber, falling to Andreev 6–3, 7–6. 2008The Bryan Brothers started their season on the 2008 ATP Tour by entering the 2008 Medibank International in Sydney. They survived a quarterfinal match against Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram and later entered the final, falling 4–6, 6–4, [11-9] to Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The Bryans again made a good appearance at the 2008 Australian Open. The team breezed through their first three rounds before losing to Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles, 6–3, 5–7, 7–6 (5). Soon afterwards, the Bryans beat Austria's Julian Knowle and Jürgen Melzer in the first round of the 2008 Davis Cup. Mike Bryan had to retire against Stefan Koubek in singles, while Bob Bryan defeated Werner Eschauer in three sets. The Bryans lost to Max Mirnyi and Jamie Murray in the 2008 Delray Beach International Tennis Championships finals, and to fellow Stanford Alumni Scott Lipsky and David Martin in the final of the 2008 SAP Open in San Jose, California. The Bryans made it to the final of the Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas, producing wins over Xavier Malisse and Hugo Armando, Chris Guccione and Lleyton Hewitt, and Marcos Baghdatis and Konstantinos Economidis, but went down in the final to Julien Benneteau and Michaël Llodra, 6–4, 4–6, [10-8]. The Bryans lost in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Indian Wells Masters 5-7, 6-4, [10-6] to Mirnyi and Murray once more. However, the Bryans, to make up for all their runner-up losses, captured their first title of the season at the 2008 Miami Masters, beating Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles 6-2, 6-2. After this, they lost in their Davis Cup match to Arnaud Clément and Michaël Llodra. They lost 4-6, 6-4, [10-8] to Jeff Coetzee and Wesley Moodie at the 2008 Monte Carlo Masters, however, they then claimed a second title on the 2008 ATP Tour in Barcelona at the 2008 Torneo Godó, beating Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski to win the final. At the Rome Masters, they beat Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjić to claim the title. This made the Indian Wells Masters as the only ATP Mastres Series to have escaped them. Following their strong showings in Italy, the Bryans moved on to the 2008 Hamburg Masters, where they only lost one set before reaching the final. However, Nestor and Zimonjić claimed the title, 4-6, 7-5, [10-8], avenging their loss at the 2008 Rome Masters. Then, two weeks later, the Bryans entered the 2008 French Open. Their second Grand Slam of the year looked to be a strong one, however they fell to Pablo Cuevas and Luis Horna in the quarterfinals, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(1). Again, they lost at the 2008 Queen's Club Championships to Marcelo Melo and André Sá, of whom they had beaten in Hamburg 7-6(4), 7-5. Another Grand Slam setback occurred for them at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, when the twins lost in the semifinals in a tight match against Jonas Björkman and Kevin Ullyett, 7-6(3), 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(9). The Bryans continued to play their way into tournaments, as they reached the final of the 2008 Canada Masters where they lost to Nestor and Zimonjić, 6-2, 4-6, [10-6]. Their losses ended at the 2008 Cincinnati Masters, when they came from behind to beat Bhupathi and Knowles, 4-6, 7-6(7), [10-8]. They won the title with a 4-6, 7-6(2), [10-7] comeback against Israel's Erlich and Ram, earning themselves two successive wins coming back from the loss of the first set. They combined together to win the Bronze Medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics beating Arnaud Clément and Michaël Llodra, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4. They didn't appear again until the 2008 U.S. Open. However, carrying the weight of the bronze, the team won the title. They then lost in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Madrid Masters to Björkman and Ullyett 6-4, 6-4.[3] At the 2008 Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, they reached the final, only to be defeated by Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic and so to lose their positions as world Number 1s for the first time in three years. Personal lives
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, forming 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. The brothers admire the tennis skills of Andre Agassi, Todd Woodbridge, Mark Woodforde, Rick Leach, and the Jensen Brothers, Luke and Murphy. Titles (49)
Note: Mike Bryan has won two more doubles titles than his brother Bob. In 2002, he won both of these two titles. One was alongside Doubles runner-ups (32)
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