Bryan Brothers - Australian Open Men's Doubles Tennis
Players
The Bryan
Brothers, born only minutes apart, have been the dominant players in the men's
doubles events over the past 5-6 years.
Robert, or Bob, as he is better known, and his slightly younger brother, Mike have been an extremely successfully doubles pairing since their days at Stanford University in the late 1990's. They were instrumental in the Cardinals back-to-back win of 1998.
Known for their 'chest-bumping' celebrations after winning a point, the brothers have taken the Australian Open Men's doubles title on two previous occasions – 2006 and 2007. They defeated the fourth ranked pairing of Damm and Paes in 'three sets in 2006 and fought a closely contested match against Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi to take the title for a second time, in 2007.
They were runners-up to the title in 2004 losing to Llodra and Santoro, and again in 2005 – this time losing to Zimbabwean, Wayne Black and partner, Kevin Ullyett.
The Brothers Bryan, have made it to the finals of all the 4 Grand Slam tournaments. This feat has only been achieved twice in recent history.
They have also proven their unquestionable title as being the best Australian Open men's doubles tennis players in history, having accomplished one of the highest achievements in professional tennis – a Career Grand Slam:
- They defeated Haarhuis and Kafelnikov to claim the French Open men's doubles title in 2003
- In 2005, they took the men's doubles title at the US Open, beating Bjorkman and Mirnyi
- They were successful on grass and lifted the Wimbledon men's doubles title in 2006, defeating Santoro and Zimonjic
- In 2006 and 2007 they claimed the men's doubles title at the Australian Open
What makes the Bryan Brothers exceptional Australian Open men's doubles tennis players is the fact that Bob plays left-handed, whereas his brother, Mike, is right-handed. Their court coverage is excellent. They are known to serve hard, and at the body of their opponent. Their defenses are extremely difficult to penetrate, as one of them will stick close to the net to zero in on the volleys.
In a tribute to the Brothers after their 2007 Australian Open win, opponent Max Mirnyi said: "I've said it before – they are the best ambassadors for our sport and they proved it once again today."
Will the Bryan Brothers once again be the top Australian Open men's doubles tennis players? We recommend William Hill for all your tennis betting .
