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When you spend every moment of every day with another person – food, sleep, training, competition – so hard, it is surprising that you should develop a strong partnership, even less, if you share the same DNA.
For Bob and Mike Brian, their “twin energy” was in the heart of their conquest and titles Tennis The court, a harmony that only became strengthened for the best part of the 23 years, traveling around the world.
Brian Brothers, as they became the tennis community and beyond, announced their retirement from the game in August 2020 as the most successful doubles team in history: 16 Grand Slam title, 119 tour level titles and 438 weeks in World No.1.
When he contributed in 2012 and 2013, practically able to stop, he won the Olympic gold medal and all four major companies at a distance of 12 months.
Mike explains, “When everything was flowing and we were really positive, it was a matter of surprise – our feet were just moving at the same time and we only knew where to be.” CNN Sport. “Once we were warm, it was like a freight train.”
This year French open Twins from California have marked 20 after occupying their first Grand Slam title, though they had little sense of success.
Instead, he was focused on getting a place in the Davis Cup team in the United States by impressing Captain Patrick McKenro in Roland Garros – which he did properly.
His progress through the French Open Doubles Draw was Swift and ruthless, the brothers had broken the rivals in the straight seats after the rival, before the nerves were fitted on the final on the final.
“At this time, you think it’s a shot deal and you will never know if you will be there again,” Mike said, considering the 2003 French open campaign. “We were just thinking about it, it came into our heads.”
Played by Adrenaline, he won the last 16 points of his final against Paul Hareeuis and Yigini Kaflinikov, which laid the foundation for success, which soon laid the foundation for his success.
“We have separated overnight,” says Bob. “We went straight to the club. I think it was a photo shoot at 9am in the arc de trumpes with the trophies and the photos are unusable. That’s why you never saw it – because we were very tired.”
While some tennis players switch between singles and doubles formats, Brian Brothers dedicated their entire career to double their career and they remained firm on each other.
It was only when Boob, the old twin from a couple of minutes, hip surgery was undergoing a hip surgery in 2018 that Mike searched for a different partner and won the US Open along with Wimbledon and American Jack Sak.
Mike says, “We used to play together and live together every day and just spent every moment together.” “He worked in court – we always move on the same page and like an entity.
“We knew that we would never be broken with each other. And in this way we got this confidence. You know that you will never turn back from your brother and look for another partner.”
Bob agrees that singles were never on the brothers’ radar.
“We always enjoyed winning a doubles match, it was probably a twin thing,” he told CNN Sport. “But even our sponsors set bonuses in our contracts that were in accordance with doubles – they wanted to go to doubles. It came to us naturally.”
With Bob’s left hand and mic right -handed, the couple was natural fit in the tennis court, though unlike the left -handed right doubles partnership, they were trending to play towards the back hand when returning the service.
He was practically compulsory during his professional career, even to the point of sharing a bank account. Anger .The boiled at times, especially during the practice when they will hold each other at high standards.
Mike says, “We used to practice every time we were playing a final.” “The chapter will come to me if I lose a couple of balls and I will go on it, and we had some rough exercises. We had some physical repetition there, but it kept the quality high.
“We actually do just one day’s exercises because we were very tight. We will be more than 90 minutes, but we don’t even drink water. We probably used only two or three balls and go to the drill to drill to drill.
“By the end, we just got soaked in sweat. We practiced as if it was a big final and it certainly didn’t let me push me.”
Although severe competitive, the brothers have never lost their role as a entertainment. Chest collision – or Bryan bump, as Stanford Daily named in his college days – his trademark after winning the tournament or a big point.
Feeding, running, jumping, and putting their torso together became an exhibition – in which they inherited another American doubles team, Luke and Murphy Jensen.
Coincidentally, the Jensen Brothers won their only Grand Slam title in the French Open of 1993, 10 years ago by Brianes occupied their first.
“We started doing this in Stanford, and then we took it on the tour.”
“In these first two years, he was not really welcomed on the visit, because these salted veterans believed that it was beyond their dishonor.
“In fact, we were very excited to be there and was happy to be the professionals traveling to the world, and eventually, it was accepted and became our thing.”
Since retiring before the 2020 US Open, the brothers have enjoyed a slow pace of life. After spending 40 weeks of traveling on the tour, they now have more time with their families and they can chase another joint spirit. Music.
Bob plays a keyboard, mic guitar and drum. Together, they have performed bars, clubs and even Tennis Tournament As part of the Brian Brothers Band.
“Our music rooms have been expanded, and my children are playing now, so I get jammed with them,” says Bob.
This does not mean that tennis has disappeared from their lives. He still plays the legends in the Grand Slams as well as occasionally in the exhibition tournament, and Bob has recently been named the USA’s Davis Cup captain ahead of this year’s event.
But on the day of severe competition, tremendous practice sessions and high flying chests are behind pieces.
Bob says, “Once you retire, once you turn it off, it is difficult to return the car.”
“We knew that we wanted to play as long as we were mentally and physically in it, and so when we retired, we had no regrets.
“We both feel that we have no incomplete dreams that we wish to meet on this tour. I think we felt like we had put everything in our career.”
