Fire Burns Bright As Bryans Chase No. 1

Victims of their own, unmatched, success, Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan have come under scrutiny in 2016. And that is despite being second in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London, with just under three months to go until the World No. 1 spot is decided at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

But such is the level of expectation that is placed on arguably the greatest doubles team of all time, by fans, media and most importantly, themselves. Indeed, when you’ve won 16 major titles, 36 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and finished as year-end World No. 1 team 10 times, nothing less than US Open glory and clinching year-end World No. 1 will constitute a “great” 2016 season for the Bryans.

It is the attitude and outlook that has seen the Bryans win everything there is to win in tennis. But with a bursting trophy cabinet and happy family lives beckoning, what motivates the 38-year-old California natives to keep grinding on the ATP World Tour?

Perhaps their domination of doubles is behind them – due in no small part to the strength and depth on tour now – but the Bryans are confident that they remain a force to be reckoned with as they approach the latter stages of their career.

“We still feel like we have some stuff to do. We don’t feel like our journey is over,” Bob told ATPWorldTour.com. “There are goals we want to accomplish. We still love the feeling of working hard and holding up a Grand Slam trophy. We feel like we have those moments left. We’re working hard and tinkering with stuff in our game, changing up stuff in the gym and just trying to have one last great run. We’re both very confident we can do that.”

This season has seen the Bryans lift three ATP World Tour trophies – in Houston, Barcelona and Rome – while also finishing runners-up at Roland Garros (l. to Lopez/Lopez) for the second year in a row. They go into next week’s campaign at Flushing Meadows looking to win their first major title since the 2014 US Open, which also marked their 100th tour-level team title.

“Looking back on the year there have been some highlights and some lowlights,” said Mike. “It’s been a pretty solid year. By our standards, a little bit below par. If we’d won a couple of matches here and there we could have looked back and said we’ve had a great year.

“For so many years we were dominating,” Mike continued. “If we go into a tournament and we don’t win it, then we’re disappointed. Sometimes we can get into a little bit of a negative spiral if we’re not going in and winning weeks.

“But players would die to have the year we’ve had this year. They’re wondering when the Bryans are going to get back to No. 1 and win slams again. But I think it’ll come with just enjoying the game and tinkering with a few things and I still think we have some bright spots on the horizon.”

The changes have rung off the court for the Bryans in recent years. Both are married, with Bob and wife Michelle parents to three children – Richie, the newest addition, born in October 2015. They live on separate coasts now and life has become a balancing act between tennis and family for the 38-year-old twins.

“There are more challenges of staying healthy and just the challenges of having fun and trying to find new things to work on,” said Bob. “I’m balancing a lot of stuff with my family. Our relationship has to stay healthy. We have goals and we’re working very hard to achieve them. We’re optimistic about this summer.”

But one of the most pivotal changes for the Bryans came last month, when their coaching partnership with David Macpherson came to an end after 11 years. With Macpherson taking up a position at George Washington University, the Bryans have turned to former Serbian player Dusan Vemic as their new coach, a partnership that began with a semi-final showing in Cincinnati last week.

“David’s been the rock for so many years. He’s a big loss, but we’ve got some fresh blood. We’re excited with whom we picked as our coach. Hopefully it will spark something,” said Mike.

The Bryans have always demanded the best from each other on and off the court. With two such driven individuals, arguments are inevitable, and it had been part of Macpherson’s job to separate the pair and maintain harmony in the team when things got heated after tough losses.

But while it may hurt their relationship, it is that intensity and passion that can largely be credited for the Bryans’ huge success on the ATP World Tour.

“Macca did a great job of coming in between us when we were going at it,” said Bob. “He was a great guy we could talk to, a very calming and a very positive influence. When you lose, you can sometimes think it’s the end of the world. But our coach never got into that negative mind frame. He was great at looking forward and never looking back. I think Dusan, our new coach, has that same relaxed, smart, calming influence.

“That helps us because we are very intense. We let each other have it in practice. We expect the most and the best out of each other at all times. That can be harmful on our relationship at times, because we are very tough. It’s great to have someone between us.”

Mike added, “Our competitive nature has made us great. We’re perfectionists. We want to play perfect every time we step out onto the court – make every shot and win every big point. That’s why we’ve had a high standard for so many years and we still have that high standard. That’s why it’s disappointing to lose some of these matches and tournaments. We’re working harder than ever and we’re just as hungry as ever at the ripe age of 38.”

Cue the challenge for the remainder of 2016 – usurp Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut atop the doubles rankings. The French team, champions at Wimbledon, Queen’s, Monte-Carlo, Miami and Indian Wells, lead the Bryans by 1,185 points in the year-to-date team standings. With doubles more open than it has been in years, it serves as added motivation for the Bryans to reclaim the top spot and taste more Grand Slam glory at the US Open, where they have lifted the trophy five times.

“The field is a lot more level,” said Bob. “It’s a challenge for us to try and reinvent our games and improve stuff that has fallen off a little bit. We’re up for this challenge. We would love to make a run at the end of the year and hold up the No. 1 trophy. It’s going to be tough. The French guys are playing great tennis. We’re going to have to really bring it to beat them.”

“The French guys have a good lead,” agreed Mike. “But it’s one slam away to catch them. It’s fun to have these rivalries and teams we’re butting heads with at the top. There’s a ton of teams that are great partnerships and are vying for these big titles every week. London’s going to be fun. There are 16 good teams, but only eight qualify. So it’s going to get tight there at the end of the year, but hopefully we’re in the hunt for No. 1.”