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Bryan twins key to U.S. Davis Cup team
Identical twins Bob and Mike Bryan call themselves the "two-headed monster" of the U.S. Davis Cup team. Ask Bob a question, and Mike will answer it. Go out to eat with them, and Bob will order for Mike. They own a house together in southern California. They share the same car, bank account, e-mail address — and when they're traveling they live out of the same suitcase and wear the same clothes.
This weekend, they'll share the same side of the court as they team up in doubles against Spain in the Davis Cup final.
"We got our own cell phones, and we've got our own computers, so we are starting to break apart a little bit," Bob said.
"My dad says we share the same toothbrush, but that's not true," Mike added.
By being similar, but different enough to complement each other on the tennis court — Mike is right-handed, Bob's a lefty — the 26-year-old brothers give doubles tennis the spark of personality it often lacks. Bob has the better serve, Mike the better return, and they line up so their forehands sweep the center of the court.
"The fans like to see the twin element, the brother element," Mike said. "We look alike, we dress alike and it's good for doubles to have a recognizable team. We see this as our meal ticket."
They won a French Open title, reached No. 1 in the doubles rankings and ended this season by winning the Masters Cup. They've even rivaled Davis Cup teammate Andy Roddick for newspaper space in Spain, where the Americans will try to win their first Davis Cup title since 1995.
One paper suggested the "Bryan brothers may be a better bet to win than Roddick" in the best-of-five final. The Bryans are 4-0 in Davis Cup doubles and haven't lost a set since joining the team 15 months ago.
"When we come together on the court, I guess we turn into a two-headed monster," Mike said. "We just bring all that twin-bonding energy. We like to jump around, and that's been forever."
They're even developed a signature move — a flying chest bump — they pull off after a key point or victory.
"We don't like to do it to a hostile crowd," Bob said. "If we feel it here, we'll do it. But there are no guarantees. We're playing in front of 26,000 fans that hate us. We don't want to rile them up."
Roddick and Mardy Fish are expected to play singles Friday for the United States, with Carlos Moya and Juan Carlos Ferrero expected to play for Spain. The Bryans play Saturday against Rafael Nadal and Tommy Robredo.
"There is no doubt the Bryans will be strong favorites against us," Robredo said. "They've been playing together forever."
The twins shared an incubator at birth. And at home, Kathy and Wayne Bryan found they couldn't keep the two apart.
"We'd cry at night when my parents put us in separate rooms," Mike said. "Once they put us together, we'd stop crying. We'd even crawl in the same bed until we were 10 because that's what we were used to."
Children of tennis teachers — Kathy played professionally, and Wayne had a tennis club — the brothers began playing at 2.
"They didn't want us to play against each other when we were growing up," Bob said. "They didn't want us to be rivals. We never became competitors, and that's probably helped our relationship on the doubles court."
In the last several years, they've developed different identities. "We'll squabble. We're competitive," Mike said. "We're twins, we're brothers and we're together 24-7. That wears on you a little bit. And we're tying to earn a living." Taller by an inch at 6-foot-4, Bob is 15 pounds heavier and describes himself as "more even tempered and creative." He plays the piano. Mike has short, cropped hair, plays drums and guitar and is older by two minutes. He also said he's a better tennis player — a claim made when Bob wasn't around. "If I'm healthy, I dominate him every time," Mike said. "In practice, I tear him up." |
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