One of the most successful doubles pairing in the history of tennis has confirmed to The New York Times that they have walked away from the sport for good at the age of 42.
American twin brothers Mike and Bob Bryan have confirmed that they will not play another Tour match in an announcement that brings an end to their record breaking 25-year career. Between them they occupied the world No.1 doubles spot for 945 weeks with Mike holding the position slightly longer at 506 weeks. To put their longevity into perspective Mike first rose to the top spot in September 2003 and his most recent was last July.
“We just both feel it in our guts that it is the right moment,” Mike told The Times. “At this age it takes so much work to go out there and compete. We love playing still but we don’t love getting our bodies ready to get out there. The recovery is tougher. We feel like we were competitive this year, last year, the year before. We want to go out right now where we still have some good tennis left.”
In recent months it had been common knowledge that the brothers would be retiring from tennis but there has been uncertainty as to when due to the COVID-19 pandemic that halted the sport for five months earlier this year.
The duo are the most successful pairing in ATP history with 119 titles in 173 finals. They are the only players to have ever won every Grand Slam, Masters 1000, ATP Finals and Olympic event at least once. Overall, they have recorded more than 1100 wins on the Tour in what is an Open Era record for a doubles team in men’s tennis.
“We were pretty much unstoppable for those years,” Bob commented on their 2012-2013 season when they held all four Grand Slam titles and won the Olympics. “We were down a break of serve and smiling, and not one bit of negativity drifted into our game.”
Although Mike, who is two minutes older than his brother, admits the pairing have been through their difficulties. Besides injury setbacks, he says personal problems also impacted on his tennis at times.
“It’s not always rosy,” he said. “I went through a divorce, which was not easy on even Bob’s and my relationship, because it seeped into our tennis. I wasn’t playing my best level for a year or two, just because I wasn’t super happy. But luckily we’ve had each other to lean on.”
As to why the Bryans have decided to end their careers in the lead up to their home Grand Slam, the duo didn’t see the point of playing without fans who they wanted to thank. This year’s tournament is taking place behind closed doors due to the pandemic. It will be the first time a doubles draw has taken place at the New York major without either of them since 1994.
“We weren’t in this last year to just play the matches and to get points or to make money,” Bob said. “It was to really say our thank-yous to everybody and feel the atmosphere one last time. The crowds — that’s what make the U.S. Open magical in our minds. We really applaud the U.S. Open for getting going, and all the work they’ve put in to give tennis back to the fans on TV and to give players opportunities to compete again and make money. But it just wasn’t right for us.”
The Bryan brothers’ career
- 16 Grand Slam titles in 30 finals
- 39 ATP Masters 1000 titles in 59 finals
- Only team in the Open Era to hold all 4 Grand Slam titles at the same time
- Two-time Olympic medallists – bronze in 2008 and gold in 2012
- Finished No. 1 in team rankings 10 times (2003, 2005-07, 2009-14)
- Qualified for ATP Finals in 17 straight years
- Team win-loss record stands at 1108-359
- Holds the Davis Cup record for best doubles team (25-5) and most years played (15) for America.
Source ATP/Davis Cup
