Inside the secret to Mahut and Herbert's 2016 success

Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert have taken over the ATP doubles rankings, finishing the year at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.

"We had a good run this year..." Mahut said. "We feel like we just want to improve again our games. That's what we did this year. We are a better team than last year."

Mahut and Herbert's greatest strength may be their balance, with Mahut nine years elder than the 25-year-old Herbert. Both also compete on the singles circuit with Mahut ranked No. 39 and Herbert at No. 78.

The French duo started their winning ways together in 2015 with their first title in Queen's Club followed by the US Open. They've played almost exclusively together this season, adding five more crowns, including Masters titles in Miami, Indian Wells and Monte Carlo, and a second major at Wimbledon.

"Wimbledon is a really special place for me," Mahut said. "It was a dream come true when we won this event."

Though they had high hopes  at the ATP World Tour Finals, Mahut and Herbert ended the year on a sour note, losing all three of their round-robin matches in London.

Still, the Frenchmen still ended the year atop the doubles individual rankings (with Mahut being the first French doubles No. 1 since Yannick Noah in 1987). They finished as the No. 2 team behind Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares.