119 doubles titles, 16 Slams, Hall of Fame: How tennis’ legendary twins, Bob and Mike Bryan, did it all

This week, Maria Sharapova, Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. Look for special features throughout the lead-up on TENNIS.com:

🎾 Tuesday: Maria Sharapova's Hall of Fame induction is tennis royalty well-earned
🎾 Tuesday: 119 doubles titles, 16 Slams, Hall of Fame: How tennis’ legendary twins, Bob and Mike Bryan, did it all
🎾 Wednesday: Maria Sharapova was all business, no matter the medium
🎾 Wednesday: Bob and Mike Bryan made music on and off the tennis court
🎾 Thursday: Four lessons you can learn from Maria Sharapova
🎾 Thursday: Six lessons you can learn from Bob and Mike Bryan

No child who dreams of a career as a professional tennis player ever imagines that his or her finest triumphs will be in doubles. But then there come moments when forces out of our control intervene. Such happened in April 1978, when Wayne Bryan and his pregnant wife, Kathy Blake, learned one week prior to delivery that she was due to have twins.

The case can be made that destiny had chosen Bob and Mike Bryan to become one of the greatest doubles teams in tennis history–and eventually earn themselves a spot in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Should you favor dichotomies, you’d note that lefty Bob was more loosey-goosey, armed with the big serve and prone to eat Honey Smacks; righty Mike was more intense, in possession of the ultra-crisp return, his favorite cereal Natural Granola. But those subtle differences hardly do justice to the profound way these two identical twins occupied common ground—and thanks largely to the spirit of collaboration, built an arsenal that took them to 119 men’s doubles titles, including 16 majors.

“What twins share is an unspoken, hidden language,” says former U.S. Davis Cup captain Tom Gullikson, who along with his identical twin brother Tim comprised a formidable doubles team in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. “It’s an ESP or sixth sense, reading the body language, reading the moment.”

By Mutual Consent

But there was one exception. Wayne and Kathy had witnessed too many tennis families splinter as their children competed versus one another—anger, broken trophies, siblings sulking and even quitting tennis. And so it was decided that, should Bob and Mike reach the stage of a tournament where they’d have to play one another, they’d alternate defaulting. Through their teens, this happened roughly 10 times a year.

One can’t underestimate how meaningful it was for the Bryans to come of age in tennis-rich—and humidity-free—Southern California.

“In Florida, four hours would kill you,” says Bob. “But we were able to hit thousands and thousands of balls in very mild conditions.”

Besides being able to play nearly every day of the year, the brothers were frequently exposed to great tennis.

“To be it, it helps to see it,” says Wayne, who week after week took dozens of Cabrillo Racquet Club players to everything from college matches at UCLA and USC to the big-time ATP and WTA events that took place all over Southern California. An iconic moment came in February 1990, when the 11-year-old twins attended a Davis Cup match near San Diego and met one of their idols, doubles star Rick Leach.

“I don’t usually tell this to anyone,” says Leach, “but there was something I saw in them that led me to say, ‘One day you guys are going to play Davis Cup too.’ They had something special even then.”

Following great junior careers, including two consecutive national Boys’ 18s doubles titles, there came excellence at Stanford, the two playing a major role on two NCAA championship squads (’97-’98). From there, Bob and Mike turned pro and swiftly established themselves as a first-rate doubles team. In ’99, they won three Challenger tournaments and also, in Orlando, reached their first final.

“They were a presence just about immediately,” says one of their role models, Luke Jensen, who in 1993 had won Roland Garros alongside his younger brother, Murphy.

A Fork in the Road

The dilemma was that the Bryans were performing so well in ATP doubles events that they lacked the bandwidth to concurrently work their way through the qualifying rounds of the singles.

“If you’re not going to go all in on singles, you’re not going to make it,” says Bob. “If you’re not going to go all in on doubles, you’re not going to make it. And the sponsors that we had tailored lot of their bonuses to the doubles ... It’s like they had a crystal ball.”

So it was that Bob and Mike completely committed themselves to doubles. If at first this was theoretically disturbing, so tremendous was their collaborative success that it was hardly worth looking back.

“As twins, it was an easy decision,” said Bob.

Having known nothing but teamwork since even before birth, Mike and Bob’s highest priority was to play Davis Cup. And the best way to earn their spot on the squad would be to win a Grand Slam doubles title. The big breakthrough came in 2003 at Roland Garros, when the Bryans won their first of two titles there.

“That took a lot of pressure off us,” said Bob. “It kind of validated everything we did, both on the practice court and in the gym.”

More triumphs followed. In 2005, after losing in the finals of the first three majors, the Bryans that summer hired an Australian doubles guru, ex-pro David Macpherson, to be their coach. It was a perfect relationship.

“He brought us this fresh perspective and told us just to cut loose,” said Mike. They went on to win the US Open that year, avoiding what they jokingly dubbed the “anti-Slam.”

👉 Read More: The Bryan brothers' path to the Hall of Fame began at Roland Garros

The sponsors that we had tailored lot of their bonuses to the doubles ... It’s like they had a crystal ball. Bob Bryan on the twins' early career

In 2013, Bob and Mike took the year’s first three majors. But their quest to become the first team since 1951 to earn all our men’s doubles in a calendar year was derailed in the semis of the US Open by the formidable team of another Hall of Famer, Leander Paes, paired with Radek Stepanek.

“We're very disappointed,” said Bob following that match. “As competitors we hate to lose, and we knew what was riding on this match and the opportunity of what we could have accomplished. ... And then in one sense it's a little bit of a relief where you get to kind of exhale for the first time in a few months.”

Beyond those triumphs at the majors, two more highlights happened in team competitions. First came the 2007 Davis Cup finals, played in Portland, versus Russia. With the Americans up 2-0, Bob and Mike had a chance to bring the Cup back to the U.S. for the first time in 12 years. Versus the team of Igor Andreev and Nikolay Davydenko, the brothers won, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-2.

“Being able to clinch it in front of all those fans, confetti, pyrotechnics and drum lines was a blast,” said Bob. Said Wayne: “I couldn’t stop crying.”

All told, the Bryans would compile a sparkling 25-4 Davis Cup record, earning more wins than any other American duo.

Five years later, in London, Bob and Mike struck Olympic gold. “That feeling carried us for a long time,” said Bob. “We just had a huge smile on our face that lasted a couple of years.”

Following their retirement in August 2020, Bob and Mike segued naturally into the role of Davis Cup leadership. Bob is the captain, while Mike zeroes in on coaching that week’s doubles team.

Wayne’s Remarkable Vision

And to think it began 60 years ago, when Wayne was still a teenager. Interviewed for his high school newspaper about the future, Wayne said, “My son will be the number one player in the world.”

It was quite the dream, only altered when twins entered the picture. Then again, perhaps the presence of two aspiring tennis players created an atmosphere both competitive and grounding.

“We always stay pretty humble,” says Mike, “because we would just keep each other in check, right?”

Year after year, the Bryans were a dream for tournament directors and promoters. It’s doubtful no active pros ever signed more autographs and led the tour in clinic participation than Bob and Mike. It goes back to the way they were raised and their sense of commitment to the sport—and the kindness with which both treat people.