Bob and Mike Bryan will come to Adelaide for the World Tennis Challenge with a point to prove

They’re veterans of the tour and have won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles – but Bob and Mike Bryan aren’t about to take things easy at the WTC event in Adelaide, writes Jesper Fjeldstad

The famous Bryan twins, Bob and Mike, are returning to the World Tennis Challenge in Adelaide. Picture: Tait Schmaal.

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THEY are pushing 40 and have proved to the world that they are the best doubles team of all time yet the Bryan twins are coming to the World Tennis Challenge for a mission rather than a holiday.

There is nothing Bob and Mike Bryan haven’t achieved.

They have collected 16 Grand Slam doubles titles spread across the four slams: The Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.

They won gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

They were part of the US Davis Cup victory in 2007 and have won the World Tour finals four times.

Oh, and they overtook two of Australia’s own, Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge, to have collected the most ATP doubles titles together.

Bob and Mike Bryan show off their trademark chest bump. Picture: Julian Finney/Getty Images

Yet the Bryans return to Adelaide, which they used as their tune-up event for the Australian Open last summer as well, as hungry and driven as they have ever been.

“We’ve hit a lot of our goals and there’s not a lot we’re striving for,” Mike Bryan said.

“We’ve won slams before but we want more of the same. We’re competitors and we kind of want to go out with a bang.

“We know this is our final chapter ... maybe a year or two max.

“I think we’re just looking for one last big highlight to kind of hang our hat on. But we’re still loving what we’re doing.

“We have a great time, you know, touring together playing doubles and once you retire you’re done forever.

We have a great time, you know, touring together playing doubles and once you retire you’re done forever.

“We just kind of want to wring every last drop out of the career.

“As long as we’re having a good time and we’re healthy and don’t feel like we’re slowing down or doing a disservice to the game, I mean, we’re going to be out there.

“Trips like going to Adelaide and Melbourne are the ones you look forward to, knowing we’ll have a nice trip to Australia and get the chance to reach one of our goals, which is to hoist another Grand Slam trophy.”

Despite being such a dominant force, the chest-bumping Bryan twins have always been fan favourites, taking out the fan awards just as often as winning titles during their long prime.

What has made them so successful?

Some commentators have pointed to the fact that they are mirror twins: Mike is right-handed and Bob is a leftie, which gives them not only better reach but also helps them create sharper angles.

Mike says it’s more subtle than that. He reckons it is more about the fact that they’ve always backed each other in, always trained and travelled together and have complete trust is one another is more important.

“When you’re twins you’re a package deal,” Bryan said. “You’re born into a relationship that’s never going to die.

“He’s part of me and I’m part of him and we just never ever looked for other partners.

“Even though we have our bad days and he says something that cuts me really deep – sometimes punches are thrown – you know it’s a weird relationship.

“But twins never give up. We love each other even though we can hate each other. There’s no divorce; that’s not an option.”

Bob and Mike Bryan celebrate another title.

This year, the WTC could not serve up better opposition for the Bryans. The doubles part of the event is headlined by the world’s second-ranked pairing, Australian John Peers and Finn Henri Kontinen, and world No.3s Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares.

The Bryans will come in as the outsider, which Bryan said provided the twins with great incentive.

But Bryan said he also liked the concept and the atmosphere and couldn’t wait to return to South Australia.

“I think it was very good preparation last year; we played a couple of world class teams in a live formate with a big crowd, on TV.

“It does feel like a professional tournament. I know it’s an exhibition and a bit more loosey-goosey but once they crack the balls and start the match you try your butt off for your team.

“It does feel like a great preparation; we went into the Aussie Open pretty hot last year.”

As for the slip in ranking, Bryan said it had given the twins a fresh perspective. It had taken some pressure off and provided the Bryans with more drive to prove that they are still capable of scaling the mountain that is a Grand Slam.

“It feel good to kind of not always be on top,” Bryan said. “We’re the underdogs now; we don’t always have a target on our backs and it feels good to just kind of shoot for these top teams now.

“I think we still have the level to win another slam but there are more teams that can beat us now.”