Tennis: Twins win with a show

They tried a butt-bump at Wimbledon once but it didn't quite work. The setting wasn't quite right - the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club - and as much as the twin Bryan brothers have broken down the stuffiness of tennis, it also looked a bit, well, camp.

It wasn't a surprise, then, when the chest bump made a return. Quite a few copied them (fortunately not the Williams sisters) which is why they tried something different.

It's their signature move and is well choreographed, with Mike and Bob Bryan running full speed at each other, jumping and bumping chests after each victory.

There have been a few. The Bryan brothers are on the cusp of overtaking the most successful doubles combination of all time, Mark Woodford and Todd Woodbridge, with seven grand slam titles among their 56 career titles.

They have also amassed an impressive 15-2 record in Davis Cup tennis for the US and finished the year as the No 1 combination for the fourth time in the past five years.

Doubles has always had a cursory following in tennis with most top players, preferring to concentrate solely on singles. But the Bryan brothers make it cool largely, it seems, because they are cool.

"We take tennis very seriously but it doesn't mean we can't have fun doing it," Mike says from their base in the US.

The Bryans will bring their brand of tennis to next month's Heineken Open, when they will be overwhelming favourites to collect their 57th title. In a singles field headed by metronomic Spaniards and South Americans who struggle to make a connection with local fans, they will bring some much-needed character.

Their mother once said they were a great example of what a marriage should be. They are immensely loyal to each other, have the occasional spat which is dealt with quickly and influence what the other does.

"I guess we are like a married couple," Mike admits. "We know everything about each other, play and practise together, have a band together... If one twin doesn't like the other's girlfriend, it won't work out, so I guess you could say it is tight to break into our circle.

"We work well together. We not only play doubles but also have our own band, which is a new challenge. We used to have fights when we were younger but nowadays we resolve disputes in a smarter way. I don't smack Bob in the head any more. Just kidding."

Curiously, though, the twins never played each other in competitive matches when they were younger. If they were drawn to play one another, parents Wayne and Kathy would force one to default the match on a rotational basis.

"We think it was a wise idea," Mike explains. "We are both very competitive and having a brother as your supporter, not opponent, just seemed like the best decision.

"There were a lot of other great players where we grew up in California, so we didn't need our brother to be one of them. Competition doesn't need to come from your own family."

Tennis was a big part of their upbringing but not the only thing. Kathy was a top-30 singles player in the 1960s and played a mixed doubles quarter-final at Wimbledon, while Wayne was a former professional. The pair owned and ran a Californian tennis club where the boys were immersed in the sport. Wayne's Master Plan, as the brothers now call their regime as children, meant no television or video games, three or four hours of tennis a day, an hour or more of homework and another hour of music.

They won their first doubles title aged six in an under-10s competition and achieved success in both singles and doubles at college.

Both joined the professional tour in 1998, playing singles and doubles but with limited success. Bob enjoyed more success but never quite made the top 100.

In 2001, Mike asked Bob if they could stop playing singles to focus solely on doubles. It worked.

They won four titles that year and finished 2001 as the seventh best combination and in 2003 won their first grand slam title and finished the year at No 1.

They have since won more than US$6 million in prizemoney and their annual earnings are comparable to what a top-10 singles player banks.

Would, however, either have been as successful if they weren't a twin and had a different doubles partner?

"We once were asked what if the zygote had never split into two and there was just an uber-player Bob," Bob offers.

"I thought it was a funny question but playing doubles together is not only fun but also seems to be working for us. Hypothetical questions are hard to answer. I am glad we play doubles together, though."

There has never been any suggestion they would split and team up with others. Their success together makes that a ludicrous proposition anyway but they need to be viewed as more than just twins.

Bob is a left-hander with a big serve. Mike, who is 3cm shorter partly due to food allergies that surfaced at college, plays right-handed and possesses a great return.

Mike is said to be more organised and mathematical than his more artistic brother, more left brain. He used to copy Bob's English homework and Bryan copied Mike's maths homework.

When they play, though, it's almost telepathic. There is little need for communication because they are so familiar with each other's game and what they are thinking.

The upcoming Heineken Open will be their first time at the Auckland tournament.

"We thought it would be a great way for us to prepare for not only the 2010 season, but also for the Australian Open," Mike says.

"In addition to that, we hear that New Zealand is a beautiful country, so hopefully we can get some time between matches to get to know it a bit better."

They might even find time for the Bryan Brothers Band to perform. Mike plays drums and guitar and Bob the keyboard and they have in the past recruited fellow professionals Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish and Jan-Michael Gambill to play with them.

It's action on the court they're coming for, though. And they hope it will end with a customary chest bump on finals day.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY