It was as if it was 2014 again, or 2012, 2010, 2008 or even 2005. Choose whichever US Open doubles title run of Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan you want – all of them featured a match that looked like their fourth-round affair on Monday afternoon in Grandstand.
A packed stadium, with hundreds cramming the standing-room only areas, chanting and cheering for the five-time US Open champions. During break points: “What time is it? Break time!”; after popcorn exchanges that finished with a Bryan fist pump: “Are you not entertained?!”; and during the rare moment when the twins were in trouble: “Let’s go, Bryans! Let’s go, Bryans!”
The ringleaders were a row full of deep-throated men who may have had a few drinks and whom the Bryans had never seen before but were happy to hear, as they came back to beat ninth seeds Austrian Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic of Croatia, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, on a sunny Labor Day.
“The crowd was on fire. … We had like five guys in the front row that were drunk, and they were getting up on every point," Mike Bryan said. "We lost the first set and they were like, ‘We're going three! We're going to be with you guys all day!’ It kind of puts a pep in your step."
You can play 23 US Opens, win 16 Grand Slam titles and achieve just about everything there is in professional tennis, but some things still don’t get old.
“We really appreciate those moments when you walk onto a court like that and they're pulling for you and it's packed," Mike continued. "You don’t play many matches like that during the year."
Put the match elsewhere, say on a side court in Lyon, France, in the middle of May, and the outcome might be entirely different, the Bryans acknowledged.
“It just feels like you're swimming downstream sometimes, you’re just going with the current," said Bob. "They’re keeping you engaged every point. I think that’s the difference. You’re not losing focus."
The 39-year-old American twins are now back into the US Open quarterfinals for the second consecutive year, and they’re playing the type of tennis that has helped them hoist the trophy five times in Flushing Meadows.
They’re lunging and reaching every ball. They’re sticking their first volleys, and they’re landing their first serves. For the tournament, the Bryans have hit 70 percent of their first offerings and saved 11 of 14 break points.
“I think we're there," Mike said. "I think we've been playing well all year. It's just piecing it together and stringing matches in a row."
The twins have won two titles this year, including the US Open Series stop in Atlanta in July. They’ve been close to snagging bigger crowns, falling in the quarterfinals in Montreal and Cincinnati last month.
But their mindset, as much as their play, might be the reason they celebrate their record-extending sixth US Open title this weekend. They arrived in New York feeling like the fifth seeds, not like a historic team needing to solidify their legacy.
“We're not going in there, freaked out, [thinking] we have to win the title. We're just kind of enjoying every match,” Mike said.
The man who helped guide them to New York glory also sees a sixth title in their future. David Macpherson coached the Bryans to their five US Open crowns and rejoined them in May after a brief stint away. They’re playing as well as ever, Macpherson told USOpen.org.
“I feel like they can win a tournament, win a major at any time. They just have to bring their absolute best,” Macpherson said. “It's just getting the very, very best out of yourself, which they have done more than anyone in doubles history.”
A sixth US Open title could end any “best doubles team in history” discussion. The Bryans would have a record 17 Grand Slam crowns, and to add another to their haul at 39 would only bolster their legacy, as 36-year-old Roger Federer has done with his two Grand Slam crowns this year.
But that's not the focus of the all-time greats, who are competing in their 23rd US Open yet have the same philosophy they did in 1998. The Bryans, college sophomores at the time, were playing for legendary Stanford coach Dick Gould. Mike had just won his singles match in the NCAA final to clinch the team crown.
But before Mike had even shaken hands with his opponent at the net, Gould was working to stave off complacency. "Good job, but we're going to win this thing next year, too," he told Mike.
It fit with Gould's philosophy on life that he instilled in the brothers: "Be proud but don't be satisified."
"Don't be content. Don't sit there and stare at your trophies. Just try to get better every day," Bob said. "At 39, we're still trying to improve. ... We're not satisified, and we're not going to kick back and say, 'Oh we've won enough.' We're going to keep pushing ahead and try to take another trophy home."
