Micaela Bryan 'dishes' on tennis, stardom

By Chris Oddo, Special for USA Today Sports
February 28, 2013

Micaela Bryan tuned 1 year old on Jan. 31, yet she already is a Twitter tennis
legend. Everyone wants to have their photo taken with her.

It's been a whirlwind first year on the planet for Micaela Bryan.

The daughter of the world's top-ranked doubles player Bob Bryan and his wife Michelle has racked
up more frequent-flier miles by the age of 1 than most people earn in a lifetime, and she's become
all the rage in tennis circles while doing so. Harnessing the power of social media like no infant ever
has before, the globetrotting, upwardly mobile super baby has amassed more than 9,000 Twitter
followers and glad-handed countless tennis superstars in her travels.

Whether she is hobnobbing with a shirtless Novak Djokovic at a tropical resort or making the
typically stone-faced Ivan Lendl crack a rare smile in Australia, Micaela is at her best when she's the
life of the party. As she says on her Twitter bio, "I'm just a baby ... don't judge me."

But beneath the smiling exterior lies a very serious, very fastidious young woman. Though
constantly besieged by autograph seekers and interview hawks, Micaela Bryan remains closely
guarded by her entourage, choosing to emerge from seclusion only when she deems herself ready
to be at her playful, most photogenic best.

After many unsuccessful attempts, USA TODAY Sports finally landed the big interview. Though her busy schedule did not allow time for a sitdown chat, she did agree to participate, with the help of one of her assistants, in an email interview.

Q: Micaela, you turned 1 on Jan. 31. Did you ever think you'd achieve so much in just one year (the gold medal, drinking champagne from trophies, jet-setting around the globe, helping your dad get over the Yankees postseason failures in 2012)?

You're right, it's been a miracle year for me! Last February I couldn't even lift my own head and by the end of the summer I had a gold medal. It doesn't matter how much the odds are stacked against you, if you drink your breast milk, anything is possible.

Is it true that you sulked for days in Paris after your daddy and his brother lost the French Open final, not leaving your room once and refusing to talk to anybody but Billie Jean King?

I was a little disappointed in Daddy for not finishing the job in Paris. He told me that if he won we'd go to EuroDisney. Hopefully I'll be riding Space Mountain this May.

Is it true you've already been accepted to Harvard, Princeton, Stanford and UCLA?

My iPhone/iPad fingering swiping reflexes are in the 99th percentile, my foot speed has been clocked at 1 mph, and my screams can be heard from miles away. It's true, these colleges are holding "full rides" for me ... but I'll probably turn pro at 2½.

Now that you are an international celebrity, how long are the lines that form to take your picture?

Sloane Stephens begged me for a picture in Melbourne after she beat Serena, but I couldn't fit her in my schedule. She's got an appointment for March of 2015.

Is it true that you took a three-setter from one of Roger Federer's daughters the other day on clay?

This is a rumor. First of all, it was grass and I'm not sure which twin it was, but I beat one of them in straight sets. Then the other one magically appeared and tried to double team me but my serve and volley game was too strong. If there was a triplet, they might have stood a chance.

Is it true that you challenged Novak Djokovic to a staring contest and he didn't have the courage to compete with you?

This is also untrue. We had an hour long stare-off last year during Wimbledon. He fought like the champion he is but his trainer had to pull him out of the room when his face started cramping.

Do you ever get weary of all the fame and all the adulation?

It only gets annoying when the autograph signing cuts into my Sesame Street time. I love my fans, but Elmo is God.

Is it true that you and the Federer twins are investing in real estate in Hong Kong?

The Federer twins are loaded. They've obviously made some great investments in their day. When they tell me to get in on a deal, I listen!

What's in Micaela's iPod this week?

I enjoy a wide range of music ... all the way from Little Weezy to Little Bo Peep.

For someone who has done so much already in life, and at such a young age, I want to know: How do you stay motivated?

It's simple: Biggie used to say, "Mo money, mo problems" but I say, "Mo money, mo toys!"