Plenty on the Line for Record-setting Bryan Brothers

WIMBLEDON, England — For identical twins Bob and Mike Bryan, synchronicity seems to know no bounds.

Not on the tennis court, where they have become the most successful doubles duo in history. Nor when it comes to the more mundane.

Like furniture shopping.

Fresh off their opening-round victory against Brazil's Marcelo Demoliner and Andre Sa at Wimbledon, the top-seeded Americans described a freaky phone call when they discovered they had purchased the exact same sectional couch — brand, color, price — from opposite coasts.

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"I'm like, shut up!" recalled Bob, who was in Miami. "I'm in a couch store, too."

"We didn't even talk about going shopping for furniture," said Mike, who was phoning from California. "It was like Twilight Zone. That's once in a lifetime."

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At 35 and playing the best tennis of their careers, the Bryans have positioned themselves for perhaps more never-to-be-repeated moments.

A third championship at Wimbledon would mean a so-called "Golden Bryans Slam" — a chance to hold all four major titles consecutively along with the Olympic gold they picked up last summer.

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It would also keep them on target for a traditional calendar year Grand Slam, which has been accomplished just once. Australians Ken McGregor and Frank Sedgman did it in 1951.

"We've had a lot of these amazing-type records that we've had the opportunity to achieve over the last few years," said right-hander Mike, emphasizing that capturing Wimbledon remains their current focus.

But yes, he admitted, more is on the line.

"There's a couple extra things that go with it this time which would make it pretty awesome," he said.

Few firsts remain for the Camarillo, Calif.-born brothers.

They have ticked off just about every meaningful mark in men's doubles — among them, most Grand Slam titles (14), most overall titles (90), and most years finishing No. 1 (8).

Since losing a year ago in the Wimbledon semifinals to unseeded and eventual champions Jonathan Marray and Frederik Nielsen, the Bryans have been on a tear.

They won Olympic gold, the U.S. Open, the Australian Open and this month captured their second French Open — a decade after winning their first. The twins are the first team to win all four majors at least twice.

They are also the first duo to show up in London with two legs of the Grand Slam in 46 years.

"I think we're hitting our peak right now," Mike said. "Never had these kind of results. Never been this dominant. We're just closing down the holes. Not a lot of things teams can pick on. Confidence is high. Bodies feel great."

While increased physicality is one reason so few young players are making an impact men's singles, Bob said the movement, communication and mental side of doubles takes longer to ripen.

"It takes a long time to mature," the lefty said. "I think it's a more complex game in a lot of ways."

"We're going to shut down when we're mentally tired," chimed in Mike. "Our bodies are going to last us for a long time."

The Bryans attribute some of their top form to finally nabbing the gold medal here last year.

"We started playing happier," Mike said. "You play great when you play happy. That translated to a great summer."

They rode that "high" until the fall, where the emotionally depleted pair finally felt the effects and failed to win a title after October. But they picked it up again in January, snagging their record-breaking 13th major at the Australian Open.

Their eight titles in 2013 are the most to this stage of the season and they are on a 19-match winning streak following titles in Madrid, Rome, Roland Garros and Queen's Club.

Only twice have they won more: in 2007 and 2010, when they won 11 titles.

While grass rewards the 6-4 players' big serves, that works both ways. And it may explain why they have triumphed at Wimbledon only twice, even failing to take the crown in years when they didn't drop serve.

"I feel like grass is a little bit of an equalizer because a caveman can come out there and serve bombs," Bob said. "You have to get ready to play the big points well on grass because a lot of times you're going to be in tiebreakers."

Their personal lives have parted some from the days the Stanford standouts imagined they might marry and live together in one big house.

Bob resides in Miami with his wife, Michelle, and daughter, the Twitter sensation Micaela. They are expecting a second child. Mike remains based in Camarillo and is married a Lucille, a Brit.

Clearly the telepathy is intact. Whether furniture or forehands, it's hard to break the Bryans' lines of communication.

-Courtesy of USA Today