Famous tennis doubles partners Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan are retiring from the sport ahead of the US Open, they told The New York Times on Wednesday.
The decision concludes a professional tennis partnership that includes a men’s double record of 16 Grand Slam championships.
“We just both feel in our hearts that this is the right moment,” Mike Bryan told the Times. “At this age, it takes so much work to get out there and fight. We still love playing, but we don’t like making our bodies get out of there. The recovery is harder.
“We feel like we were competitive this year, last year, the year before. We want to go out right now where we still have some good tennis left.”
The twin brothers, both 42, had previously planned to retire to the US Open 2020. But the decision to hold the Grand Slam without fans attending due to the coronavirus pandemic led to their decision to withdraw for the event.
“We were not just going to play the games and get points or make money this past year,” Bob Bryan told the newspaper. “It was to say a real thank you to each of us and to feel the atmosphere one last time. The bustle – that’s what makes the US Open magical in our minds. We truly applaud the US Open for going and all the work they do “I have committed to giving tennis back to the fans on TV and to giving players opportunities to compete again and make money, but it just wasn’t good for us.”
The Bryans have won a total of 119 titles along with the 2007 Davis Cup and the 2012 Olympic Games double gold medal for the United States. They also have 10-end ducks as the No. 1 doubles team in the rankings.
“We were pretty much unstoppable for those years,” Bob Bryan told the Times. “We were a lack of service and smiles, and not a single bit of negativity drove us into our game.”
They reached the third round of the men’s doubles at the Australian Open, the only Grand Slam event to be played in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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