The Davis Cup’s introduction to Oahu will mark a return — and a farewell — for the most decorated men’s doubles team of the Open Era.
Bob and Mike Bryan, who teamed for a record 118 titles, including 16 Grand Slams, are slated to return to the U.S. roster for next month’s Davis Cup qualifier against Uzbekistan, adding an appearance at Blaisdell Arena to their final year of competition.
Among their myriad accomplishments, the Bryan brothers compiled the most prolific Davis Cup resume in U.S. history before stepping away from the event in 2017. Last November, the 41-year-old twins announced their plans to retire after this year’s U.S. Open.
But U.S. captain Mardy Fish, who played in the Davis Cup with the Bryans, lured them back to the team for the event’s Oahu debut.
“Personally, professionally as a captain, as a friend, really excited that they’re going to kind of come out of retirement, if you will, for Davis Cup and play one more time and play in front of the home fans,” Fish said in a phone interview with the Star-Advertiser.
The first Davis Cup event to be held in Hawaii since 1992 (a match between the U.S. and Argentina held at Mauna Lani) is set for March 6 and 7, with the winner earning a spot in the Davis Cup finals in Madrid in November.
As such, the inclusion of the Bryans is more than sentimental for Fish.
“Most importantly, we want to win,” Fish said. “They’re our best team and we’re gonna run with them.”
Although the brothers had retired from Davis Cup play, Fish contacted them about returning to the team following their farewell appearance at the Australian Open, where they had won six titles and reached the third round in the men’s doubles draw last month.
“Davis Cup is a tough traveling schedule for the guys … and adding weeks is difficult. But the guys love doing it and they love doing it because they love playing as part of a team, they love playing for the U.S. It’s the ultimate team competition,” Fish said.
“I called them and pitched the idea for all the above and giving them the honor and respect they deserve to be a part of the team. They’re obviously still an incredibly formidable doubles team and still winning tournaments. With them retiring at the U.S Open, this is really our only chance to get them back out there and my only chance to be the captain with them.”
No doubles team has won with the frequency of the Bryan Brothers, the only men’s team to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time and the only one to win every Grand Slam twice. They spent 438 weeks as the No. 1 doubles team in the world and finished atop the year-end rankings 10 times. Individually, Mike has spent a record 506 weeks as the No. 1 ranked doubles player in the world.
The brothers have played in the Davis Cup in 14 years with a 27-5 record and Mike owns the U.S. record for most ties played with 32. They earned the clinching point in the 2007, when the U.S. defeated Russia for the country’s most recent of its 32 Davis Cup titles. They also won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Mike’s most recent stint at No. 1 started in July 2018 — making him the oldest player to hold that rank — and spanned close to a year as he won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open with Jack Sock. After Bob recovered from hip surgery that sidelined him for part of the 2018 season, the brothers reunited last year and picked up two more titles at Delray Beach and the ATP Masters 1000 Miami.
“If you watch them closely, they don’t even tell each other where they’re serving, they already know where they’re serving,” said Fish, who reached No. 7 in the world in singles and partnered with Mike in past Davis Cup ties when Bob was unavailable. “It’s pretty awesome to see as a fan and I’m a huge fan of theirs professionally.”
The Bryan brothers will provide the veteran presence on what looks to be a youthful U.S. lineup. The official nominations will be made Feb. 25 and expected to be on the list for the qualifier are 22-year-olds Taylor Fritz, Reilly Opelka and Tommy Paul.
Fritz is the second-highest ranked American at No. 36 in the world with Opelka at 38. Paul jumped to No. 70 after advancing to the third round of the Australian Open. Fritz and Opelka made their Davis Cup debuts last year in Madrid, where the U.S. defeated Italy and lost to Canada in its pool.
“They’re the future of American tennis,” Fish said. “They’re gonna be the household names that people are going to want to see on a regular basis.”
DAVIS CUP QUALIFIER
U.S. vs. Uzbekistan
>> When: March 6-7
>> Where: Blaisdell Arena
>> At stake: a spot in the 2020 Davis Cup finals in Madrid
>> Tickets: Ticketmaster.com, usta.com/daviscup (two-day packages $48-$250, single day $29-$140)
