Twins Bob and Mike Bryan played their first World TeamTennis season with the Idaho Sneakers in 1999 and impressed fans with their superb doubles play. The Sneakers were coached by Bob and Mike’s father, Wayne Bryan, and the newcomers faced off in a memorable matchup late in the season against another set of brothers, Luke and Murphy Jensen of the St. Louis Aces.
During the 2004 WTT season, which was proclaimed as perhaps the best season thus far by WTT CEO/Commissioner Ilana Kloss, Bob and Mike Bryan played an integral role in the first championship victory of the Newport Beach Breakers over defending champions Delaware Smash. After their stellar 2004 season, Kloss asserted that the brothers represent “the best of American men’s tennis”.[1] The Bryan Brothers have embodied this characterization, enjoying a long run at the top of the men’s doubles rankings on the ATP Tour.
The brothers have continued their WTT success as longtime members of the Kansas City Explorers and have become fan favorites because of their seemingly intuitive, effortless on-court rhythm and their exuberant (and now signature) chest-bumping after winning tough points.
Shaw, Samantha. “2005: Our Best Season Ever,” Supertiebreaker, 2005, 10.