On Monday, March 3, the world No. 1 doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan will participate in the BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden in New York City.  Also featuring a singles exhibition match between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, this event joins others in Hong Kong and London to celebrate World Tennis Day.  The Bryans will face John and Patrick McEnroe in a matchup of past and current doubles superstars from the United States. 

An intriguing subtext underlies this exhibition.  Last December, John McEnroe used his substantial media platform to air controversial opinions on the relevance of doubles.  Despite his own achievements in that format, including nine major titles, McEnroe argued that majors should drop doubles as an inferior form of competition that showcased inferior talent. 

“Why we are even playing doubles at this point is a mystery to me,” said the former No. 1 in December.  “If you cut out doubles and gave that money to singles players ranked between 200 and 1000, maybe that would do something for the game. Then some other guy who never really had the chance to play ends up becoming No. 100 in the world instead of quitting when he’s No. 400.  Most doubles players, I hate to say, are the slow guys who were not quick enough to play singles.”

Those were provocative statements, aimed at current doubles stars with the sting of McEnroe’s trademark volleys.  On Thursday, the Bryans discussed their response to the man who will stand across the net from them—playing doubles—next Monday.

“Obviously we saw his comments,” said Mike, “and it’s not fun to read that stuff.  I’ve spoken to him and we aired it out.  We’re always doing our best to support doubles and popularize doubles.  We’re always positive about the game, and it doesn’t help doubles to have John McEnroe say that kind of stuff, but we’ve spoken about it.  

“He’s got a lot of respect for us,” he continued, “and we have a lot of respect for him.  We’re not going to go out there and try to kill him or anything. We’re friends, and I think we will probably talk about it a little more in person.”

The Bryans won their 94th career title at Delray Beach last week, leaving them six titles from a milestone that would resonate through the record books.  The twins from Southern California admitted that reaching 100 ranks among their future goals.

“I think that would be a fun number to hit,” said Mike.  “Who knows if we’ll get it this season or next season, but that is a goal to try to reach 100 before we retire.  I think we’ve been playing great tennis over the last few years, and it’s attainable.  We want to still play well at the Slams and re-qualify for the World Group in the Davis Cup, and we’re also shooting for the Olympics in Rio.”

The Bryans have hinted that their legendary career may end at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.  While much could change between now and then, they still eye that event as their likely swan song.

“In regard to the Olympic question,” said Bob, “that’s sort of a date that we set as the finish line. We want to stay healthy and make it to the Olympics, have a good showing, and maybe sail off into the sunset from there.  We’ll see how we feel.  Who knows how we’re going to feel 2 ½ years from now. We’ll probably re-evaluate, but it’s our goal to make it there and go for another gold.”

Remaining opportunities to see the best doubles team in tennis history will not last forever.  Comments like those should make fans even more eager to catch a glimpse of the Bryans next Monday in Madison Square Garden.