Survey a hundred people as to what first comes to mind when asked about doubles, and most would probably answer the “Bryan Brothers.”  Bob and Mike Bryan have been one of the major life forces behind doubles for more than a decade, and that does not look to change any time soon.  None of that is to say, however, that they could not greatly benefit from winning the ATP World Tour Finals in London this week.   

Win or lose, the Bryans have done plenty to secure their place in the sport.  Together they have amassed over a hundred titles, which is more than any other doubles duo in history by quite some margin.  Among those titles are 16 major doubles crowns and 32 Masters shields, which are figures that also outshine other famous pairs of the past.  But despite these staggering statistics, there are still many who do not look at the Bryans as even one of the top three tandems of all time.

The key argument against placing the accomplishments of the Bryan Brothers ahead of others is that the present doubles competition is diluted compared to years past with so many of today’s top singles players opting to rarely also compete in doubles.  There is some validity to that sentiment, too.  Former top-10 singles player Fernando Verdasco teamed with David Marrero to defeat the Bryans in the championship match of the ATP World Tour Finals last year.  Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka joined forces to win Olympic Gold, while Rafael Nadal has sparingly thrown his hat into the doubles ring at Masters events, only to waltz away with the title.  Additionally, the dominance of Venus and Serena Williams at the majors shows what a difference star singles players can make to a doubles field. 

While not exactly apples-to-apples, the consistent lack of top singles players in the doubles competition leaves the Bryans in a similar scenario to that of Margaret Court.  The Australian has won more overall Grand Slam titles than anyone, male or female, and as one of only five players to complete the singles calendar-year Grand Slam, she deserves more recognition than she currently receives.  Yet because so many of her championship runs came in Australia at a time when many of the other best competitors rarely made the trip Down Under to contest the title, she is rarely mentioned in the same breath as other former greats like Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, and Steffi Graf. 

Similar to Court, there is a sense that the Bryans have been able to rack up an astonishing number of titles primarily because they have faced less competitive fields than those with which pairs like John Newcombe and Tony Roche or Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde were forced to contend.  Like Court, however, this is not their fault.  They can only play who is front of them, and to their credit, they have been remarkable at beating the teams they are supposed to beat and capitalizing on their chances once at the business end of an event.  That said, the doubt as to whether the Bryans could have compiled such an impressive résumé against stiffer competition remains.

That doubt is legitimate when looking at the Americans’ record at the year-end championships.  It is an event that features only the best of the best, and in their 11 trips to this prestigious tournament, the Bryans have won the title just three times.  They have put together a so-so 29-17 record and failed to make it out of the round-robin stage on three occasions.  Compare those numbers with a prominent force in the singles arena like Roger Federer.  The Swiss has qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals only once more than the Bryans, and yet he has amassed more wins (44) and fewer losses (11).  He has reached the final eight times and won on six of those eight trips.  Equally impressive, only once has he failed to emerge from the round-robin stage.  In short, Federer’s dominance against the cream of the crop adds further weight to his overall career accomplishments, while the Bryans’ underwhelming statistics give further credence to those who contend that they would not have secured so many titles against the regularly tougher competition of previous eras.

Regardless of what one feels about the accolades of the Bryan brothers, they still unquestionably have earned a high place in the sport’s history.  They have been exceptionally consistent through the years and are a big part of the reason why doubles is relevant today.  Still, finding a way to advance to the semifinals with a win over Bruno Soares and Alexander Peya and potentially going on to win the championship would go a long way towards bolstering their legacy.