Wimbledon 2011: Bob and Mike Bryan go back to work after doubles win

Everything you need to know about the character of Bob and Mike Bryan can be summed up in one fact. Less than 24 hours after winning their second Wimbledon doubles title and a record-equalling 11th grand slam crown, the American twins were boarding a flight to Texas for their next stop, a Davis Cup tie against Spain this weekend. No party, no celebration, just rackets packed and straight back down to business. They are down to earth, affable and engaging off the court; it is their incredible attitude to training and competing that has kept them at the top of the game for several years. Their win over Robert Lindstedt of Sweden and Horia Tecau of Romania on Saturday drew them level with the grand slam tally of the Woodies, Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge. At 33, the Bryans are relatively young by today's doubles standards and by the time they are finished, the grand slam record could be out of sight. "I think we're hitting our peak," Mike Bryan said. "We won 11 titles last year." "We don't want to say we're going for 20 because if we don't get there, it's going to be a letdown," Bob Bryan added. "We're happy with what we've done. We're not content or satisfied. But we have smiles on our faces when we walk by our trophy case in the morning. How this career has gone has been a storybook for us." In every respect, doubles has been the poor cousin of the singles game over the past 20 years. While John McEnroe and Stefan Edberg won grand slam doubles titles, the athletic demands are so high that very few of the world's top 20 now risk playing more than the singles. Doubles' status is reflected in reduced television exposure and reduced prize money. So it is to their enormous credit that the Californians who played their first tournament at the age of six (and won it) have blazed a trail for so long. Their Davis Cup captain, Jim Courier, considers them a guaranteed point. "We're going to switch gears and get back in Davis Cup mode, which is going to be wild because we've been over here [in Europe] for three months," Bob said. "You might want to go blow it out and party, but no, back to business." While other doubles teams mix and match, the Bryans have never considered playing regularly with anyone else. As twins, it would not be an easy decision and while they are still winning, why would they split up anyway? Though Bob is now married and has moved to Florida, they spend most of the year on the road together and they get on extremely well. As Mike said: "We share the same DNA." Providing they remain fit and motivated, there seems no reason why they should not continue their run of success. With each passing year, the topic of retirement is raised more often, though, and the brothers know it will all have to end some day. Just not yet. "I think we can see the finish line now, which makes it easier to work hard," Bob said. "We see our time out here as I think five or six more years. You look at [Daniel] Nestor. He's 39, almost 40 and the guy's just having a great time still and he's playing well. I think we're going to milk it as long as we can. We've talked to veterans who have retired, like [Jacco] Eltingh or [Paul] Haarhuis. They say they wish they had kept going. Every slam we give 100%. We'll keep going." Jürgen Melzer of Austria and Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic won the mixed doubles title, beating Mahesh Bhupathi of India and the Russian Elena Vesnina 6-3, 6-2. George Morgan ensured there was some British success as he partnered Mate Pavic of Croatia to win the boys' doubles, beating another Briton, Oli Golding, and the Czech Jiri Vesely 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 in the final.