Bryan brothers' Slams-played streak comes to a halt

Bob and Mike Bryan made their Grand Slam debut at the 1999 French Open, where they lost to reigning Australian Open champs Jonas Bjorkman and Patrick Rafter in the second round.

Over the years, the twins have found the majors much to their liking as they set the record for most titles won among male teams with 16.

However, they won’t get the chance to add to their haul at this year’s French Open: Bob Bryan is still in recovery mode from a hip injury he suffered in the final of the Madrid Open, bringing their streak of consecutive Grand Slams played to an end at 76.

It’s a rough break as the 40-year-olds were on fire. After a mediocre campaign in 2017 by their standards, the Bryans got off to a solid start this year, reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open.

It was in the ATP Masters 1000 events where they truly shined as the Americans reached the final of the year’s first four tournaments, winning in Miami and Monte Carlo.

While Bob Bryan is on the sidelines, Mike Bryan will be teaming up with Sam Querrey at the French Open this year. Querrey is best known for his singles play, but he has had success in doubles, and three of his five career titles have come on clay.

Mike Bryan has taken the court with other players over the years: In fact, his two tournament triumphs with Mark Knowles and Mahesh Bhupathi back in 2002 give him the edge over Bob Bryan on the all-time titles list. And he’s pulled off some impressive results with Mardy Fish in Davis Cup, most notably when the pair beat Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka in 2012.

Bob Bryan is eyeing a return during the grass-court season. Meanwhile, Mike Bryan—playing a major without his brother for the first time—and Querrey will look to become the first unseeded team to win since … well, just last year, when Ryan Harrison and Michael Venus pulled it off.

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