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TENNIS MASTERS CUP

November 16, 2008

SHANGHAI, CHINA

NESTOR-ZIMONJIC/Bryan-Bryan
7-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you just talk about the match and maybe the shoulder injury, just the whole week in general.
BOB BRYAN: Yeah, I mean, it's been a great week. I thought we played some pretty good tennis here in Shanghai. Obviously would have liked to have seen the ball a little bigger today. But they served tough, hit some great returns and kept the pressure on us.
You know, we had that early break in the first set. Just kind of missed some first serves unfortunately and let that slip away. We never really kind of got the advantage after that.
But, you know, as far as the shoulder, I'm pretty optimistic. You know, it's been a lot worse. This week it turned around. I was able to play some good tennis, hit some pretty big serves. So looking forward to next year. Hopefully it's all gone by then.

Q. Despite obviously the outcome not going for you, is there something more exciting about playing an event like this when the No. 1 ranking is on the line for the year?
BOB BRYAN: Yeah, it's pretty unusual that that No. 1 ranking comes down to one match. You know, that's probably one in a million. With all the points out there, having it hinge on, you know, a few points at the end of the season is pretty amazing.
But, you know, they had some good results. We all won big tournaments. But I think they deserve it. They won the season-ending championships. I guess got to tip our hat to them. They played a great tournament and had a great year. We look forward to battling it out next year for the same thing.

Q. Besides all the success you've had on the regular tour, you've been very competitive and very emotional about Davis Cup. What makes and made in the beginning Davis Cup so special for you two?
MIKE BRYAN: I mean, playing Davis Cup you play for your country. There's nothing more special than going out there and, you know, playing for the red, white and blue. You know, you play for your country; you play for your teammates. It's just bigger than winning just for you. You know, so that's why it's so special.
You know, we watched Davis Cup when we were 10 years old. There's no better atmosphere. Even when you're playing on the road and they're cheering against you, it's still electric.
So, I mean, we love it. We're going to keep play Davis Cup as long as Patrick McEnroe keeps asking us. You know, that's where we have the biggest rush, when we play for our country.

Q. Is there any moment that you would say so far has been the greatest in Davis Cup?
MIKE BRYAN: The greatest Davis Cup match we played? I'd probably say last year when we won in Portland, when we clinched the final match in the finals. That was probably the highlight of our Davis Cup career.

Q. Now next year, the first round of course is very nice, very attractive, also for the spectators. It's not going to be easy. What do you expect of that tie against Switzerland? Does the Olympic match sort of still play a role in the back of your head then?
BOB BRYAN: Yeah. I mean, we're playing against the gold medalists in the doubles. It's obviously going to be a lot of fun, you know, being on the same court with Roger Federer. The guy's the best player of all time.
You know, I think the fans are really going to come out for this tie. It's in the States. You know, maybe in this match, you know, since they won the gold medal, beat us in the last match, we're not the favorites. Who knows. I'd like to think we are, but maybe a lot of people think that Federer's favorite.
So it's going to be a little bit of a different situation for us and it's gonna be, I think, a very exciting match. I mean, we think we can win. They think they can win. It makes for an explosion (smiling).

Q. Your partnership has been very successful to date, but all partnerships evolve. Are there any specific aspects, either technical or tactical, that you'll be looking to improve for next year?
MIKE BRYAN: Yeah, we always want to stay healthy. We're always working hard in the gym, you know, staying quick and explosive. That's the key to doubles: quick movements. So once we're all healthy, you know, we can work on a lot of things.
We still think we're getting better, even though we're 30 years old. It's kind of like a fine wine: you get better with age when you play doubles and you learn more things. We have a great coach. I think I can become a better poacher. Just, you know, little things, specialty shots. We can mix up, play with more variety, mix in some lobs. We like to play with power, but when we bring that variety in I think we're a better team.
Yeah, you know, you just keep working on things. Guys find out our weaknesses. It does evolve during the year. You know, guys find out where we're weak, and we've got to work on different things, just returns, serves. There's a lot of different technicalities, but that's the general.

Q. You said you're 30. Do you kind of look at it as time is passing you by, you have a limited window, or is it like Jonas Bjorkman? He could probably still be playing. Do you have a preference on a venue where you think it would be for the tie against Switzerland?
BOB BRYAN: As far as age, you know, if we were singles players, probably, yeah, we're running out of time. But this is the doubles game. You know, you look at the rankings, and we're pretty much the youngest guys.
So, yeah, I think we can play good doubles till we're 36, 37, 38, if we wanted to. So, yeah, we still feel like we're on top. We're contending for Grand Slams, all the big titles. That's gonna keep it fun for us for hopefully a long time.
As far as a venue, I don't know. I mean, I'm not even sure which ones are in contention. But I think it's going to be a huge crowd, 15,000 probably. They're looking for about that size.

End of FastScripts

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TENNIS MASTERS CUP

November 16, 2008

Mike Bryan

Bob Bryan