American twins Bob and Mike Bryan have claimed their fourth season finale at the ATP World Tour Finals in London, defeating seventh seeds Ivan Dodig and Marcello Melo 6-7(5), 6-2, 10-7. The Bryans end the year with a 64-11 match record.
“Looking back at the year, we're very proud of the way it went,” said Mike Bryan, about their sensational year. “If we had to pick one highlight during this great season, it would probably have to be the US Open. It was just a milestone we were shooting for. One of our big goals coming in the year was to try to hit 100 titles. We did it luckily at our home Grand Slam when there was a lot of talk about it. To finish year end No. 1 was a huge goal, we did that for the 10th season. That ranks right up there.”
Speaking about the prestige of the World Tour Finals, currently held at the O2 in London, he said, “This is considered the fifth slam, with the top eight teams in the world. To lose our first match and bounce back, barely qualify for the semi-finals, win today, was a great feeling.”
Surprisingly, Dodig and Melo entered the year end tournament without winning a single title all year. The duo did however save all four break points in the opener.
The Californian twins bounced back in the second set, breaking Melo in the fourth game, who double faulted twice. They also won three of the first four points in the match tie break.
Speaking of their age and whether or not it is a concern for them, Bob Bryan had this to say, "We are conscious of our age. We've been playing on hard courts since we've been three years old. We feel the joints. We don't bounce back as quick. We get massages now. I never got massages in my twenties.” He went on to say, “We're professional. We get the right sleep, eat the right foods, stay hydrated."
Their opponents are the first Croatian and Brazilian team to make it to the World Tour Finals and finish the year with a 30-21 match record.
In the singles tournament, Roger Federer withdrew from the match just moments after the conclusion of the doubles, stating a back injury as his reason. Andy Murray stepped in to play an exhibition match with ATP World Tour Finals Singles champion 2014, Novak Djokovic.