All-Time Greatest Doubles Team the Bryan Brothers To Be Celebrated at The Ojai Tennis Tournament
OJAI, Calif. (February 15, 2024) – The Bryan Brothers are coming home to The Ojai where their storybook careers as the greatest doubles team of all-time began.
The 45-year-old twins Bob and Mike from Camarillo have been named Tournament Honorees for the 122ndOjai Tennis Tournament, which will take place at storied Libbey Park and throughout West Ventura County April 24-28.
The fan-favorite Bryan Brothers will be celebrated on Friday night of the tournament, April 26th, at 6 p.m. at the Ojai Valley Museum with a special fundraising event with proceeds supporting the Ojai Valley Tennis Club, youth tennis programs and the enhancement of Libbey Park and local school tennis facilities, and The Ojai Tennis Tournament. Delicious food, wine and beer will be served and the Bryan Bros. All-Star Band will perform featuring Mike on lead guitar and drums and Bob on keyboards, among others. Tickets will be available on the ‘Ticket Information’ page.
Mike and Bob Bryan first burst onto the tennis scene in the 1990s winning five doubles titles, including the Boys’ 16s in 1993 and 1994, Boys’ CIF Interscholastic in 1995 and 1996 for Rio Mesa High and in 1998 while sophomores at Stanford.
“There is nothing comparable to playing ‘The Ojai’ as a young junior growing up in Southern California,” Bob said. “We always remember as little guys drinking the delicious orange juice and always taking extra cookies. We also found the grounds to be fun to explore when we were 5 or 6 years old when our parents played in the event. The whole scene there was so magical for us.”
Mike Bryan recalled watching the Pac-10 players like Jeff Tarango, Carl Chang, Jon Leach and Martin Blackman. “The park was so beautiful and majestic, and we were amazed at the large crowds that filled the stands,” Mike said. “And we always dreamed of someday playing there ourselves.”
The future Hall of Fame Bryan Brothers are considered the greatest doubles team of all time having won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles together, a record 119 ATP titles and 1,107 matches throughout their careers, including Olympic gold medals in 2012 and a Davis Cup title in 2007.
This is a historic year for The Ojai as it will be the last year the Pac-12 Championships will be played as the conference as it stands now will break apart following the 2023-24 season. The Pac-8 first began competing at The Ojai in 1951 and played for the Thacher Challenge Cup awarded to the team with the most points in individual singles and doubles events. In 2012 the men’s event moved from an individual tournament to a team dual-match format. The Stanford women won the first Pac-10 women’s title in 1982.
The Bryan Brothers are, of course, on The Ojai Wall of Fame among 91 other all-time greats that played at The Ojai before going on to win a Grand Slam. Players such as Bobby Riggs, Jack Kramer, Billie Jean King, Pancho Gonzales, Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Pete Sampras, Lindsay Davenport and Michael Chang are some of the other legends who have played at The Ojai.
Besides the Pac-12 Championships, The Ojai will once again serve as host to the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State Championships for teams and individuals that qualify. The Ojai’s Men’s and Women’s Open singles and doubles events will be contested with an overall purse of $20,000. The tournament also includes the Boys’ CIF singles and doubles tournaments, and more junior competitions with the Boys’ and Girls’ 14s and 16s draws, and a Girls’ 18s draw.
Players can enter The Ojai in the coming weeks once registration is open by going to the ‘Registration Info’ button on the homepage.
“The Ojai Tennis Tournament is one of the crown jewels of Southern California tennis and we are excited this year to honor the Bryan Brothers as Mike and Bob are two of our great champions,” said Carolyn Burke, President of the Ojai Valley Tennis Club. “Come out and join us and visit our famous Tea Tent, and drink freshly squeezed orange juice under the old oak and eucalyptus trees like fans have been doing at The Ojai for more than 100 years. There is no other tennis tournament that can compare to The Ojai.”