WESTERN AND SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS

August 17, 2003

Bob Bryan

BOB BRYAN: Thanks, Sharko.

BOB BRYAN: Yeah. It's a good warmup for the Open. It's a huge title for us. It's our second major title of the year, and really, just winning any Masters Series is unbelievable, especially in the U. S. for us.

MIKE BRYAN: Yeah.

BOB BRYAN: That's what makes it really big. This one, Indian Wells and Miami are fifth, sixth and seventh Grand Slam for us.

MIKE BRYAN: Yeah.

BOB BRYAN: But it's great because I don't think we played our best tennis this week, so we're going to go to New York and try to keep tightening it up.

MIKE BRYAN: We had a good time. We saw some movies, go to the Waffle House every morning, and for dinner. But we love it. You know, they give you a car. They give you freedom to go into the city and to that King's Island park, just a lot of restaurants around here.

MIKE BRYAN: No. We didn't go this year, but I think we might go today. We made a bet if we won this tournament, we might have to go on that sky ride. He went on it two years ago and I didn't go on it, so maybe it's my turn.

BOB BRYAN: No. It's the bungie jump, but you swing instead of drop.

MIKE BRYAN: It's my turn, I think. So if I'm dead, that's how I died.

MIKE BRYAN: Yeah.

MIKE BRYAN: I keyed something about two days ago, and I don't want to get technical, but I just started using my hips a little more, and the power started coming. And then, you know, just usually if you just key one thing, you think about that the whole week, it takes care of itself. And you know, Bob holds almost every time, and actually --

BOB BRYAN: I was struggling more than Mike was.

MIKE BRYAN: He was struggling more than I was. We had a lot of tie games on our serve, but we kept the pressure on them and made them hold, because we're always leading in every set. But I think they played a better second set than us. We just got --

BOB BRYAN: Yeah. It was just fun to be up that one game every time, and I think that's what carried us through. If we were serving 15-40 down a game, I think it would have been a little tougher mentally.

MIKE BRYAN: Yeah.

BOB BRYAN: But I think they played a little bit better second set. They won more points. But you know, I think it was just a difference of we wanted it, you know, and the crowd was pulling -- you know, never let us get down. They were pulling for us hard. Just "Mike and Bob" every point. I was about to say shut up. It was getting irritating after I missed every return. I'm like I can't make one.

MIKE BRYAN: Come on "Mike and Bob."

MIKE BRYAN: Yeah, they jacked us up. 3-0 is a big hole in the breaker, but you know, we clawed back to 3-3, and then anything happened. Bob, you hit that huge forehand. That was one of the clutchest forehands because he hadn't made a return

on --

BOB BRYAN: That was like the best return I made all week.

MIKE BRYAN: He made a first serve on you; right?

BOB BRYAN: He had a first-serve T.

MIKE BRYAN: That was a dream forehand up the line. That's huge.

MIKE BRYAN: My wrist has been actually -- it's been killing me the last two weeks, since I played drums in D.C. I'm a drummer, and I'm stupid. I know every time I play drums, it hurts, but we had two gigs, and I didn't warm up my wrist. I went out there and just cranked on the drums, and I did something to it, so I've been loading up on like Vioxx and all the anti-inflammatories. So...

MIKE BRYAN: It's the Bryan Brothers Band.

BOB BRYAN: We gotta find another name. My dad made that name.

MIKE BRYAN: We're playing next Saturday.

BOB BRYAN: We're playing two gigs at the Open.

MIKE BRYAN: We probably play like 10, 15 times a year at tournaments, just fund raisers, charity.

MIKE BRYAN: So I might just play guitar.

MIKE BRYAN: No. We decided yesterday I need the week off just to give my wrist some rest for three or four days.