Unseparated Since Birth

The second break was September 2008, when the United States was in the semifinals of the Davis Cup against Spain. By then, the Bryans, who are 31 and identical twins, had become one of the best men's doubles teams in the history of professional tennis. In Davis Cup, they have won 16 of their 18 matches. This time, it was Bob who couldn't make the trip because of a shoulder injury, so Mike was paired with Mardy Fish. They won, but both brothers were miserable. "I ran up $2,000 on the phone talking to Bob so he could tell me what to work on," Mike says. "The U.S.T.A. made me eat half the bill."

Their third extended break came this past May, during a European swing of the professional tennis tour. It marked a sort of Rubicon for the twins to cross, individually, because it was an elective separation. "I decided to come home for a week to get ready for the French Open, but Bob stayed over there with our coach," Mike says. "I thought we needed it, so we could come back fresh to play together. But we were on the phone with each other the whole time, so you sort of say, 'What's the point?' "