The Bryan Brothers Talk Victory at First-Ever “Taste of Tennis” Miami

The Miami Open is back in sunny South Florida, and in the Magic City, there’s no better way to kick off a competition than with a trendy South Beach party.

With a poolside soirée sponsored by Citi Global, some of the hottest tennis pros and Miami’s top chefs gathered at the W South Beach, just last night, for the first ever “Taste of Tennis” Miami. Launched fifteen years ago in New York City — with a list of headliners like Serena and Venus Williams, Chopped judge Marc Murphy, Ana Ivanovic, David Burke and more — this much-anticipated celebration has always been regarded as one of the top “off-the-court” soirees for tennis players from across the globe. 

And in true Miami fashion, this South Beach bash did not disappoint.

Attracting 300 of Miami’s finest, “Taste of Tennis” featured cocktails and bites by mainstays like Casa Dragones, BLT Prime, 3030 Ocean, Khong River House, Il Mulino NY, Bocce, Ella, The Dutch and more — all served by some of the hottest tennis pros competing in this year’s games. And with Olympic gold medalists and adorable tennis twins, Bob and Mike “the Bryan Brothers” Bryan, headlining the event, we couldn’t help but catch up with the dynamic duo to find out their thoughts about this week’s Open, and of course, what they like to do while they’re here in Miami.

Of all of your successes in tennis, what moment are you most proud of?
Mike: “The gold medal! Winning Slams was great, but doing it at the Olympics and getting that gold medal was a wonderful feeling. We brought it around with us for about a year, and that’s all people wanted to hold. They just wanted to touch the precious metal. It was pretty great.”

For tennis doubles, half the battle is finding the right partner. How does it feel being able to have your own brother fill that role?
Bob: “It’s great. It can be tough when you play with your brother, because you don’t ever want to piss the other person off. No one wants to be coached by their twin brother, so we’ve learned that sometimes it’s best when we just keep our mouths shut and play. But it’s obviously amazing sharing these victories with your twin brother — we will be talking about these matches for our whole lives.”

Outside of winning the Miami Open, what are you most excited to do during your time here in Miami?
Mike: “We enjoy Miami, definitely. We’ll probably go the beach and go jetskiing. We are staying at the Four Seasons, so we will definitely hit the pool a lot. We also love going to some nice restaurants — Casa Tua is one of our favorites.”

What are you most looking forward to during this year’s Miami Open?
Bob: “We’re looking forward to maybe holding that trophy again — that’s the ultimate goal! We’re just going to take it one match at a time and hopefully string five together. This is my hometown now, so I have a lot of family and friends to impress. It’s a little extra pressure, but it’s good place to be. We can’t wait.”