The tennis court has been the scene of both sibling battles and partnerships. The McEnroes, Bryans, Williams and Murrays are some of the biggest names in tennis and have provided fans with some intriguing matches over the years. But do family members stick together on the court as well as off?
In the final of the 1991 Chicago Open, the McEnroe brothers, elder brother John and Patrick, played each other in a final for the only time. John came out on top, defeating Patrick in three sets in an entertaining finish. The pair even managed to joke with each other after being interrupted by a spectator’s phone on match point (check out the clip on YouTube).
John McEnroe, now a TV commentator, reached No.1 in 1980 and played his younger brother Patrick three times – John won all three. Both played a lot of doubles, but they only played together nine times – winning one title together, the Paris Indoors. John won nine doubles Grand Slam titles, but none with his brother.
Later, both would captain the American Davis Cup team – first John, then Patrick. In 2007 Patrick achieved one thing his more famous brother John couldn’t – Davis Cup success.
In stark contrast to the McEnroes are the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena. These two seem to do everything together, train, travel, they even live together. Both are former world No.1 players and Grand Slam tournament winners. In a strange coincidence they both made it to the top spot in 2002 – first the elder Venus in February, then Serena in July. They’ve played each other 14 times and are tied at seven wins apiece.
Earlier in their careers it was suggested by some observers that the Williams sisters’ matches were ‘fixed’ to keep things even. On consultation of their finals record this argument seems absurd. Eight of their 14 encounters have been in finals, with Serena triumphing six times to Venus’s two.
As for the sisters’ record in the majors, Serena has won seven Grand Slam titles, Venus has six. They’ve met in six Grand Slam finals – Serena has edged out her older sister on five occasions.
Both have won six Grand Slam doubles titles – all together. The Williams girls also mirror each other’s results in mixed doubles. In 1998 Venus and Serena split the four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles between themselves. Serena won the US Open and Wimbledon titles with Max Mirnyi, while Venus won the Australian Open and French Open with American Justin Gimelstob.
The two were on opposite sides of the draw at Australian Open 2008, meaning a repeat of 2003 when they met in the final (Serena won 7-6[4] 3-6 6-4) was possible, but both were knocked out – both in the quarters to Serbian opponents.
Doubles specialists and identical twins Bob and Mike Bryan are yet to play each other in singles in an ATP event and, chances are, they probably never will. The two spend the majority of their time on court together causing all sorts of trouble for opposing duos.
The Bryan brothers have been one of the most successful doubles teams in recent years, they’re not the Woodies yet, but they’ve finished the season as the No.1 pairing four out of the past five years and have won five Grand Slam tournaments – Australian Open 2007 and 2006, French Open 2003, Wimbledon 2006 and US Open 2005.
The Bryans tasted Davis Cup finals success together in 2007 for the first time, winning their doubles tie to seal the US team’s victory.
Listening to the brothers speak, it’s obvious that they can’t be split. “If one of us got hurt tomorrow we’d just shut it down,” says Mike. “I don’t think I’d want to stay on the Tour without Bob and go find another partner. It’s not the same. It’s not fun.
“Doing it together is what makes us want to play every day together and do this tour. It’s special playing with your brother and winning with your brother. Nah, I’d retire. [to Bob] Would you?”
“I’d retire. I’d go to Federer and if Federer turned me down I’d retire,” says Bob.
Scottish brothers Andy and Jamie Murray have also experienced some success together, but don’t play together exclusively. Elder brother Jamie spends more time on the doubles circuit, while Andy is a successful singles player, currently sitting ninth in the world.
The two have never played against each other and while they have played doubles together they, in Jamie’s words, have only had “moderate success”. Unfortunately this moderate success didn’t extend to them winning a title together.
So while support doesn’t necessarily come on the court, off the court it’s a different matter. “We’re travelling together, we’re on the same Tour now,” says Jamie. “We see a lot more of each other and we’re there to support each other in our matches.”
“A lot of people don’t have that [support]. It’s great he understands and I understand what we’re doing out there and how you’re feeling at four-all in the third, or whatever, and you can talk about that.
“It’s always good to have someone there each week that you can look up to in the stands and he’s there supporting you and he knows what you’re going through,” says Murray.
Perhaps it’s because Andy concentrates more on singles and Jamie on doubles that Jamie feels like he isn’t in competition with his brother.
“Maybe if I was playing singles but the only time he’s really played doubles is to help me out, so we’re never really competing against each other.”
Australian Open men’s finalist Novak Djokovic has enjoyed a rapid rise to the top. But he’s not the only Djokovic who’s handy with a racquet. Sixteen-year-old Marko Djokovic is playing on the junior circuit and hoping to follow in his older brother’s footsteps.
Marko fell in the first round of the Australian Junior Championships but the trip wasn’t in vain – he has spent the rest of his time supporting his brother.
Australian Open 2008 women’s doubles champions Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko have played each other five times, Kateryna leads Alona 3-2. The pair has met once in a final, Bari 2004, which Alona won.
Alona, the elder of the two at 23, says that the sisters “find it hard to play against each other”. While Kateryna, 21, says that “half an hour after [the] match it is OK” and they are able to talk to each other.
Same sex siblings seem to dominate the tennis landscape, but Marat Safin and younger sister Dinara Safina are an exception to this pattern. Marat, six years Dinara’s senior, turned professional in 1997, while his sister followed him three years later.
They are yet to play mixed doubles together – Marat has only played mixed at the Hopman Cup in 2001, 2004 and 2005, while Dinara has played in the mixed once each at the US Open, French Open and Wimbledon.
So while the two choose to keep their on-court careers separate, the two certainly keep tabs on each other. Dinara was spotted sitting with Marat’s entourage at Rod Laver Arena enthusiastically supporting her brother during his five set loss to Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.
Tennis siblings are no different to any other siblings, except they have the same job. Some like to keep it in the family – the Williams and Bondarenko sisters, and the Bryan brothers are great examples of this – while others prefer to beat their own path but still look out for their other racquet-wielding family member – take a bow McEnroes, Murrays, Safin and Safina.
As for the tricky question of competition, nobody interviewed admitted to feeling that they were in competition with their sibling. But then who would?
Next time you watch a match between competing siblings look closely – while there may not be an all-in brawl or domestic situation during the match, an inaudible comment at a change of ends or a lingering exchanged look could be enough to show that competition between siblings is alive and well.
