A quick selfie with fellow Tennis star, Caroline Wozniacki (©Getty Images)
Kicking off the biggest tennis event of the year in Miami, the Miami Open, doubles champions (and identical twins!) Mike and Bob Bryan—more affectionately known as the Bryan Bros—attended the much anticipated Taste of Tennis at the W South Beach, alongside fellow tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. There, some of the city’s best restaurants showcased their menus with samples, including Bocce, Il Mulino New York, Khong River House, SugarCane, and up-and-coming restaurants Alter and Ella. Also, the tennis stars duked it out in a friendly game of table tennis.
Where Miami had a chance to talk with the Bryan Bros on the blue carpet about their travel secrets, favorite spots, and what they love about the Magic City.
Mike, left, and Bob Bryan attended Taste of Tennis at W South Beach. (©Getty Images)
You both play in Miami a lot, what are some of your favorite spots here?
Mike: [Bob] lives in Miami—my brother married a Cuban lady so he pulled up the stakes and came from California, moved out here. He’s in Hallandale. We love it where his family is. A lot of action, a lot of parties.
Bob: I’m a member of Casa Tua so I go there a bunch. It’s a great place. Upstairs it’s very quiet and it’s great food.
How does South Florida compare to California?
Bob: It’s very different. This is all about being on the water and now we’re living on the Intercoastal, we got a boat. Being out in California I was more of a hiker, I’d go into the mountains. This is more all about being in the water. It’s so hot here. My wife’s family, they’re big fishermen and boaters so this is a perfect place for us to live.
As an athlete, what are some of your must haves when you’re traveling?
Mike: I bring a lot of gluten free food. I’m gluten free. I bring a ton of stuff, I bring like three or four bags, pack it with massage tools, NormaTec recovery pants—I bring a lot of bars, protein powders.
Bob: We call it Mike’s gimmick bag, he’s got a ton of stuff.
You guys travel a lot, what are some of your favorite places you’ve been?
Mike: We love going down to Australia to start the year. Melbourne’s a great city. [We’re going to] Monte Carlo in a few weeks; I look forward to the water. You hit the tennis ball over the fence into the water. You can’t really go wrong. Rome’s great. Indian Wells and Miami are back to back, those are fun spots. Indian Wells is beautiful, you have the golf courses in the mountains and then you come here and you’re in South Beach. It’s tough to beat those two back to back.
Bob: We’re very lucky because we go to places where the sun’s shining in the biggest, most beautiful cities in the world. We always love going to Paris. It’s where we won our first Grand Slam and there’s something special about that city that makes us want to play our best there. We spend five weeks a year in London as well, so we really know that place well. We’ve spent over a year or two of our life there