The Rio Games suffered another blow less than a week before Opening Ceremony when reigning Olympic doubles champions Bob and Mike Bryan announced their withdrawal from the competition.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, the identical twins cited family health reasons for pulling out. History’s most decorated men’s doubles tennis team did not mention the Zika virus that has kept many tennis and golf players from the Summer Olympics.
“After countless hours of deliberation Mike and I have decided to forego the Rio Olympics,” they wrote. “Though we’d love to compete again, as husbands and fathers, our family’s health is now our top priority.”
The former Stanford stars were supposed to play in their fourth Olympics after winning a bronze medal in Beijing in 2008 and defeating Michael Llodra and France Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France for gold four years ago in London.
The all-time doubles record-holders with 111 titles had said last month they expected Rio to be their final Olympic appearance. “Our wives were involved, our parents were involved and it’s the toughest decision we’ve probably ever made,” Bob Bryan told the Washington Post. “But ultimately we feel better about it.”
The U.S. team already lost singles players John Isner and Sam Querrey, who decided to skip the Olympics to concentrate on the upcoming U.S. Open that begins a week after the Rio Games end.
But the Bryans, 38, were ranked second and have 16 doubles titles at Grand Slam tournaments.
“We always put a big emphasis on the events where we represent our country,” Bob Bryan told NBCOlympics.com last month. “Our two greatest moments in our careers are clinching the Davis Cup in Portland in 2007 and then winning the gold in London. We’re still feeling the happiness from that London victory, and we hope to do it again.”
But something changed in the past month leading to their decision to stay home.
“Representing Team USA is one of our proudest tennis moments to date and winning gold in 2012 will always remain the pinnacle of our career,” the brothers wrote on their Facebook page.
