The Unstoppable Flying Brothers

Doubles legends, Bob and Mike Bryan, were on a mission at this year's Wimbledon. Having won the previous three Slams, as well as the Olympic gold medal in London, the twins were looking to complete the Golden 'Bryan' Slam, thus becoming the first team to hold all four majors, plus the Olympic gold at the same time.

With many of their rivals choosing to part ways at the end of last season, the Bryans found themselves unbothered as they cruised through 2013, winning eight of the eleven tournaments they've entered. While the newly formed teams are still in the process of accommodating with each other, the accomplished twins, aged 35, are completely in sync. This helped them reach some unbelievable heights throughout their career. "I think that's the reason why we've been playing so well, is because we have everything," said Bob. "Everything now feels like a bonus. It just feels like we're adding nuts and whipped cream and cherries to our great career. We said that a few years ago: if we retire today, we feel like we've done it all. Let's go have some fun and add to whatever this is."

Riding on an incredible 18-match winning streak, the Bryan brothers proved unstoppable at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. They've advanced through to the semifinals without dropping a set, withstood a tough challenge from Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Indian Rohan Bopanna, to then end the dream run of Croatian Ivan Dodig and Brazilian Marcelo Melo to clinch an historic title.

"It's hard to even dream that we'd have the slam, all four at one time," said Mike Bryan. "It all started back after we won the gold. It just felt like a huge pressure was released. Went on to win the Open and had a great summer. This year we've been on an amazing tear. Never had a streak like this. Especially at 35, I feel like we're hitting our peak.
"In the context of our career, it is probably up there at the top. I didn't think anything could feel as sweet as the gold medal, but this one just feels like there's a cap, a lid, or a ribbon around our career. It's pretty cool. It's something we never dreamed of, to try to win four in a row. It's too hard to dominate in doubles. Maybe we had a little luck involved along the way. We just took one at a time. It just added up. Now we got to try to suit back up for the calendar slam."

Next goal for the 'flying' brothers: winning all four majors in a season. They can do that by successfully defending their US Open crown. Let's go #BryanBros!

Although they lost the first five games of the final, the Bryan brothers came back strong, winning the final 3-6,6-3,6-4,6-3 to complete the Golden 'Bryan' Slam. The American twins now hold all four Grand Slam trophies, as well as the Olympic gold medal.

photos: GETTY IMAGES